Prof. Tjaden's Motor Speech Disorders Laboratory is located in 108/110 Cary Hall. The lab conducts research investigating the acoustic bases of reduced intelligibility and naturalness in dysarthria secondary to neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's disease and Multiple Sclerosis. One line of research aims to specify the effects of surgical intervention (i.e., Deep Brain Stimulation) on speech outcomes and in Parkinson's disease. Additional studies investigate behavioral therapy techniques that maximize functional communication in dysarthria. We are also conducting research to establish an articulation-focused approach to dysarthria classification. The lab is funded by the National Institutes of Health-National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (R01DC017718-01A1: PI Greenlee, R01DC019648-01A1: PI Mefferd).

Awards and Honors

Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research Speech Editor’s Award, 2005
Fellow, American Speech-Language Hearing Association

Selected Publications or Presentations

Stipancic, K., and Tjaden, K., (2022). Clear speech effects: An investigation of intelligibility and effort in Parkinson’s disease: American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31, 2789-2805.
van Brenk, F., Stipancic, K., Kain, A., & Tjaden, K. (2022). Intelligibility across a reading passage: The effect of dysarthria and cued speaking styles. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 31, 390-408.
Lam., J., & Tjaden, K. (2016). Clear speech variants: An acoustic study in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 59(4), 631-646.
Tjaden, K., Kain, A., & Lam, J. (2014). Hybridizing Conversational and Clear Speech to Investigate the Source of Increased Intelligibility in Parkinson’s Disease. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 57(4), 1191-1205.
Tjaden, K., Sussman, J. & Wilding, G. (2014). Impact of Clear, Loud and Slow Speech on Scaled Estimates of Intelligibility and Speech Severity in Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 57(3), 779-792.

For a list of all publications, see Google Scholar profile.