Amplifying Voices: Improving Communication in Children with Motor Speech Disorders

Angela Halpern

MS CCC-SLP

Ms. Halpern is an expert in voice/speech disorders and treatment efficacy research for people with Parkinson’s disease. She is the Chief Clinical Officer for LSVT LOUD and has been an LSVT LOUD faculty since 2004. She has been integral in the creation of LSVT LOUD courses and the LOUD for LIFE program. She has been a speech-language pathologist for 32 years in a variety of settings and currently owns a private practice. As a part of the LSVT research team since 2000, she has authored and co-authored articles related to treatment efficacy research for people with PD and Down syndrome, as well as given presentations at numerous national and international conferences.

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Cynthia Fox, PhD, CCC-SLP

Dr. Fox is a Co-Founder and CEO of LSVT Global. She is an expert on rehabilitation and neuroplasticity and the role of exercise in the improvement of function consequent to neural injury and disease.  Dr. Fox is a world leader in administration of LSVT LOUD speech treatment for people with Parkinson disease.  She was the first to apply this treatment to disorders other than Parkinson disease and pioneered the application to paediatric populations. Dr. Fox worked closely on the development of a physical/occupational therapy program, LSVT BIG, that was modelled after the speech treatment protocol.  She has numerous publications in these areas of research and has presented extensively nationally and internationally.

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Jennifer Gray, MS CCC-SLP

Jennifer Gray is a speech-language pathologist, speaker, and author with over 20 years of experience specialising in communication and feeding for

individuals with Down’s syndrome. She owns private practices in Colorado and Texas and provides consultation services internationally. Jennifer presents at conferences, schools, and online platforms for families and professionals. She collaborates with organisations including GiGi’s Playhouse, LSVT Global, and Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group (DSMIG) to advance effective, evidence-based interventions. Her clinical and educational work emphasises speech clarity, verbal language development, and the belief that individuals with Down syndrome can achieve independence and meaningful participation across the lifespan.

Disclosures: Ms. Gray receives lecture honoraria from LSVT Global, Inc. and owns and operates Grays Peak Speech Services, LLC, a private practice in northern Colorado specialising in speech, language, and feeding for individuals with Down syndrome and other motor speech and intellectual disabilities.

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Leigh Cohen

MS, CCC-SLP

Leigh Cohen (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Northwestern University Speech, Language, and Learning Program. She specialises in paediatric motor speech and neurogenic communication disorders and is certified in LSVT LOUD for KIDS, LSVT LOUD, and MBSImP.

Leigh integrates motor learning, sensory regulation, and play-based therapy to support children with complex communication needs. As a clinician, educator, and parent, she emphasises family- centred, culturally responsive care. Her clinical teaching and community partnerships help children build confidence, improve intelligibility, and meaningfully connect with family, peers, and the world around them through evidence-based paediatric voice and communication intervention programs.

Disclosures: Ms Cohen receives lecture honoraria from LSVT Global, Inc. and serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University, where she leads LSVT LOUD for KIDS clinical services and graduate student training in collaboration with community partners such as GiGi’s Playhouse.

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