Speech Therapy & Feeding Therapy in Two Harbors, Minnesota

Speech sound disorders affect how clearly a person produces individual sounds or patterns — making speech hard for others to understand and impacting confidence and daily life.

Therapy teaches correct placement of lips, tongue, and teeth through play-based and structured practice. Common diagnoses include articulation disorder, phonological disorder, childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), and dysarthria.

Language disorders involve difficulty understanding what others say (receptive language) or expressing thoughts and ideas (expressive language). They affect vocabulary, sentence structure, and the ability to follow directions or tell stories.

Commonly seen in children with developmental delays, autism, brain injury, or learning disabilities — and in adults following stroke or neurological events.

AAC encompasses all the ways people communicate beyond spoken words — picture boards, speech-generating devices, sign language, and high-tech tablets. For anyone whose speech alone isn't meeting their communication needs.

Jane has experience with PECS, LAMP, and Tobii Dynavox devices including TD Snap Core First. Research consistently shows AAC supports, not hinders, speech development.

Pediatric feeding therapy focuses on children's eating and swallowing development — not eating disorders. Feeding disorders in children range from severe food refusal to sensory-based aversions that make mealtimes stressful. The SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach — Jane's primary feeding framework — uses a play-based, pressure-free method to systematically expand food acceptance.

Therapy is gradual and respects the child's pace, with parent coaching built into every session.

Infant feeding difficulties are common in premature babies, NICU graduates, and infants with cardiac or respiratory complexity. Signs include difficulty latching, slow feeding, choking or gagging, fatigue during feeds, or poor weight gain.

Jane uses the SOFFI (Supporting Oral Feeding in Fragile Infants) framework — an evidence-based approach prioritizing safe, stress-free feeding while supporting the infant-caregiver relationship.

Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing that can affect eating, drinking, and medication management. Symptoms include coughing or choking while eating, a wet or gurgly voice after meals, or the sensation of food getting stuck. Choking concerns — even in otherwise healthy individuals — are worth evaluating.

Therapy may involve swallowing exercises, compensatory strategies, diet texture modifications, and coordination with physicians or dietitians.

Stuttering involves disruptions in speech flow — repetitions, prolongations, or blocks. It is neurologically based, not a habit. Modern therapy goes beyond reducing dysfluencies: Jane uses acceptance-based approaches that help clients develop a healthy relationship with their speech and communicate with confidence.

Voice disorders affect quality, pitch, loudness, or endurance of the speaking voice. Common presentations include persistent hoarseness, a voice that tires easily, or voice loss. Also available: gender-affirming voice work.

Cognitive-communication disorders affect thinking skills that underlie communication — attention, memory, organization, and problem-solving. Common after stroke, TBI, or with dementia. Therapy focuses on compensatory strategies and direct skill-building to support return to daily activities and meaningful participation.