SPEAK OUT! and LSVT Loud: Speech Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease:

SPEAK OUT!®

Developed by: Parkinson Voice Project, a nonprofit organization.

Typical Treatment Intensity: 8-12 sessions (twice a week for 4-6 weeks), 30-40 minutes each.

Home Exercise Program: Yes! Recommended daily. Check out their online daily speech practice.

Primary Focus / Target: Speak with intent.

Group Practice: Recommend weekly SPEAK OUT! groups (formerly known as LOUD Crowd)

Cognition: Incorporates cognitive exercises into speech therapy sessions

Evidence-based Practice: Research has been done and is available on their website.

Cost for SLP training and certification: The initial certification course is $575. For April, the price is reduced to $199. Each year, grants are available to SLPs and university clinics that would like to be trained in SPEAK OUT! that reduce the total cost (*the grants used to cover the cost of training, but now offer a discount)

Renewal period and cost: Must renew every year. Cost is free. (*update 4/15/24: the Parkinson Voice Project recently announced that they are requiring all SPEAK OUT! certified clinicians to take their updated certification course before 12/31/24, at a cost of $172.50, in order to renew for 2025*)

LSVT LOUD®

Developed by: LSVT Global, Inc, a for-profit company. LSVT stands for Lee Silverman Voice Therapy.

Typical Treatment Intensity: 16 sessions (four times a week for 4 weeks) for 60 minutes.

Home Exercise Program: Yes! Recommended daily.

Primary Focus / Target: Speak loud.

Group Practice: Recommend weekly LOUD for LIFE classes

Cognition: Does not incorporate cognitive exercises into speech therapy sessions

Evidence-based Practice: Research has been done and is available on their website.

Cost for SLP training and certification: The initial certification course is $605.

Renewal period and cost: Must renew every two years. Cost is $60.

Why I offer SPEAK OUT!® speech therapy at Lotus Speech & Wellness

Both SPEAK OUT! and LSVT LOUD are well-known, evidence-based speech therapy programs for Parkinson’s Disease. So why did I choose to become certified in SPEAK OUT!®?

My early experience providing speech therapy to people with Parkinson’s

When I first started practicing as an SLP in 2011, I’d only ever heard of LSVT LOUD. (in 2011, Parkinson Voice Project was still relatively new). I remember asking my supervisors at each of my inpatient and outpatient jobs if I could become certified in LSVT LOUD, and they all said no. Their explanation was that there was already an SLP on staff who was certified, and the certification was too expensive to have another SLP trained. Fortunately, some of my generous colleagues shared the basics of the LSVT LOUD training and resources with me. I used that information, along with my own knowledge and clinical experience, to provide speech therapy to my patients with Parkinson’s for the first 10 years of my practice.

Choosing SPEAK OUT! for my private practice

As I was planning my private practice, I learned about the Parkinson Voice Project’s SPEAK OUT program. I liked their approach: nonprofit organization, evidence-based, focus on cognition, fewer days per week of therapy, lower cost of certification and renewal, etc. I also learned they offered grants which SLPs could apply for to become certified SPEAK OUT! providers at no cost. So, in 2022 I applied for a SPEAK OUT! grant . . . and was awarded one! I completed the training and certification program that spring, and began offering SPEAK OUT! evaluations and treatment to my private practice clients. The 1:1 speech therapy program is considered medically necessary, therefore covered by most insurances. Last fall I started offering a weekly online practice group, and have just relaunched this group this month. This practice group is not covered by insurance, but is offered at an affordable, sliding scale rate to meet all budgets.

Outcomes and future directions

Overall my clients and I have been very happy with the SPEAK OUT! speech therapy program. All of my clients have made personally-meaningful improvements in their speech and voice after participating in speech therapy services. To demonstrate their progress, I record them during the initial evaluation and during our second-to-last treatment session. I create a short video in iMovie to share during their final session to spotlight the progress they’ve made. It’s truly one of the highlights of the work that I do!

I’m also excited about growing my weekly virtual Parkinson’s voice practice group. Speech therapy is important, but having a supportive community for weekly practice is just as important. I’d love to see this grow into something bigger, perhaps similar to the local Rock Steady Boxing groups.

Please feel free to contact me by phone, email, or through the contact form on my website to learn more about speech therapy for Parkinson’s. (*please note I am only able to work with folks in Maine*) I offer a free 15-minute consultation, am in-network with Traditional Medicare Part B and MaineCare, and offer a weekly virtual practice group at an affordable rate.