Lee Silverman Voice Treatment

What is Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT)® ?

Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) is a highly effective intensive speech therapy program designed for Parkinson's patients. LSVT is designed to improve speech and voice function. The therapy targets vocal loudness in order to trigger improved function and coordination across the various subsystems of speech. LSVT combines motor retraining with sensory re-training to elicit maximum outcomes. The treatment regimen includes emphasis on patient education and carryover of gains to daily communication environments. The LSVT protocol involves four 1-hour therapy sessions per week for 4 weeks.

Who is a candidate for LSVT?

LSVT has been successfully applied to Parkinson's patients across the spectrum of speech difficulty. We encourage patients to be evaluated by an LSVT certified speech language pathologist as soon as possible after receiving the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. However, LSVT can be effective for patients at all stages of Parkinson's disease and all stages of speech and voice impairment. Patients with speech and/or voice difficulty associated with other neurological disorders may also be candidates for LSVT as well. Our LSVT certified speech language pathologists at Adventist Rehabilitation Center can complete a comprehensive assessment to determine candidacy for LSVT.

Success Rates

More than 15 years of research studies funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute for Deafness & other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) have found:

• 90% of patients improve from pre to post-treatment
• Approximately 80% of patients maintain treatment improvements in their voice for 12-24 months post treatment.