Parkinson’s speech therapy in Cherry Hill, NJ

The first sign is usually somebody else. Your family starts asking you to repeat things. People on the phone say they cannot hear you. From the inside it feels like you are talking normally — and that mismatch is the disease, not your imagination.

How Parkinson’s changes speech, voice and swallowing

Parkinson’s affects the dopamine receptors in the body. The effect people know about is on walking: steps get smaller. The same thing happens to the movements that produce speech.

Voice and speech

The usual result is lower volume and less clear speech. It creeps up gradually. Because Parkinson’s also affects your internal sense of how big a movement was, a voice at normal volume can feel like shouting from the inside — which is why this is so often a source of friction at home.

Treatment works on increasing volume and speech clarity so you can keep communicating your wants, needs and ideas. It is worth working on proactively, to reduce the risk of larger voice changes as the condition progresses.

Memory and thinking

People with Parkinson’s may notice changes in memory, or a slowing in how quickly they process information.

Speech-language pathologists specialize in executive functioning — the higher-level skills that let you complete everyday tasks. Treatment targets the specific things that have become difficult: remembering when to take medication, following routines, and staying safe at home and in the community.

Chewing and swallowing

Reduced movement can make it harder to chew food efficiently. That shows up as food pocketing in the cheeks, residue left in the mouth, or food spilling out.

There can also be changes in the pharyngeal phase — the part of the swallow that happens in the throat. More coughing or throat-clearing during meals is the sign to watch for. We can assess whether the swallow itself can be improved, or whether changes to food texture and mealtime strategies would help.

What therapy actually involves

Parkinson’s speech therapy is more like physical training than like conversation practice. It is repetitive on purpose, and it works because of that.

LSVT LOUD®

An intensive, well-established program delivered four times a week for four weeks. The focus is on vocal loudness and on recalibrating your internal sense of volume, so that speaking at an audible level stops feeling like shouting.

SPEAK OUT!®

Developed by Parkinson Voice Project. It trains you to speak with intent — deliberately, rather than on autopilot. Individual sessions are followed by the LOUD Crowd, an ongoing group that keeps the gains in place. We currently run a free SPEAK OUT! group.

Alongside either program

• Breath support and expiratory muscle strength training (EMST)
• Speech clarity and rate work
• Executive function and memory strategies for daily life
• Swallowing assessment and treatment where needed
• Training for family, so they know how to help without nagging

The protocols we are certified in

• LSVT LOUD® — certified provider.
• SPEAK OUT!® — certified providers, through Parkinson Voice Project.
• EMST — expiratory muscle strength training, for breath support, cough strength and swallow safety.
• Ampcare ESP™ and NMES — for the swallowing side.
• MDTP — McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program.

Who this is for

• Adults with Parkinson’s disease at any stage, including newly diagnosed
• People whose family has started asking them to repeat themselves
• People whose voice tires quickly, or who are hard to hear on the phone
• People noticing coughing or throat-clearing at meals
• People noticing memory changes or slower processing
• People with other neurologic movement disorders affecting speech and swallowing
• Families who want to know what is coming and how to prepare

Newly diagnosed and not sure whether it is worth coming yet? It is. This is one of the clearest cases in all of speech therapy for starting before you think you need to.

What the first appointment looks like

The evaluation usually takes about an hour. Here is the shape of it.

1. We talk

   You tell us what has changed and what you want to get back to. We go through your medical history. Bring your family or your caregiver if you can — they notice things you cannot.

2. We assess

   A mix of standardized tests and real, everyday tasks. For Parkinson’s we look at vocal loudness, speech clarity, breath support, and how well your own sense of volume matches reality. We also screen memory, executive function and swallowing, because all three are commonly affected.

3. We tell you what we found, the same day

   We discuss the results with you at the end of the session and build a plan together, using your goals and your real situations. You do not go away and wait for a letter.