Parkinson's disease is a neurological disease that occurs with the gradual loss of dopamine-secreting cells in our brain. Dopamine secreted in the brain allows us to move fluently and in coordination thanks to its task of transmitting messages between the parts that manage our body's movements. If not enough dopamine is secreted in the brain, Parkinson's disease, characterized by movement disorder, occurs.
The most distinctive feature of Parkinson's disease is muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, tremor or shaking movements. In addition to uncontrolled movement in the muscles, poor coordination and poor balance posture may also be observed.
Apart from motor symptoms, speech problems can also be seen in 90% of Parkinson's disease patients. The person may not notice the speech problem, but it draws attention when his speech is not understood by the listeners and he is asked to repeat it more than before. People have to make more effort to speak clearly and understandably.
Speech problems observed in Parkinson's disease;
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Low sound level (hypophonia),
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Low pitch range (monotone)
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It includes difficulty in articulating sounds or syllables (dysarthria).
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Grammar difficulties
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Deficiencies in Receptive Language-Expressive Grammar
Trying to find the right words to convey emotions, trying to pronounce them correctly, and doing this at the appropriate volume and doing all of these together is a serious challenge for Parkinson's Patients.
While 90% of Parkinson's patients have speech problems, very few receive speech and voice therapy. However, interacting with others in daily life is crucial for your mental health, and communicating effectively with loved ones will increase your motivation.
Potential treatments for speech and language problems in Parkinson's patients include medication, behavioral therapies, and surgery (especially deep brain stimulation). ). Reducing motor problems will increase the success of speech therapy.
The clarity of people's speech is improved after behavioral speech therapy for speech problems seen in people due to Parkinson's disease. This enables them to speak at a level that can be understood by everyone.
Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT) is an evidence-based behavioral therapy technique. It is an intense voice exercise program that targets voice intensity, quality and variation. The aim of the LSVT technique is to increase self-awareness in people by increasing voice volume and speech intelligibility. With intensive therapy, faster progress and reinforcement towards the goal is achieved. Speech therapists who are trained in this field and have a practitioner certificate work.
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