ISCA Archive ICSLP 2002
ISCA Archive ICSLP 2002

Application of the lee silverman voice treatment (LSVT) to individuals with multiple sclerosis, ataxic dysarthria, and stroke

Leslie Will, Lorraine O. Ramig, Jennifer L. Spielman

Reduced speech intelligibility has been observed in Parkinson’s disease (PD), ataxic dysarthria, multiple sclerosis (MS) and in individuals who have suffered a cerebral vascular accident (CVA). Data support the effectiveness of the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) on the improvement of vocal function and speech intelligibility in PD. Today, only a small percentage of patients with chronic neurologic disease receive treatment to improve speech and voice. This paper will report improvement in case studies of individuals with MS, ataxic dysarthria and CVA and suggest that the effects of LSVT may not be restricted to the dysarthria associated with PD.