Your guide to
improved oral function.
Hi, I’m Kristi, your local speech-language pathologist in Sandpoint, serving north Idaho. I specialize in the structural, muscular, and motor aspects of oral function. When there are concerns with breathing, eating, sleeping, or speech I can help. Whether my assessment results in coordinating your care with another provider or starting therapy with you at my office, my goal is to get you or your child on the path to best quality of life, and so much of that starts in the mouth!
At North Idaho Speech and Myo, I believe in having fun and feeling good about the work my clients engage in. I look forward to guiding clients through strategies to meet their goals for clearer speech sounds, smoother speech, and better function of the tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw via holistic practices.
New in 2026, I am offering feeding therapy for infants through age 18 for a variety of needs. I look forward to helping your child get the nutrition they need and to develop the feeding skills they need to be successful! Some of my clients are infants struggling to breastfeed or bottle feed, babies who are highly protective of their mouths, babies or older who are not using developmentally appropriate eating skills, babies or older who eat very limited foods, textures, colors; as well as families who struggle with mealtimes and how to get their child to participate in a meal.
Each type of therapy I offer is highly personalized for each client. I listen to what you are hoping to achieve and make sure to work with you to forge a path to your destination.
Speech therapy
Kristi assesses how children make speech sounds and identifies which speech sound pathway best matches their needs in order to teach them how to make these sounds accurately.
My goal is that kids can be understood better by family, friends, school personnel, and unfamiliar listeners.
Stuttering Therapy
I work through the mental and physical aspects of reducing stuttering or smoothing out speech so your child feels comfortable with the way their words sound out loud.
I encourage acceptance of our unique ways of speaking and provide education for families to understand the basis of stuttering.
Myofunctional Therapy
This type of therapy is for ages 4 through adults, identifying and improving use of the muscles of the mouth that contribute to speech sound errors, difficulties preparing food for swallow, teaching swallowing, correcting open mouth habits, addressing thumb sucking and oral habits, lisps and R, and for adults and other ages, targeting jaw pain/TMJ issues, sleep apnea, and so much more!
Teaching the tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw to work better together leads to improvement in breathing, swallowing, sleeping, and speech.
Feeding Therapy
I work with all ages of pediatrics to make mealtimes smoother and more successful for you and the child. I see infants struggling to breastfeed or bottle feed, babies or children who are highly protective of their mouths, babies or older who are not using developmentally appropriate eating skills, babies or older who eat very limited foods, textures, colors; as well as families who find mealtime a struggle.
Eating and allowing anything in the mouth is based on trust: that the body has the skills to manage the food safely, that the person feeding the child is trusted by them, and that eating won’t be uncomfortable.
I put in the work to establish a trusting relationship with your child before asking them to do anything outside of their comfort zone, especially when eating can be scary or unpredictable in their eyes.
The 6 steps to success
Here’s how to get on the path to achieve your goals.
01.
Make the call
Let’s chat over the phone and ensure that we are the best fit for your needs. You can tell us the problem or the goal and we’ll let you know how we can help.
02.
Complete an eval
I need to know where we’re starting from so we know what to work on together and how to best achieve the results you want to see. This step assesses your current abilities and gives us a baseline for future growth. It’s a great way to show how far you’ve come after all the hard work you put in.
03.
Discuss the options
Myofunctional therapy is most often a collaborative experience between the patient and a variety of professionals who are committed to helping the patient achieve their goals. Decide which option is the best fit for you.
Speech therapy happens between the SLP and patient via a personalized schedule.
04.
Commit to growth
Growth in speech sounds and oral muscle training requires establishing new routines of movement through repetition. If you want to see change, you must put in the daily work to make it happen.
05.
Show up
I tailor treatment sessions to your particular needs, and that takes time and thoughtfulness to prepare for. Please respect the time that goes into your session by being prompt and consistent. Your progress will likely be prompt and consistent as well!
06.
Go forth and be well
Speech therapy and myofunctional therapy aren’t meant to be life-long. I have specialized knowledge I am excited to teach, practice, and review with you, but you won’t need me forever! I look forward to being a stepping stone in your journey to wellness.
North Idaho Speech & Myo, LLC 