Aspiration: The Boogeyman of Dysphagia — What You Should Know
I have been fortunate since entering into private practice in 2018, to forge a relationship with Swallowing Diagnostics, Inc., a Mobile provider of modified barium swallow swallowing studies (MBS). This collaboration allows me to view any modified barium swallow study...
Speech Therapy Referrals Lag Behind PT for People with Parkinson’s
A patient of mine — I'll call him Frank — fell in his driveway last spring. Within a week he had a physical therapy referral in hand, a fall-risk assessment scheduled, and a home exercise plan taped to his refrigerator. It took another eighteen months, and a...
Patient or Person: Rethinking the Words We Use in Parkinson’s Care
I've sat in a lot of support group rooms and seminar halls over the years. Somewhere around the second or third speaker, it happens — someone at the podium looks out at a room full of people with Parkinson's disease who drove themselves there, who volunteer, who still...
Swallowing Impairment and Parkinson’s: Inevitable or Avoidable?
He was adamant. "I don’t have a swallowing problem." This from a patient who had just coughed his way through half a cup of water, gasping for breath between spasms. It wasn’t until we sat down together and reviewed his video fluoroscopic swallowing study — watching,...
The “Terrible Too’s”: Beating the Excuses That Stall Your Speech Practice
“I’m too busy.” “I’m too tired.” “I have too much company.” “I have too many doctor’s appointments.” These are just a few of the “too’s” I hear from my PD patients when I ask: “Did you practice your speech this week?” Some of these excuses sound familiar — they’re the...
Building Your Swallowing Preparedness Kit Before the Storm
Every June, ahead of hurricane season, those of us who live in Florida get the same reminder: attend a hurricane preparedness seminar, gather your supplies, check your shutters, and know your evacuation zone. New residents are especially encouraged to go — because...
Speech and Swallowing Problems in Parkinson’s: “Is there a pill for this?”
A patient said to me this week: "I wish there was a pill for my speech." I understood exactly why she said it. We live in a world where Ozempic has made weight loss feel achievable, where a pill can help someone quit smoking after decades of trying. We want medication...
Parkinson’s Cures: If You Meet the Buddha
In 2023, I wrote a blog post about a diagnosis I hadn't expected: scoliosis. (Read it here.) At the time, I didn't fully realize how much that story had to say about my Parkinson's patients and others with degenerative diseases. But looking back on it now, I think it...
A Mid-Summer Conversation: Communicating Well When Parkinson’s Gets in the Way
Hi there everyone, It's summertime here in Florida, and the hot days can make you feel lazy, but as usual, it's been a full few weeks here at Voice Aerobics — lots of writing, lots of thinking, and a few conversations with patients that stuck with me long after they...
Hi-VOLT® Feedback for Your Voice: Time to Rev Up Your Engine!
The most prominent gauge in your car — and maybe the one you glance at most while you're driving — is the speedometer. Its job is simple: tell you how fast you're going, in miles per hour, kilometers per hour, or both. Even in many of today's cars, it's still an...
Mary Spremulli of Voice Aerobics writes a monthly news article in the “Healthy Body” section of Florida Weekly
- July 2018, Healthy Hearing and Speech, cover story – Healthy Body, “Florida Weekly’s monthly guide for healthy people inside and out”
- July 2018 article – Augmented feedback and skill learning help patients recalibrate
Home Programs & Training:
- Voice Aerobics® – 3-Part Workout
- SpeechVive Device for Persons with Parkinson’s
- Lingraphica® Aphasia Communication Device
- Constant Therapy App for aphasia
- Computerized Home Aphasia Therapy Program (CHAT®)
- Passy-Muir® Tracheostomy and Ventilator Swallowing and Speaking Valve
SpeechVive Device for Persons with Parkinson’s
Ask me about your VA benefit for this device!
SPEAK OUT!® Speech Therapy for Parkinson’s patients
Mary Spremulli is Certified in:
Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Treatment (LMRVT) Neurodevelopmental Treatment
A Certified Member of 