About

Tanya Eadie, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington, where she also serves as the Director of the SPHSC Master of Science Program and as an adjunct Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. She joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2003, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2009, and became a full Professor in 2015. Dr. Eadie holds a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Sciences and an M.S. in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from the University of Western Ontario, as well as a B.ScH. in Biology and Psychology from Queen's University. Her clinical experience as a speech-language pathologist spans three years, and her research primarily focuses on voice disorders in adults and children, aiming to develop comprehensive evaluation and treatment protocols that incorporate physiologic, acoustic, and auditory-perceptual measures. She has published extensively, with over 80 peer-reviewed articles, and has received funding from the NIH to investigate clinical outcomes related to communication and voice disorders. Dr. Eadie has been recognized with several awards, including the Fellowship of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Editor's Award from the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Her long-term goals include advancing clinical assessment methods and expanding understanding of the impact of voice disorders on daily communication and participation.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Audiology
• Medicine
• Speech recognition
• Clinical psychology

Selected publications

• Relationships Among Auditory Discrimination, Adaptive Vocal Learning, and Perilaryngeal Muscle Activation in People With and Without Hyperfunctional Voice Disorders

  Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · 2026-05-07

  article

  Purpose: We investigated the specificity of auditory–motor impairment in people with hyperfunctional voice disorders (HVDs) and relationships with dysregulated perilaryngeal muscle activation during voicing by measuring muscle activity during adaptive vocal learning. Method: Fifty-two participants (26 HVDs, 26 controls) completed auditory discrimination and adaptive vocal learning tasks for the vocal parameters intensity and fundamental frequency ( f o ). Surface electromyographic measures were collected from suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles. We examined the effects of HVD status and singing experience on discrimination and adaptation. The effects of HVD status, vocal parameter, and time on the co-contraction index (CCI), a measure of co-activation of agonist/antagonist muscles, were also investigated. Relationships among dependent variables were examined using a mediation model. Results: There were no significant effects of HVD status or singing on discrimination thresholds. People with HVDs adapted more to intensity perturbations than controls ( p = .050), and singers adapted significantly less than nonsingers ( p = .018). For f o adaptation, significantly more participants with HVDs produced large following responses than controls ( p = .017). There were no significant effects of time, vocal parameter, or HVD status on CCI. However, significant moderate relationships were found between discrimination threshold, CCI, and adaptation responses for f o . Participants with better discrimination compensated less or followed the perturbation and co-contracted more. Participants who co-contracted more also compensated less or followed the perturbation. No significant relationships were found for vocal intensity. Conclusions: People with HVDs demonstrated different impairments in auditory feedback integration for f o versus intensity. This dissociation suggests an independence of the underlying control mechanisms. Preliminary evidence suggests a laryngeal stabilization response may occur when a speaker perceives a feedback mismatch to be externally generated. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.32114905

  PublisherDOI

• Discrimination, learning, muscle activation in HVD (Kapsner-Smith et al., 2026)

