You may have heard of the Lee Silverman Voice Technique (LSVT) as a treatment approach for adults working on voice… but did you know that it has applications for the pediatric population, too? Research has shown that LSVT can be effective for children with diagnoses of Cerebral Palsy (CP) and Down Syndrome (DS) whose vocal quality is affected by their diagnosis (think: hoarse, rough quality, imprecise speech sounds, etc.). For these children, LSVT can help to improve speech clarity, improve their confidence in speaking, and increase the length of their utterances.
Assessment
LSVT therapy is intensive, so a complete evaluation is necessary to determine if a child is a good candidate. The child must:
-Be able to attend therapy for 1 hour/day, 4/days a week.
-Actively participate during sessions and do any assigned homework.
-Be able to respond to cues to make their voice louder.
This treatment approach may not be for every child, so consider an evaluation as a first step.
Treatment
LSVT sessions include tasks of increasing complexity, from practicing single sounds all the way up to conversational speech. The SLP will teach your child how to speak using a strong and loud voice, have them practice many times, and assign homework to keep their progress going.
More information about LSVT can be found in this blog post.
If you think your child may benefit from an LSVT approach to therapy, contact us to schedule an evaluation today!