LSVT LOUD is an intensive speech treatment for individuals with Parkinson disease and other neurological disorders. The program consists of 16 one-hour sessions over the course of 1 month. Each day consists of four one-hour sessions which are provided by a licensed, certified LSVT LOUD clinician.
LSVT LOUD focuses on improving motor control at the level of the brain and nervous system. During each session, individuals are taught to use their voices in a large and clear manner. This training then generalizes to everyday activities such as speaking on the phone, ordering in a restaurant, or giving a speech to a group.
LSVT LOUD is an intensive speech treatment for individuals with Parkinson disease (PD). The program aims to improve the quality of speech by increasing vocal loudness. LSVT LOUD uses the principles of motor learning to target improved vocal loudness and intelligibility. The treatment consists of high-intensity, one-on-one training with a certified LSVT LOUD therapist for 16 sessions over 4 weeks. The patient participates in daily homework assignments as well as exercises that are used during the session.
The program was developed by two speech-language pathologists in 1987, who noticed similar voice problems among their patients with PD. These problems included reduced vocal loudness, poor articulation, monotonic pitch, and slow rate of speech. All of these characteristics resulted in decreased intelligibility and social participation. The goal of LSVT LOUD is to improve the quality of life for individuals with PD by improving communication skills, reducing frustration, and increasing social participation.
The patient must make a commitment to work hard on both treatment sessions and daily homework assignments in order to achieve maximum benefit from the program. Treatment sessions consist of a variety of exercises including sustained vowels, talking while walking, whispering, laughing and singing.
LSVT LOUD is designed to treat the vocal and speech issues common among people with PD. These include impaired volume and pitch range and loss of breath support, resulting in monotone speech and reduced intelligibility.
LSVT LOUD is an intensive, scientifically validated speech therapy program that provides four sessions per week in one month. It is conducted by certified LSVT LOUD clinicians who use specific treatment techniques such as loudness practice; exercises to improve voice quality, articulation, rate, pitch variation, breathing and facial expression; and strategies to improve speech intelligibility.
The goal of LSVT LOUD is to increase vocal loudness by stimulating the muscles of the larynx (voice box) and respiratory system to achieve a safe decibel level for comfortable communication. By gradually increasing vocal loudness through repetitive exercises, patients stimulate the central nervous system and coordinate their muscles to reach normal vocal loudness levels. If you have Parkinson’s disease, you’re probably familiar with the symptoms—including tremors, slowness of movement, and poor balance. But did you know that speech problems also commonly accompany Parkinson’s? Speech therapy can help people with Parkinson’s disease improve their speech and vocal quality by teaching them to speak in a louder voice.