Speak Up! For Parkinson’s Speech Support
For individuals with Parkinson’s disease, speech and pronunciation can be difficult due the change in muscle structure and function in the mouth and throat. Speech-language pathologists at the Speech-Language Institute (SLI) can support clients to maintain and even improve these communication skills. In addition to one-on-one assistance, speech groups like the SLI’s Speak Up! Speech Group can be beneficial in the maintenance and practice of these continued communication skills.
According to Anne Marie Ruckdeschel, MA, CCC-SLP, who serves as clinical educator for two of the group’s three weekly sessions, “oftentimes [people with Parkinson’s] might present with a hoarse voice, lower vocal volume, imprecise articulation which might sound like a slurred quality, or sometimes the rate of speech is too fast, and so that generally results in a reduced ability to understand those individuals. The Speak Up! program provides a group setting for people who struggle with those speech characteristics to practice in a social way.”
Speak Up! meets virtually in an effort to remain accessible to anyone in Pennsylvania. The group gives attendees the option of meeting on Tuesdays at 3 p.m., Wednesdays at 10 a.m. or Fridays at 11 a.m. These virtual sessions last 45 minutes and give individuals space and time to practice communication skills in a hands-on and encouraging environment.
“There are direct exercises that we do to warm up the voice and their speech, and then we move into education about voices and speech, and then just offer a time for folks to converse and practice using intent,” said Ruckdeschel. “There’s an element of support too. Everyone in the group kind of knows each other at this point and cheers each other on from week to week.”
Aside from the group’s direct benefit to clients, it also provides an excellent learning opportunity for Salus University’s Master of Science Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) students. Each group session is run by two first-year SLP students, who gain hands-on skills with leadership and treatment in a group setting. “In those settings, it's more conversational,” said Ruckdeschel. “You get to know sort of what they are dealing with and you get a little bit more perspective on the human impact of what we might approach more clinically in another setting or an individual treatment setting. So they get the chance to work with multiple individuals at once and provide a supportive environment as well as a clinical one.”
In this way, Speak Up! Provides an excellent learning environment for both clients and students, as well as one that is flexible and accessible. Ruckdeschel explained how much more adaptable these group sessions can be than traditional speech therapy, providing an easy and casual way to improve speech skills for anyone who may want the continued practice. “If you’re coming for an individual treatment session the expectation is that you’re there every week and you should try not to miss,” she said. “For the group setting it’s much more unstructured, so we invite anybody really who thinks they could benefit or try this out—and you don’t have to be a person who necessarily has Parkinson's disease—but if you are working on speech skills come join us and we’ll give you a great way to practice with a really fun bunch of folks.”
The Speak Up! group welcomes anyone who has graduated or is currently participating in an individual SPEAK OUT! therapy program. Those interested in learning more about Speak Up! or the SPEAK OUT! program should contact the Speech-Language Institute at 215.780.3150 or Anne Marie Ruckdeschel at amruckdeschel@salus.edu.