Ramig, L. O., Sapir, S., Fox, C., & Countryman, S. (2001). Changes in vocal loudness following intensive voice treatment (LSVT®) in individuals with Parkinson 's disease: A comparison with untreated patients and normal age‐matched controls. Movement Disorders, 16(1), 79-83.
Summary of the Research Study
The research study addressed the efficacy of a voice treatment in improving the loudness of speech for people with Parkinson’s disease. For individuals with Parkinson’s disease it is common for the disease to manifest in difficulties in producing normal speech. Most frequently, these patients are diagnosed with a speech disorder known as hypokinetic dysarthria, which is characterized by decreased vocal loudness, monotone speech, and limited …show more content…
To make this determination, the LSVT method was compared to a similar treatment program that differed from the LSVT only in that it emphasized high respiratory effort over high respiratory-phonatory effort. The results of this comparison showed that while LSVT resulted in greater improvements in sound pressure level (SPL) over the alternative program, the other program still contributed to patient improvement in vocal loudness. Since vocal loudness was able to be improved without the phonatory emphasis highlighted in LSVT program, the researchers wished to examine the possibility that the improvements found through the use of LSVT are the result of extraneous …show more content…
The first three recordings were collected two weeks before the start of the treatment period. Two more recording were made at the completion of the treatment groups treatment period and the final two recording were collected at a six-month post-treatment follow-up. All of the recordings were collected in a sound-treated room. The recordings were of four performed tasks: continual vowel phonation on the “ah” sound as long as possible repeated six times, reading of the “rainbow passage”, a monologue on a selected topic, and a picture describing task of the “Cookie Theft Picture”. For each of these tasks the sound pressure level (SPL) was obtained using a sound level meter. Multiple recordings were collected at each time point in order to get an average SPL for each
Summary of the Research Study
The research study addressed the efficacy of a voice treatment in improving the loudness of speech for people with Parkinson’s disease. For individuals with Parkinson’s disease it is common for the disease to manifest in difficulties in producing normal speech. Most frequently, these patients are diagnosed with a speech disorder known as hypokinetic dysarthria, which is characterized by decreased vocal loudness, monotone speech, and limited …show more content…
To make this determination, the LSVT method was compared to a similar treatment program that differed from the LSVT only in that it emphasized high respiratory effort over high respiratory-phonatory effort. The results of this comparison showed that while LSVT resulted in greater improvements in sound pressure level (SPL) over the alternative program, the other program still contributed to patient improvement in vocal loudness. Since vocal loudness was able to be improved without the phonatory emphasis highlighted in LSVT program, the researchers wished to examine the possibility that the improvements found through the use of LSVT are the result of extraneous …show more content…
The first three recordings were collected two weeks before the start of the treatment period. Two more recording were made at the completion of the treatment groups treatment period and the final two recording were collected at a six-month post-treatment follow-up. All of the recordings were collected in a sound-treated room. The recordings were of four performed tasks: continual vowel phonation on the “ah” sound as long as possible repeated six times, reading of the “rainbow passage”, a monologue on a selected topic, and a picture describing task of the “Cookie Theft Picture”. For each of these tasks the sound pressure level (SPL) was obtained using a sound level meter. Multiple recordings were collected at each time point in order to get an average SPL for each