  figshare ASHA Publications · 2026-05-07

  otherOpen access

  <b>Purpose: </b>We investigated the specificity of auditory–motor impairment in people with hyperfunctional voice disorders (HVDs) and relationships with dysregulated perilaryngeal muscle activation during voicing by measuring muscle activity during adaptive vocal learning.<b>Method:</b> Fifty-two participants (26 HVDs, 26 controls) completed auditory discrimination and adaptive vocal learning tasks for the vocal parameters intensity and fundamental frequency (<i>f</i>_o). Surface electromyographic measures were collected from suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles. We examined the effects of HVD status and singing experience on discrimination and adaptation. The effects of HVD status, vocal parameter, and time on the co-contraction index (CCI), a measure of co-activation of agonist/antagonist muscles, were also investigated. Relationships among dependent variables were examined using a mediation model.<b>Results: </b>There were no significant effects of HVD status or singing on discrimination thresholds. People with HVDs adapted more to intensity perturbations than controls (<i>p</i> = .050), and singers adapted significantly less than nonsingers (<i>p</i> = .018). For <i>f</i>_o adaptation, significantly more participants with HVDs produced large following responses than controls (<i>p</i> = .017). There were no significant effects of time, vocal parameter, or HVD status on CCI. However, significant moderate relationships were found between discrimination threshold, CCI, and adaptation responses for <i>f</i>_o. Participants with better discrimination compensated less or followed the perturbation and co-contracted more. Participants who co-contracted more also compensated less or followed the perturbation. No significant relationships were found for vocal intensity.<b>Conclusions:</b> People with HVDs demonstrated different impairments in auditory feedback integration for <i>f</i>_o versus intensity. This dissociation suggests an independence of the underlying control mechanisms. Preliminary evidence suggests a laryngeal stabilization response may occur when a speaker perceives a feedback mismatch to be externally generated.<b>Supplemental Material S1.</b> Additional details about electrodes and placement.Kapsner-Smith, M. R., Díaz Cádiz, M., Knutson, M., Eadie, T. L., &amp; Stepp, C. E. (2026). Relationships among auditory discrimination, adaptive vocal learning, and perilaryngeal muscle activation in people with and without hyperfunctional voice disorders. <i>Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research</i>. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2026_JSLHR-25-00382

  PublisherDOI

• Speech Intelligibility in Speakers With Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia

  Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · 2026-02-23

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE: Adductor laryngeal dystonia (AdLD) is a neurological voice disorder characterized by spasms in the adductory muscles of the larynx, resulting in a dysphonic voice with intermittent voice breaks. This study compared the intelligibility of individuals with AdLD to those without in noisy environments and characterized the relationship between their overall severity of dysphonia and intelligibility. METHOD: Speakers (44 with AdLD and 44 age- and sex-matched controls) each read a unique set of stimuli from the Sentence Intelligibility Test. Overall severity of dysphonia was assessed by five experienced speech-language pathologists. Five inexperienced listeners orthographically transcribed all sentences presented with multispeaker babble. An analysis of variance was performed to determine the effect of group on intelligibility scores. The strength of the linear relationship between intelligibility and overall severity of dysphonia was assessed in the AdLD group. RESULTS: Individuals with AdLD had significantly lower intelligibility than controls. Individuals with AdLD with more severe dysphonia had significantly lower intelligibility. CONCLUSIONS: AdLD negatively impacts an individual's ability to be understood in noisy environments, and this effect becomes stronger as dysphonia is perceived as more severe. These negative impacts on intelligibility should be considered when creating treatment strategies or counseling individuals with AdLD.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Discrimination, learning, muscle activation in HVD (Kapsner-Smith et al., 2026)

