Speech Treatment for Vocal Tremor

Vocal tremor affects approximately 1/3 of individuals with essential tremor, Parkinson's disease, and spasmodic dysphonia. To date, the focus of treating these individuals has utilized localized injection of botulinum toxin (Botox®) into laryngeal musculature with mixed benefits. Recent work addressing vocal tremor speech science principles identified patterns that enable improved accuracy in identifying and characterizing vocal tremor patterns. Further, speaking strategies were developed to reduce the opportunity of perceiving vocal tremor during speaking for those with mild to moderately severe vocal tremor. The focus of this course is to summarize the background and principles behind clinical treatment of vocal tremor.