Meghan Johns

Speech-Language Therapy

Specializing in Early Intervention, Bilingual and Pediatric Therapy. I provide speech therapy in the natural environment—home, school, daycare and in the community—for convenient and personalized therapy sessions.

Serving the Missoula area

My approach

I believe therapy must be:

Functional. We will work in your natural environment- at home or in the community- to build skills that transfer out of therapy and into daily life. Clear explanations will be given of what we do in therapy and why.

Motivating. Having fun is the best motivator. We will reach our goals with games and activities tailored to each client’s interest and skill level.

Engaging. Clients and their families will participate in setting goals and practicing skills taught in therapy. Therapy goals will fit each client’s home dynamic and daily routines.

Services offered

  • Receptive language is the ability to understand spoken and written language and gestures. Receptive language skills also help organize language in your brain for better storage and use. Example skills: following directions, acquiring new vocabulary, understanding questions and interpreting gestures.

  • Expressive language is the ability to communicate with words, gestures and in writing. Example skills: imitating and using new vocabulary, forming sentences, answering questions, describing objects, and defining concepts.

  • Articulation and Phonology refer to how we produce speech sounds and how we organize those speech sounds into patterns in spoken language. Example articulation skills: using correct tongue placement to make the 's' sound, bringing both lips together to make the 'b' sound. Example phonology skills: awareness that some sounds are made at the front of the mouth ('t' and 'd') and others at the back of the mouth ('k' and 'g'), saying the final 's' in the word "pads" as a 'z'

  • Feeding & Swallowing skills describe how infants and young children first learn to nurse, suck, chew, swallow and eventually feed themselves. Example skills: eating with a spoon, swallowing without coughing or choking, expanding the variety of textures and foods your child eats.

  • Oral-motor skills refer more broadly to the skills needed to use the mouth to talk and eat. Oral-motor skills can be impaired even when there are no apparent difficulties with eating or drinking. Example skills: closing the lips to avoid drooling, coordinating tongue and lip movements to smoothly produce the three distinct sounds in b-a-t.

  • Play and Social skills are how young children learn about themselves and their environment starting in infancy. Social skills are how older children and adults interact with each other and are essential for developing effective, rewarding communication with the people around us. Example skills: taking turns in a game, playing house, resolving disagreements, inviting/joining activities, greeting people, and holding a conversation.

Specific diagnoses and disorders we can address:

  • developmental disorders (cerebral palsy, Autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, etc.)
  • chromosomal disorders (Fragile X, Down syndrome, Turner Syndrome, etc.)
  • stuttering (aka dysfluency or stammering) and cluttering
  • communicating with AAC devices
  • speech with a cleft lip and/or palate
  • apraxia
  • social communication (conversational skills and body language)

Insurance & payment options

About me

I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Montana and my graduate studies in Speech-language pathology at Marquette University. Before returning to Missoula in 2017, I worked with an early intervention center in Milwaukee, a private pediatric clinic in Idaho and a school-based telepractice company (interactive, computer-based therapy). I am fluent in Spanish and trained in bilingual therapy.

  • credentials:
  • MS, CCC-SLP
  • MT SLP State License
  • American Speech-Language Hearing Association

Contact me