PARKINSONS & PARKINSONISM-LSVT (LEE SILVERMAN VOICE THERAPY)

SUMMARY

ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS OF LSVT
1. Focus on vocal loudness (amplitude):
- Increased loudness can improve vocal fold closure & enhance the phonatory source.
- May stimulate increased effort & coordination across the respiratory, laryngeal & orofacial systems.

2. Stimulation of high-effort productions.

3. Intensive delivery of treatment (4 individual sessions a week for 4 weeks, 16 sessions in one month).

4. Repetition of exercises.

5. Enhancing sensory awareness of increased vocal loudness and effort (calibration):
- Generalization & recalibrating sensory feedback so people recognize their new, louder voices as within normal limits.
- Direct & intense simultaneous motor with sensory awareness training.

6. Quantification of behaviors.

Reference(s)

Fox, Cynthia M., et al. “Current Perspectives on the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) for Individuals With Idiopathic Parkinson Disease.” American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, vol. 11, no. 2, May 2002, pp. 111–123., doi:10.1044/1058-0360(2002/012).
Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].