A Group Intervention Model for Speech and Communication Skills in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: Initial Observations

Various speech and voice disorders affect 70% to 85% of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Speech treatment is generally conducted on an individual basis, with family member involvement. Clinical experience indicates that many patients do not practice treatments at home or apply the learned techniques in everyday situations. An eight-session, task-oriented group intervention with PD patients who also had learned speech techniques individually prior to this program is described. Preliminary observations using subjective and objective measures indicate improvement in voice characteristics, self-perception of speech intelligibility, communication skills, and application of these skills in everyday communication situations.