Have you noticed lately that your voice sounds different? That your speech is soft? Or that others can’t understand what you are saying?

A common symptom of Parkinson’s disease is impaired speech functioning. Here are some signs and symptoms to look for:

• Soft sounding voice (people asking you to repeat often)
• Speech that is difficult to understand (e.g., slurred, mumbled)
• Slowed rate of speech
• Short rushes/bursts of speech
• Abnormal voice quality (e.g., hoarse, breathy, strained)
• Monotone sounding voice