Young girl smiling while holding a 'Go, Dog. Go!' book, sitting at a table with a speech therapist during a reading session

Our Story and Commitment to Rochester's Families

Based in Rochester’s westside, our practice is dedicated to helping children find their voice. With years of experience and strong community ties, we strive to positively impact every family we serve.

Our mission is to empower families and enrich your child’s communication skills.

As parents, we all want the best for our children, and recognizing when your child needs extra support is a brave step, one we are here to help you take with a sense of hope & empowerment.

We understand how overwhelming and frustrating it can be to find the right services. That's why we're here to make the journey easier for you and your family. We are committed to empowering families like yours through our comprehensive services, to support and understand your child(ren) making sure they feel valued and encouraged while also providing the guidance and support you need to help them thrive.

"Smiling speech therapist in a teal blazer with arms crossed, posing against a plain white background

Meet Nikki Johnson, M.S. CCC-SLP

A wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend, Nikki is passionate about helping children succeed in their everyday lives. Nikki is a dedicated speech therapist with nearly 20 years of experience working with children aged 3 to 18 in academic, clinical, and community settings. Passionate about helping children succeed, she uses neuro-affirming practices, incorporating play-based therapy for younger students and high-interest topics for older ones. She emphasizes self-awareness, helping students and their families understand their strengths and areas for growth.

Nikki’s journey into speech therapy began in Buffalo, NY, inspired by her cousin's speech issues and his improvements through SLP intervention. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Fredonia and her Master’s Degree from Towson University. After graduating, she worked for six years in a school outside Washington, DC. Later, she relocated to Rochester, NY, where she continued her work in schools, providing both traditional speech therapy services to students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and non-traditional interventions, including phonemic awareness, vocabulary development, receptive and expressive language support, and social-emotional language instruction.

Now living in Monroe County, Nikki balances her professional life with active involvement in her kids’ school PTA and dance practices and manages her own ADHD and executive functioning difficulties. All of the comings and goings in Nikki’s life could not happen without the support and patience of her (non-ADHD) husband.

“I firmly believe that the most effective way to help a child succeed is through relationship building, both with the child(ren) and their family.”

Smiling speech therapist wearing a 'Embrace Neurodiversity' t-shirt and black blazer, seated against a light gray background with a turquoise border.

Throughout her career, Nikki has provided speech therapy services to individuals with a variety of diagnoses, including:

  • Speech Sound/Articulation 

  • Receptive and Expressive Language

  • Pragmatic Language 

  • Phonemic Awareness

  • Learning Disabilities

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder 

  • ADD/ADHD

  • Executive Dysfunction

  • Intellectual Disabilities

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Sensory Processing Disorder

  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
    And MORE!

Take the brave step today & let’s build a brighter future for your child together!