Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT) is an intensive and widely practiced form of intervention program targeted at speech disorders associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is delivered four times a week for four weeks, with sessions lasting 60 minutes. The objective of the treatment is for individuals to a build strong and healthy vocal quality. Therapy begins with practicing single sounds in order to establish correct volume and breath support necessary to produce an increased sound. Drills of maximum duration of a sustained vowel and maximum fundamental frequency range are also practiced. Therapy then progresses into speaking in full sentences, reading aloud and engaging in conversation. As well as using tape recorders and sound pressure level meters for feedback, patients are trained to use personal resources such as self-monitoring and internal cues to help evaluate their vocal quality independently. Patients who have received LSVT have shown to maintain improvements for up to two years post-treatment.
My Rehab Team offers speech pathology, physiotherapist, dietician, occupational therapist, podiatrist, exercises physiology and a rehabilitation assistant/health coach, who are more than happy to help you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle. To find out more, please do not hesitate to contact us at 13004MYREHAB (1300 469 734) or at info@myrehabteam.com.au.
References:
Western University of Canada [Online – pdf] Available at: http://www.uwo.ca/fhs/lwm/ebp/reviews/2009-10/Hayes.pdf (Accessed on 6th of July 2015)
Rainbow Rehab [Online – pdf] Available at: https://www.rainbowrehab.com/RainbowVisions/article_downloads/articles/Art-THPY-LSVT.pdff (Accessed 6th of July 2015)
The National Center for Voice & Speech (NCVS) [Online] Available at: http://www.ncvs.org/research/lsvt-history.html (Accessed 6th of July 2015)
Image courtesy of “photostock” @FreeDigitalPhotos.net Available at: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net (Accessed 7th of July 2015)
