How Parkinson's affects speech.

Hypokinetic dysarthria affects up to 90% of people with Parkinson's disease. The four hallmark changes are reduced loudness, imprecise articulation, monopitch with reduced semitone variation, and irregular speech rate that often accelerates mid sentence. A'ber is a speech practice companion with short exercises for loudness, clarity, pitch and pace, tracked against your own earlier sessions on the same phone.

Detailed content for this article is in preparation. Coverage will include the neuropathology behind each of the four changes, how speech language pathologists measure them, and what current evidence shows about intensive programmes such as LSVT LOUD and the role of daily home practice between clinician visits.