Kayla Johnson is the owner and lead therapist of Thrive Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Therapy, LLC - known as Thrive Pediatric Feeding.  She is a licensed speech-language pathologist and certified pediatric feeding therapist™ in the state of Pennsylvania.  Kayla, a pediatric feeding and swallowing specialist, has completed over 200 hours of continuing education in feeding, swallowing and/or myofunctional therapy.  She has over ten years of experience working in pediatric settings, serving infants through school-age children with a wide range of developmental, medical, and feeding-related needs.

Kayla received her bachelors in speech-language pathology and audiology from Clarion University of Pa (now PennWest - Clarion) in the Spring of 2013.  She then completed her master's degree in speech-language pathology from Clarion University of PA, graduating in Dec of 2014.  

She began her career in outpatient pediatrics and then shifted to early intervention, birth to three, where she gained extensive experience treating children with complex diagnoses, developmental delays, and swallowing disorders.  During this time, she developed a strong clinical interest in pediatric feeding and swallowing therapy after collaborating closely with multidisciplinary teams and observing the profound impact feeding therapy can have on families.  

Over the course of her career, Kayla has provided feeding and swallowing therapy across early intervention and pediatric settings, supporting infants, toddlers, and young children during some of their most critical developmental stages.  

Kayla has extensive experience supporting infants and children with complex feeding needs, including:

• Infants born premature

• NICU graduates

• Children with tube feeding dependence

• Oral aversions and sensory-based feeding challenges

• Low muscle tone and oral-motor delays

• Medically fragile and medically complex populations

Kayla's background allows her to confidently support infants to children across a wide spectrum of feeding needs.