5 Speech Therapy Tools to Improve Speech in Parkinson's Disease
Updated: Mar 31, 2022
Many individuals who have speech and voice problems in Parkinson's Disease can hugely benefit from intensive therapy. However such treatments are often best suited to individuals with mild to moderate difficulties. Some individuals with more moderate to severe difficulties may still make gains while others will benefit most from tools to compensate rather than therapy to remediate. Let's take a look at some of the available tools.
Portable Voice Amplifiers
A portable voice amplifier is a device a person can use to amplify their voice. It is of great benefit to many people with Parkinson's Disease who commonly have low volume. It can make their speech audible enabling family and friend to hear and understand. There are a range of available portable voice amplifiers of varying price.
Some people may be conscious of wearing a portable voice amplifier as they consider it not to be the norm. They may not initially realise that it is of benefit. Praise and encouragement is important. If the amplifying their speech does make it clearer, then be sure to tell the person. You could audio-record them so they can hear the difference for themselves.
Many portable voice amplifiers are inexpensive. Some options include Zoweektek, Winbridge, and Shidu.
Conversation Paceboard
Some individuals with Parkinson's Disease begin to speak very quickly. They may not be aware of how quickly they are speaking. They also often have difficulty controlling their rate.
Conversation Paceboard can help teach a slower rate of speech. Some will be able to learn a slower rate with practice while others will need to continue to use the app when speaking in order to speak more slowly and make themselves understood.
Delayed Auditory Feedback