Language Intervention in Parkinson's
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Supporting communication difficulties in people living with Parkinson’s – a pilot study of language treatment
IRAS ID
369142
Contact name
Anja Lowit
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Strathclyde
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN13494804
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
Research and personal accounts from people living with Parkinson’s (PlwP) show that communication difficulties can affect their wellbeing, personal relationships and their ability to be in control of their life. Most people think of communication as relating to speech and voice (sound) production, but language (finding words, processing information, etc.) is important too. Yet surprisingly, there is little research in this area, and we are just beginning to understand what language difficulties PlwP can experience and how these affect their everyday communication. Consequently, no interventions for language difficulties in this population are currently available.
We have co-developed a novel intervention programme together with PlwP, their carers, and health professionals to help PlwP manage language difficulties. Together, we identified two main treatment targets: (1) helping people find words more easily, and (2) supporting their ability to understand and express detailed, complex information.
In this pilot study, ten PlwP with language difficulties and their partners will trial a six-week, individual intervention programme delivered online and provide important experience-based feedback. Our study will tell us
1, whether language treatment has the potential to help PlwP with their difficulties in everyday communication,
2, whether our programme is acceptable to those participating, and
3, whether it is feasible to roll this programme out to a larger group to find out precisely how effective it might be to improve language in PlwP.REC name
West of Scotland REC 4
REC reference
26/WS/0062
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jun 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion