The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of frequency altered program on voice improvements in patient with Parkinson's disease.
Three subjects with Parkinson's disease participated in the study. They were diagnosed as IPD (idiopath...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of frequency altered program on voice improvements in patient with Parkinson's disease.
Three subjects with Parkinson's disease participated in the study. They were diagnosed as IPD (idiopathic Parkinson's disease) by neurologist in the Yeungnam University Medical Center. All subjects completed 16 sessions of intensive speech treatment, 4 times a week for 1 month.
A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to examine the effects of intervention and maintenance in terms of frequency range, loudness range, jitter, shimmer, F0 tremor, Amp tremor, and HNR.
The results obtained form this study were as follows;
Firstly, the frequency range was increased through Frequency Altered Program, and in turn, the mono-pitch was improved.
Secondly, the loudness range was increased through Frequency Altered Program, thereby, mono-loudness was improved.
Finally, the voice quality was improved through Frequency Altered Program in terms of jitter, shimmer, F0 tremor, Amp tremor, and HNR.
It was shown that the changes of these acoustic parameters were closely related to the decrease of breathiness in Parkinson's voice. The decrease of breathiness appeared to increase speech intelligibility considerably. Therefore, it was concluded that the Frequency Altered Program was effective in improving voices of Parkinson's disease patient.