Episode 44: SpeechVive: a Wearable Device for People with Parkinson’s Disease with Jessica E. Huber, PhD, CCC-SLP
“Reviving speech, improving lives, giving people with Parkinson’s a voice.”
Dr. Jessica E. Huber joins Leigh Ann to discuss the science behind the SpeechVive device, the clinical efficacy data, who it is best for, and the SLP’s role in using the device. In 2006, Jessica began the process of bringing the SpeechVive to life from an idea that germinated based on some research she was doing at the time. This isn’t just an episode on a really cool piece of wearable technology for people with Parkinson’s Disease, but an inspirational story of an SLP who collaborated with with biomedical engineers, industrial engineers, and a software firm to create a product made in the U.S. of A. Actually, the idea of the SpeechVive, the software development, and the manufacturing all occur in Indiana to be exact. So talk about using your local resources!! Way to go, Dr. Huber!
topics covered:
How the SpeechVive works.
Getting access to SpeechVive.
Appropriate candidates & the SLP’s role in facilitating the SpeechVive.
The origin of the SpeechVive.
Taking the SpeechVive from an idea to market.
Past, present, and future research for SpeechVive
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Check out SpeechVive’s website
Visit Dr. Huber’s Lab! The Motor Speech Laboratory at Purdue University
what does the research say? find out:
*hitting a paywall? Can’t access the research? Try Google Scholar. If that doesn’t work, then Dr. Huber welcomes inquires about all things SLP and requests to papers she has published via email: jhuber@purdue.edu.
Jessica E. Huber, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University. The aim of her National Institutes of Health funded research program is to develop a theoretical account of the multiple factors that influence speech production and cognitive change in older adults with and without Parkinson’s disease (PD) and to translate findings to clinical treatment resulting in improvements in communication. She is the inventor of a small wearable device, the SpeechVive device, to treat communication impairments in people with PD. The device elicits the Lombard effect that can be exploited to improve speech clarity in individuals with PD while bypassing cognitive and sensory impairments. Her current research continues to examine the physiologic (respiratory, laryngeal, and supralaryngeal) effects of a number of speech therapy techniques including respiratory muscle strength training and using the SpeechVive device.
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