  figshare ASHA Publications · 2026-05-07

  otherOpen access

  <b>Purpose: </b>We investigated the specificity of auditory–motor impairment in people with hyperfunctional voice disorders (HVDs) and relationships with dysregulated perilaryngeal muscle activation during voicing by measuring muscle activity during adaptive vocal learning.<b>Method:</b> Fifty-two participants (26 HVDs, 26 controls) completed auditory discrimination and adaptive vocal learning tasks for the vocal parameters intensity and fundamental frequency (<i>f</i>_o). Surface electromyographic measures were collected from suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscles. We examined the effects of HVD status and singing experience on discrimination and adaptation. The effects of HVD status, vocal parameter, and time on the co-contraction index (CCI), a measure of co-activation of agonist/antagonist muscles, were also investigated. Relationships among dependent variables were examined using a mediation model.<b>Results: </b>There were no significant effects of HVD status or singing on discrimination thresholds. People with HVDs adapted more to intensity perturbations than controls (<i>p</i> = .050), and singers adapted significantly less than nonsingers (<i>p</i> = .018). For <i>f</i>_o adaptation, significantly more participants with HVDs produced large following responses than controls (<i>p</i> = .017). There were no significant effects of time, vocal parameter, or HVD status on CCI. However, significant moderate relationships were found between discrimination threshold, CCI, and adaptation responses for <i>f</i>_o. Participants with better discrimination compensated less or followed the perturbation and co-contracted more. Participants who co-contracted more also compensated less or followed the perturbation. No significant relationships were found for vocal intensity.<b>Conclusions:</b> People with HVDs demonstrated different impairments in auditory feedback integration for <i>f</i>_o versus intensity. This dissociation suggests an independence of the underlying control mechanisms. Preliminary evidence suggests a laryngeal stabilization response may occur when a speaker perceives a feedback mismatch to be externally generated.<b>Supplemental Material S1.</b> Additional details about electrodes and placement.Kapsner-Smith, M. R., Díaz Cádiz, M., Knutson, M., Eadie, T. L., &amp; Stepp, C. E. (2026). Relationships among auditory discrimination, adaptive vocal learning, and perilaryngeal muscle activation in people with and without hyperfunctional voice disorders. <i>Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research</i>. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2026_JSLHR-25-00382

  PublisherDOI

• Physiological Correlates of the Spectral Aggregate of the High-Passed Fundamental Frequency in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia

  Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · 2026-04-15

  articleOpen access

  Objective: The spectral aggregate of the high-passed fundamental frequency (SAH f o ) is an automated acoustic measure associated with the primary acoustic discontinuities present in the speech of individuals with adductor laryngeal dystonia (AdLD). Acoustic discontinuities (e.g., phonation breaks, frequency shifts, creak) are also associated with supraglottic compression and visual laryngeal obstruction postures that occur during laryngeal spasms (i.e., phasic or tonic laryngeal dystonic activity). The purpose of this study was to determine whether SAH f o is similarly reflective of these physiological manifestations of AdLD. Method: Thirty-two speakers with AdLD read voiced and voiceless phoneme-loaded sentences while undergoing transnasal laryngoscopy. Simultaneous microphone and high-speed videoendoscopy signals were recorded. SAH f o was automatically calculated from the acoustic signal, and laryngeal postures (visual laryngeal obstructions, anterior–posterior and mediolateral supraglottic compression) were manually labeled. A generalized linear mixed-effects analysis assessed the effects of sentence type (voiced, voiceless), obstruction events (obstructed view of vocal folds, visible vocal folds), mediolateral compression, anterior–posterior compression, and the interaction of Mediolateral × Anterior–Posterior compression on SAH f o . Results: Sentence type, obstruction events, and mediolateral compression were significantly related to SAH f o . Anterior–posterior compression did not have a significant effect, but there was a significant interaction between mediolateral and anterior–posterior compression. SAH f o was significantly lower when both mediolateral and anterior–posterior compression were mild and significantly higher when mediolateral compression was severe, regardless of presence or severity of anterior–posterior compression. Conclusion: Findings suggest that SAH f o is related to the laryngeal postures associated with AdLD-specific acoustic discontinuities, providing preliminary physiological support of the use of SAH f o in speakers with AdLD.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Minimal Detectable Change of Experienced and Novice Listeners' Ratings of Overall Severity of Voice Quality in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia

  Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · 2025-06-13 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Purpose: This study determined the minimal detectable change (MDC) scores for experienced and novice listeners' ratings of overall severity of voice quality for speakers with adductor laryngeal dystonia (ADLD) and typical controls. We also determined MDCs as a function of speaker severity and listener experience. Method: Ten experienced listeners (ELs) and 12 novice listeners (NLs) rated overall severity of voice quality in 39 speakers with ADLD and 10 controls using a 100-mm visual analog scale across two rating sessions. MDCs at the 95% confidence level (MDC 95 ) were calculated for all speakers. MDC 95 scores also were calculated as a function of speaker group, perceived speaker severity using averaged EL ratings as the reference standard (grouped as typical, mild, moderate, severe), and listener experience group. Results: The MDC 95 for EL ratings of overall severity of voice quality for all speakers was 11.10 mm; for NLs, the MDC 95 was 8.73 mm. As a function of speaker group, the MDC 95 for EL ratings was 12.31 mm for speakers with ADLD ( n = 39) and 0.89 mm for controls ( n = 10). For NLs, the MDC 95 was 9.32 mm for speakers with ADLD and 4.72 mm for controls. As a function of speaker severity ( n = 13 typical, n = 9 mild, n = 12 moderate, n = 15 severe), MDC 95 scores ranged from 4.22 to 13.77 mm for ELs, whereas MDC 95 scores ranged from 4.95 mm to 12.25 mm for NLs. Across both listener groups, mildly and moderately dysphonic speakers required larger MDC 95 scores compared to speakers without dysphonia for such differences to be considered beyond measurement error. Differences in MDC 95 scores ranged from 1 to 4 mm between listener groups across speaker severities. Conclusion: Results have implications for measuring and interpreting auditory-perceptual outcomes for speakers with ADLD with different voice quality severities when they are evaluated by ELs and NLs in clinical and research contexts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cognitive Load Contributes to Perception of Vocal Effort in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia Patients

  The Laryngoscope · 2025-09-12

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  OBJECTIVES: Vocal effort is a widely measured outcome in the treatment of laryngeal dystonia. Although it is known to be multifaceted with both physical and psychological contributors, the most frequently used vocal effort scales in laryngeal dystonia are limited to capturing its physical components. In this study, we hypothesized that the cognitive workload associated with speaking, assessed by the mental subscale of the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), would show positive correlations with the perception of vocal effort, as measured by the OMNI Vocal Effort Scale (OMNI-VES), in adductor laryngeal dystonia (ADLD) patients. METHODS: ADLD patients scheduled for Botox treatment at a single tertiary care center were identified and prospectively enrolled. Patients completed the NASA-TLX, an assessment of task-related workload with six subscales, and the OMNI-VES just prior to, 1 week following, and 4-6 weeks following Botox administration. RESULTS: Twenty five patients completed measures for all timepoints. All NASA-TLX subscales, including mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration, correlated with OMNI-VES (p < 0.05) on multilevel bivariate regression. On multilevel multivariate regression, both mental and physical demand correlated with OMNI-VES (p < 0.05) with coefficients of 0.036 and 0.032, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Both cognitive load and physical effort associated with speaking, as measured by the NASA-TLX, contributed to the perception of vocal effort in ADLD patients. Understanding vocal effort and its contributing factors is important to tracking and understanding ADLD treatment outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Volitional Control of Frequency and Intensity in Speakers With and Without Hyperfunctional Voice Disorders

  Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · 2025-09-10

  article

  Purpose: Prior studies of vocal auditory–motor control in people with hyperfunctional voice disorders (HVDs) have found evidence of unusually large responses to auditory feedback perturbations of fundamental frequency ( F 0) and more variable voice onset times in unperturbed speech. However, it is unknown whether people with HVDs perform similarly to people with typical voices when asked to make small changes in vocal parameters in volitional tasks. The purpose of this study was to compare performance on minimal movement tasks for F 0 and intensity in people with and without HVDs. Method: Twenty-six people with HVDs and 26 matched controls participated in tasks to assess the smallest volitional increases and decreases they could make in vocal F 0 and intensity. Measures included the mean smallest change, variability of change, and accuracy of the direction of change. Group differences were tested with general linear models. Results: No significant differences were found between people with and without HVDs on any of the measures. Singers produced significantly smaller mean smallest changes of both F 0 and intensity than nonsingers. Conclusions: Our findings support the interpretation of prior studies of auditory–motor control in people with HVDs. Specifically, unusually large responses to perturbations of vocal auditory feedback cannot be explained by a broader impairment of the ability to make small changes in the vocal parameters F 0 or intensity. The method devised to assess minimal movements for voice is sensitive to relevant group differences, such as singing experience. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30004969

