Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT)
Fact Sheet Speech Disorders & Parkinson Disease
Virtually every person (89%) with Parkinson’s disease will have problems that start early in the disease process and progressively diminish quality of life:
- soft voice
- mumbled speech
- monotone speech
- hoarse voice
Medicine and surgery may dramatically improve the other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, but they don’t help speech disorders. The only way to improve speech is by speech therapy.
Experimental data from more than 15 years of research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has documented that one Parkinson-specific speech therapy, the LSVT® is effective.
The results of the treatment last up to two years, making the LSVT® the “gold standard” in treating speech disorders in people who have Parkinson’s disease.
The LSVT® is an intense 1-hour a day, 4-week course of therapy that teaches people with Parkinson’s disease to develop the strength required to speak at a normal vocal loudness.
The strong theoretical and clinical research base behind LSVT® has demonstrated substantive results:
- Improved vocal loudness
- Improved intelligibility
- More facial expression
- Improved ability to swallow
- Better neural functioning (PET)
LSVT® teaches self-empowerment by improving the ability to communicate and thereby enhancing quality of life.
For more information, please contact:
LSVT Foundation
P.O. Box 642
Louisville, CO 80027
Phone: 1.888.606.5788
Fax: 520.615.8559
Email: info@lsvt.org
Website: www.lsvt.org
For information on speech exercise videotapes for people with Parkinson’s disease, please visit: www.learningloud.com
For optimum treatment results, it is essential that LSVT® be delivered by a speech therapist certified in this method.
