The Voice – Mary’s Blog

Boost Your COREage with Respiratory Muscle Training
Recently I watched the movie Soul Surfer, about a young surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack. Surfers, snowboarders, and professional skateboarders are examples of athletes with incredible core strength. Core muscles improve your balance and stability, and in...

Improving the Feedback Loop in Parkinson’s Disease
“This feels too LOUD.” I feel like I’m shouting. Over the last 30 years of working with individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) I have heard the statements above so many times, that you almost believe that it is one of the hallmark symptoms of PD. Researchers in...

SpeakEasy4PD: A Successful Community Based Program
Most people with Parkinson's or related diagnosis most likely know that speech and swallowing problems are common non-motor symptoms, and may be present early or late in the disease progression. And while several speech therapy program have been developed to address...

Eating Again with a Feeding Tube: Dysphagia Awareness Month
June is National Dysphagia Awareness Month and an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about what dysphagia is, its symptoms, causes, available treatments, and the roles of the various professionals who can help those with dysphagia. Dysphagia (swallowing...

Speech and Language a Precious Commodity That Can Be Lost: Use it Wisely
It seems these days, that you can barely turn on the news, read a newspaper or social media post without seeing someone spewing some hateful rhetoric. Free speech for some, has become synonymous with hate speech, that is often directed at some other group or person...

2022 Scholarship Winner Sarah Ellis
The 2022 scholarship recipient is Sarah Ellis, a second-year graduate student at University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Voice Aerobics® graduate student scholarship is awarded annually to a student who demonstrates character traits and intention to...

Upcoming Presentations: Communication in Parkinson’s It Takes 2 Baby
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, and all month long, speech-language pathologists and audiologist will discuss and promote the importance of communication, connection, and health. When I am asked: "why did you become a speech-language pathologist?" My answer...

Aspiration the Boogieman of Dysphagia: What You Should Know
From time to time, a patient comes to me for treatment of their dysphagia (swallowing problem), but they have undergone a video-swallow study elsewhere. The disadvantage to me in those circumstances, is that I do not have access to the actual video to review. A...

Could the Oral Cavity Become a Tool for Future Diagnosis of Parkinson’s
Oral health is in a two-way relationship with overall health and some researchers believe that the oral cavity may become a valuable tool for diagnosis and prognosis in the near future (biomarkers).[i] Oral health is not isolated from general health, rather, it is a...

Speech Therapy Goals: Mine or Yours?
At the onset of any therapy whether for speech, swallowing or both, I am required to establish a treatment plan which includes short- and long-term goals which include a time frame for attainment, such as 30 or 60 days. Treatment goals are based in part on my initial...

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