Two years ago, Cynthia Blinebery had an inkling she might have Parkinson’s. Her voice was weak, and her husband often asked her to repeat things. She ran out of breath when speaking and experienced tremors in her hands and fingers. Her father and aunt had Parkinson’s. A neurological exam confirmed her suspicion.
A speech evaluation at ’s Speech and Hearing Clinic determined she was stimulable (able to speak with intent when prompted) and could benefit from the . Blinebery said her father had lost the ability to speak due to Parkinson’s and the Ravenna resident jumped at the opportunity.
Two days a week she works with Grace Puin, a graduate student studying speech language pathology in the Speech Pathology and Audiology Program in the School of Health Sciences. Punin, who plans to graduate with her master's degree in 2025, is supervised by Lynn Berk, M.A., CCC-SLP, one of the program’s licensed SPEAK OUT! providers.
For 30 minutes, Puin puts Blinebery through a series of exercises focused on speaking with intent. They start with warm-up exercises that include gliding through pitch variations to increase muscle strength and flexibility for speech. As Blinebery enunciates, Puin prompts her with flowing hand movements much the way a conductor messages an orchestra.
Counting, reading and conversation round out the drills that get progressively harder over time. The primary focus of therapy is speaking with intent by using voluntary control of muscular movements when speaking.
“It’s brought me out of my shell a little bit,” she said. “My voice has gotten stronger and I’m breathing better. It's been very helpful.” Blinebery goes online for additional exercises about every other day and now speaks with intent to family and friends and during visits to the physical therapist. Her dog Aaron ignores it, but she's not discouraged.
“The key to SPEAK OUT! is the practice at home because it’s based on the principles of motor learning, which emphasizes practice, practice,” said Puin, who secured a bachelor of science degree in speech pathology and audiology in 2023.
Kent State’s Speech Pathology and Audiology program was awarded a grant by to develop Ohio's only SPEAK OUT! Therapy and Research Center. SPEAK OUT! has some two dozen lessons that can be modified based on the patient’s strengths or weaknesses. An evidence-based program, SPEAK OUT! helps people diagnosed with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders regain and retain their speech and swallowing for a lifetime by training patients to “speak with intent,” transitioning speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.
“This grant is an amazing opportunity for our student clinicians to be simultaneously involved in the clinical and research components of our field, obtain experience with medical populations, and provide community outreach,” said Erin Kolonich, M.A., CCC-SLP, who secured the grant.
According to Parkinson Voice Project, up to 90 percent of people with Parkinson’s will develop a weak voice, decreasing the ability to speak effectively with other listeners, which affects quality of life and safety. The comprehensive program was developed by Parkinson Voice Project in 2010 and includes education and ongoing group support for individual speech therapy and vocal deficits related to Parkinson’s disease.
“Our vision is to make quality speech therapy accessible to people with Parkinson’s worldwide,” said Samantha Elandary, Parkinson Voice Project’s founder and CEO. “We want people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders to regain and retain their speech.”
Kent State’s Speech and Hearing Clinic is now accepting referrals for this program throughout the state. All sessions can be attended either on the Kent Campus or virtually through a computer or tablet. Contact Erin Kolonich at ejohnson@kent.edu, or call the Kent State Speech and Hearing Clinic at (330) 672-2672 and reference the SPEAK OUT! Program.