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Abstract
Parkinson‘s disease (PD) impairs voice, speech, swallowing and facial expressions, thus affecting communication, food intake, work, socialization and overall health and quality of life. This article reviews current research on the characteristics and features of these disorders in individuals with PD, and the types of treatment techniques available (medical, surgical or behavioral), with emphasis on the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT®) as the treatment of choice to improve voice, speech and other orofacial functions. LSVT addresses major deficits underlying voice and speech in PD, namely, impaired scaling of movement amplitude and poor perception and self-regulation of vocal output. Based upon this, LSVT emphasizes increased amplitude of vocal output through intensive training in increased vocal loudness (with good voice quality), recalibration of vocal loudness perception and self-regulation of vocal effort. The potential contribution of LSVT and analogous behavioral treatment approaches to neural plasticity is also addressed, as are directions for future research.