SPEAK OUT! Speech therapy for Parkinson’s Disease
SPEAK OUT! is a 1:1speech therapy program tailored to people with Parkinson’s disease to improve voicing and swallowing. In this program, speech is transformed from an automatic function to an intentional task.
SPEAK OUT! participants typically receive three SPEAK OUT!® sessions a week for four weeks and transition to a LOUD CROWD program to maintain functional gains. Clients report improvement in their speaking, their ability to be heard, and their overall quality of life.
According to studies, up to 89% of people with Parkinson’s disease develop difficulty communicating and up to 95% develop difficulty swallowing. To postpone and prevent this decline, it is optimal to begin speech therapy as soon as possible.
Participation in SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd can change the effects that Parkinson’s disease has on your voice. Muscles become weak because they are not used to their full capacity, not because Parkinson’s is making them weak. SPEAK OUT! requires you to use the muscles for speaking and swallowing to their full potential to prevent decline.
The SPEAK OUT! therapy regimen was developed at Parkinson Voice Project in Richardson, TX. You can visit their website here.
