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The SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program, developed by Parkinson Voice Project, helps people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders regain and retain their speech and swallowing. This highly effective, evidence-based treatment combines education, individual and group speech therapy, daily home practice, and continuous follow-ups. Patients are empowered to “speak with INTENT,” transitioning speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.
The SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program is depicted as a circle since it is ongoing…it never ends.
Expand the bars to learn about each part of the program:
The first step in the SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program is to determine if a patient would benefit from the treatment. A SPEAK OUT! evaluation is conducted by a Licensed SPEAK OUT! Provider, a speech-language pathologist who has completed SPEAK OUT! Training and Licensing through Parkinson Voice Project.
Patients are usually candidates for SPEAK OUT! Therapy if they can tolerate 30-minute treatment sessions, follow simple commands, complete daily home practice, and show improvement in two or more of the following when speaking with intent: breath support for speech, vocal volume, voice quality, articulation, and/or intonation of speech.
Every patient enrolled in the SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program receives free access to Parkinson Voice Project’s SPEAK OUT! eLibrary. This digital resource consists of the SPEAK OUT! Workbook and therapy flashcards (photo, word, math, conversation, problem solving) to be used during therapy sessions and home practice. These resources are available in several languages. There are other workbooks and a songbook in the eLibrary, too. Patients living in the U.S. also receive a hard copy of the SPEAK OUT! Workbook.
Before starting SPEAK OUT! Therapy, patients and their families watch a video called, What is Parkinson’s?
This video explains the difference between the automatic and intentional motor systems and how the lack of dopamine in Parkinson’s affects our movements, motivation, and drive. Understanding this information is essential for SPEAK OUT! Therapy since the basis of the program is to strengthen the speech and swallowing muscles, while teaching patients how to speak with INTENT.
By watching this video, patients discover they have more control over Parkinson’s than they may have previously thought. This provides hope and encouragement for both the patients and their families.
After patients and their families watch What is Parkinson’s?, individual SPEAK OUT! Therapy begins. Therapy goals include learning how to accurately perform the SPEAK OUT! exercises, establishing a daily SPEAK OUT! home practice routine, learning how to “speak with intent,” training family, and successfully transitioning to a weekly SPEAK OUT! Therapy Group.
Patients typically reach their individual SPEAK OUT! Therapy goals in 8 to 12 sessions, which are usually 30-40 minutes long. Family involvement is important for SPEAK OUT! Therapy success. Family members are encouraged to participate in the individual therapy sessions. Online therapy made it possible for adult children, siblings, and close friends to attend therapy sessions, even if they live in a different state or province.
During the third or fourth week of individual SPEAK OUT! Therapy, patients begin transitioning to a SPEAK OUT! Therapy Group.
These weekly groups are led by a Licensed SPEAK OUT! Provider. The focus is speaking with INTENT and learning to incorporate INTENT into everyday life. Group members share resources with one another and provide support and encouragement during this life-long journey.
The mission of Parkinson Voice Project is to help every person with Parkinson’s or related neurological disorders REGAIN and RETAIN speech and swallowing for a lifetime.
To accomplish this, patients need consistent home practice and regular follow-ups with their SPEAK OUT! Provider. Patients should have a “SPEAK OUT! Refresher” every three to six months. During this session, the patient’s speech and swallowing will be compared to their last individual therapy session. If there is a decline, additional SPEAK OUT! Therapy sessions should be scheduled.
Consistent “Refreshers,” can address speech and swallowing issues more quickly. Early intervention is an important key to successfully managing Parkinson’s.
Since Parkinson’s is progressive and degenerative, daily home practice is a crucial part of the SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program. Without setting this daily routine, patients will not reach their full potential. They will also struggle to RETAIN their speech and swallowing.
During individual SPEAK OUT! Therapy, patients complete SPEAK OUT! home practice twice each day. Upon reaching their individual therapy goals, completing the exercises just once a day may be recommended. However, daily home practice can never stop.
Parkinson Voice Project hosts Online SPEAK OUT! Home Practice Sessions Monday through Friday. These free sessions provide motivation and help patients set a consistent routine for completing the SPEAK OUT! exercises. Patients also have their SPEAK OUT! Workbook and flashcards in the eLibrary to keep home practice interesting. Including family and close friends in daily home practice can also provide additional support and encouragement.
SPEAK OUT! was developed by Parkinson Voice Project. The therapy program is based on principles of motor learning and teachings of the late Daniel R. Boone, Ph.D., CCC-SLP. In the 1950s, Boone recognized people with Parkinson’s could improve their communication skills by “speaking with intent.”
Learn how and why Samantha Elandary founded Parkinson Voice Project
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