ABOUT | Pillar Speech Therapy, LLC

About Misty

My Path to Becoming an SLP and COM®

Pillar Speech Therapy, LLC is short for “Caterpillar Speech-Language and Myofunctional Therapy”. It was inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle. I love this book, reading it aloud to a preschool classroom set me on a path to becoming an SLP and later a COM®

My Journey to Becoming an SLP

As an undergraduate student in Texas, I worked in a preschool classroom and read The Very Hungry Caterpillar daily in circle time. There was a non-verbal student who started seeing an SLP at our school, who they called his 'special teacher'. Three months later, while I was reading this book in circle time, he said his

first word in class: "apple". After that the words started to flow out of him, it was incredible! At that time I was not familiar with this profession, so I became a special education teacher. I spent three years with the Houston Independent School District. I worked with students with a variety of disabilities in the alternative and charter schools department. I was the department chairperson where I prepared and facilitated Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meetings, and monitored the implementation of classroom accommodations, related services, standardized testing and transition services.

During this time, I met an SLP who invited me to observe her sessions, and I was hooked! I applied to graduate school the following semester, and through the course of my studies, I grew to understand and appreciate that 'special teacher' who helped my non-verbal student. I have spent the last eight years, learning all that I can to support children and their families.

Writing Color Names with Markers_edited.

View therapy services

My therapy style is play-based, flexible and client-directed. I love playing!! My sessions always include toys or board games or balls or bubbles (ask me about my "sticky bubbles"). I want to learn about your child and what makes them tick, so that I can fill my therapy bag full of activities for them. Children learn so much through play and I want to help bridge the developmental gaps in a fun, safe, and supportive environment.

Children learn so much through play and I want to help bridge the developmental gaps in a fun, safe, and supportive environment.

I am also a Certified Orofacial Myologist® (COM®)

In 2015, I started working at a private practice with Kristie Gatto (the first COM® in Houston and past president of the International Association of Orofacial Myology). She introduced me to myofunctional therapy and learned I have an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD). Learn more about OMDs from the IAOM. I have suffered

for years with jaw tension, difficulty swallowing, articulation issues, migraines, trouble with sleeping, and grinding of my teeth. I also have a classic open bite and crowding of my teeth. I learned that this was all due to my bad tongue habits and tongue thrust, which is caused by a tongue tie. I’ve learned the importance of tongue position and swallowing habits, and want to pass along this information to others who are experiencing these symptoms. As an SLP, I have even more tools in my toolbox to assist clients with the tongue placement and tongue strength needed to produce speech sounds and swallow safely.

My SLP and COM® expertise often overlap, resulting in a variety of strategies and exercises to help you feel successful. I'd love the opportunity to chat with you to see if speech therapy and/or myofunctional therapy is right for you.

In my spare time I love to garden, read, and travel! My husband and I moved here from Houston in the summer of 2022 (howdy!). We love the mountain views, sunsets, and beautiful weather. Plus, we cannot wait to start camping and stargazing! Suggestions of where to eat and what to explore are always appreciated!