SPEAK OUT!® for Parkinson's Disease 

SPEAK OUT! and Weekly SPEAK OUT! Speech Groups are a two-part speech therapy program to help individuals with Parkinson’s disease regain and maintain effective communication. Initially, clients work through a series of speech, voice, and cognitive exercises with the goal of speaking with INTENT. This in an intensive program with typically 3 sessions a week for 4 weeks. To maintain the gains from individual services, clients transition to weekly online meetings of SPEAK OUT! Speech Groups. We offer several groups to meet the needs of clients with different skill levels. You must have completed the SPEAK OUT! program to join a group.

Diagnostic, therapy, and group services are provided by graduate student-clinicians under the supervision of Karen Bryant and Louise Pinkerton, who are certified in this program.

What to do if you are interested in SPEAK OUT!? Obtain a referral from your physician for a speech evaluation and speech therapy. It is possible that you may need to be seen by an otolaryngologist (ENT) for an endoscopic voice evaluation to rule out other voice problems. For more information about SPEAK OUT!, contact Karen Bryant at karen-bryant@uiowa.edu or view the Parkinson Voice Project webpage. To schedule a speech evaluation, contact the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic, at 319-335-8736 or have your physician fax a referral to 319-335-8851. You will be contacted when we have openings for new clients.

For more information, sign up for a Client Education Webinar or watch the Learn about Parkinson’s webinar offered by Parkinson Voice Project. 

LSVT LOUD® for Parkinson's Disease and other Neurological Disorders

LSVT LOUD is a program is designed to improve functional communication in daily living by increasing vocal loudness. LSVT LOUD consists of 4 sessions per week for 4 weeks (16 sessions in a month). Each session lasts 60 minutes. The treatment involves intensive daily training sessions along with family-assisted practice sessions at home and emphasizes high vocal effort. The individual is encouraged to “THINK LOUD.” Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of this program for individuals with Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, MS, and Huntington's disease. It is also effective for children with cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, and autism. The acronym LSVT stands for Lee Silverman Voice Treatment in honor of the client that inspired the therapy program.

Diagnostic and therapy services are provided by graduate student-clinicians under the supervision of Louise Pinkerton, who has adult and pediatric LSVT LOUD certification. Follow-up sessions are scheduled as needed.

What to do if you are interested in LSVT LOUD? Obtain a referral from your physician for a speech evaluation and speech therapy 4 times/week x 4 weeks. It is possible that you may need to be seen by an otolaryngologist (ENT) for an endoscopic voice evaluation to rule out other voice problems. For more information about LSVT LOUD contact Louise Pinkerton at louise-pinkerton@uiowa.edu or view the LSVT Global website. To schedule a speech evaluation, contact the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic, at 319-335-8736 or have your physician fax a referral to 319-335-8851. You will be contacted when we have openings for new clients.

Clinical Coordinators

Karen Bryant, Ph.D., CCC-SLP 
Clinical Associate Professor

Louise Pinkerton, M.M., M.A., CCC-SLP 
Clinical Assistant Professor