07/17/2025
🧠 Why INTENT Matters in Speech and Movement 🎤
Check out the SPEAK OUT!® Circle of Intent — a powerful visual used in therapy for Parkinson’s disease to remind patients how to speak with intentional effort rather than relying on automatic patterns. Parkinson Voice Project and our SPEAK OUT! certified clinician Mollie Breckenridge can break it down for you!
Here’s what’s going on neurologically:
🔵 Pyramidal System = Intentional Movement
This pathway controls voluntary, purposeful actions—like choosing to speak loudly or moving your hand on command.
It’s how your brain says, “I want to do this,” and your body listens.
In speech, it helps you intentionally project your voice, enunciate clearly, and regulate pitch.
🔄 Extrapyramidal System = Automatic Movement
This system works behind the scenes to handle muscle tone, posture, facial expression, and natural rhythm.
It supports automatic movements like smiling while talking, swinging your arms while walking, or modulating your voice without thinking about it.
In Parkinson’s, this system often becomes impaired—so those automatic supports weaken, and speech can become quiet, flat, or effortful.
💬 That’s why therapy approaches like SPEAK OUT!® focus on INTENT—using the pyramidal system to override the faulty automatic system. With practice, intentional speech can become clearer, louder, and more expressive.
🧩 The Circle of Intent is more than a graphic—it’s a neuroscience-backed strategy to reconnect the brain and voice.
🙋♂️ Know someone with Parkinson’s who struggles to be heard? We can help them speak with INTENT. Call us today to learn more about our evidence-based therapy options! (870) 404-0270