  PublisherDOI

• Botulinum Toxin Treatment for Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia Reduces Speech‐Related Cognitive Load

  The Laryngoscope · 2025-12-12

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  OBJECTIVES: Botulinum toxin (BTX) treatment has previously been shown to improve voice quality, quality of life, and the physical component of vocal effort in adductor laryngeal dystonia (ADLD) patients. More recently, cognitive load has been identified as a contributor to vocal effort in ADLD patients. This study aims to identify the effects of BTX on speech-related cognitive load and the association of cognitive load with voice-related quality of life. METHODS: A prospective study of ADLD patients undergoing BTX treatment was conducted. NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), the Voice-Related Quality of Life (VRQOL) scale, and voice recordings were obtained on the day of, 1 week after, and 4-6 weeks after BTX injection. Auditory-perceptual evaluation of the voice samples was performed by four speech-language pathologists. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients completed all measures and voice recordings. Mental and physical demand subscales, derived from the NASA-TLX, decreased by 4-6 weeks (p = 0.001 and 0.019, respectively). Median VRQOL improved from 40 to 68 by 4-6 weeks post injection (p < 0.001). On multilevel multiple linear regression, mental demand and overall voice quality correlated with VRQOL (p = 0.003 and 0.001, respectively), but physical demand did not (p = 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: Laryngeal BTX injection reduces cognitive load associated with speaking in ADLD patients. Cognitive load may be more predictive of voice-related quality of life than the physical effort associated with speaking.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Listener Ratings of Stuttering: Evaluating Two Auditory–Perceptual Scales

  Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · 2025-12-05

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE: Stuttering is a motor speech difference characterized by a disruption in the fluency, timing, and rhythm of speech. There is a lack of agreement on how to reliably and efficiently assess stuttering in research and the clinic. This study aims to compare the validity and reliability of two types of auditory-perceptual scales, direct magnitude estimation and equal-appearing interval scales, on assessing stuttering in adult speakers. METHOD: Two experiments compared unfamiliar listener ratings of speech samples from adults who stutter. Raters used one of two different rating scales to determine the construct validity and reliability of scaling procedures for capturing stuttering. The two experiments varied by the number and duration of samples (set number of syllables vs. set duration) and by the training given to participants (defining stuttering severity vs. allowing participants to define severity themselves). RESULTS: Both experiments demonstrated the appropriateness of both scales for rating stuttering. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to earlier studies, our findings indicated that a 7-point equal-appearing interval scale validly captured unfamiliar listeners' perception of stuttering severity. Future study is needed to determine the number of raters needed to provide stable ratings as well as the utility of average or single ratings to capture clinically relevant change.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R03CA132525

  NIH · $156k · 2012

• Communication Outcomes After Head & Neck Cancer

  NIH · $1.5M · 2014–2020

Frequent coauthors

• Carolyn Baylor

  University of Washington

  64 shared

• Kathryn M. Yorkston

  University of Washington

  57 shared

• Dagmar Amtmann

  33 shared

• Mara Kapsner‐Smith

  University of Washington

  32 shared

• Derek D. Isetti

  University of the Pacific

  25 shared

• Kathleen F. Nagle

  Seton Hall University

  23 shared

• Cara E. Stepp

  University of Massachusetts Boston

  22 shared

• Robert M. Miller

  Education Development Center

  19 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Rehabilitation Sciences

  University of Western Ontario

  2003

• M.Sc., Communicative Disorders

  University of Western Ontario

  1999

• B.ScH, Biology / Psychology

  Queens University

  1995

Awards & honors

• Fellowship of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Associati…
• Editor's Award, American Journal of Speech-Language Patholog…
• Governor General's Gold Medal, University of Western Ontario…