Background: Acquired brain injury (ABI), such as Parkinson's disease, dementia or stroke, can result in communication difficulties that lead to an impoverished ability to connect meaningfully with others. Choral singing is a complex task that uses multiple brain regions which are also responsible for language and communication skills. The…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to quantify changes in speech intelligibility in two cohorts of people with Parkinson's disease (PD; those with and without deep brain stimulation [DBS]) across a broad range of self-selected speech rate alterations in: (1) read sentences; and (2) extemporaneous speech (monologues). Method: Four speaker groups…

This article explores research on clay manipulation art therapy for individuals with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). An overview of 3 phases of the authors' previous research includes (a) comparison of people living with PD to control in a single individual setting, (b) investigation of negative psychological symptoms in a single…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the respiratory strategies used by persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) to support louder speech in response to two voice interventions. Contrasting interventions were selected to investigate the role of internal and external cue strategies on treatment outcomes. LSVT LOUD, which uses an internal…

Background: Although speech and voice disorders are common in Parkinson's disease (PD), there is insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of behavioural speech therapies in these patients. Aims: This study aimed to examine the effects of a new tele-rehabilitation program, a combining of conventional speech therapy and singing…

Background: Dysphagia is prevalent in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD). Swallowing intervention to improve or maintain swallowing function is of major importance as dysphagia may considerably impact physical and psycho-social health. Aims: A mixed methods systematic review was conducted to summarize and appraise literature reporting (1)…

Background: The Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) designed to measure the extent of interference, or difficulty, experienced by adults with communication disorders participating in their day-to-day communication activities. To date, there is limited evidence regarding sensitivity of the CPIB…

Background: Dysphagia is a common symptom of Parkinson's disease and can have negative consequences for physical health and quality of life. A variety of treatment options are available to clinicians working with people who have dysphagia and Parkinson's disease. These options can be broadly categorized as being compensatory or rehabilitative in…

Effects of brief Behavioral Relaxation Training (BRT) on anxiety and dyskinesia of a 57-year-old female, with an 11-year history of Parkinson's disease (PD) and 18-months post-deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, were evaluated. Multiple process and outcome measures were used including the Clinical Anxiety Scale (CAS), Subjective…

Levodopa-induced dyskinesia is a major complication of long-term dopamine replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease that becomes increasingly problematic in advanced Parkinson's disease. Although the cause of levodopa-induced dyskinesias is still unclear, recent work in animal models of the corticostriatal system has suggested that…

Background: Beyond the severity of voice, speech and language impairments, one potential predictor of communication success across adult populations with communication disorders may be perceived social support: the expectation that others will provide support if needed. Despite the preponderance of intervention approaches that assume a positive…

Purpose: Airway protective disorders are common in Parkinson's disease (PD), yet effective methods to rehabilitate these life-threatening impairments are limited. This study examined the effects of two skill-based treatments aimed at improving swallowing and cough in a severely dysphagic person with PD: respiratory-swallow coordination training…

Purpose: This study evaluates the effects of a novel speech therapy program that uses a verbal cue and gamified augmented visual feedback regarding tongue movements to address articulatory hypokinesia during speech in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Method: Five participants with PD participated in an ABA single-subject design study.…

Background: Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures produce scores that do not always have obvious clinical meaning. The PRO-bookmarking procedure is a new and promising way to make PRO measures more meaningful and interpretable. However, the materials and procedures of the task may benefit from adaptations to be more accessible to individuals…

Background: The increasing need for speech therapy due to our ageing population raises the demand on therapeutical resources. To meet this demand, innovative delivery of speech training is required. eHealth applications may provide a solution, as intensified and prolonged training is only possible and affordable in patients' home environment.…