UW Speech and Hearing Clinic is pleased to offer speech therapy programs to help individuals with Parkinson’s regain and maintain effective communication: The SPEAK OUT!® Therapy program, developed by the Parkinson Voice Project is a comprehensive program to help people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders regain and retain their speech and swallowing. The program places emphasis on speaking with intent and converting speech from an automatic function to an intentional act. Together, patients and their speech-language pathologist work through a series of speech, voice, and cognitive exercises outlined in a SPEAK OUT!® Workbook.
Upon completion of SPEAK OUT!®, patients can join our SPEAK OUT!® Therapy group This maintenance program consists of weekly group sessions led by a speech-language pathologist. The SPEAK OUT!® exercises are performed, and group members provide support, encouragement, and accountability to one another.
Participation in the SPEAK OUT!® Therapy group along with daily home practice and six-month re-evaluations, has been shown to help patients maintain their communication skills throughout the progression of Parkinson’s. For more information about SPEAK OUT!® and SPEAK OUT!® Therapy group in our clinic or to schedule a speech/voice evaluation, please call the UW Speech and Hearing Clinic at 206-543-5440.