Julia Lakoduk, M.S., CCC-SLP

Welcome to Otter Speech Therapy! My name is Julia Lakoduk, and I am the owner and speech language pathologist.

I received my bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders in 2014 and Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology in 2016 from Minot State University.

As a Minnesota native, I am excited to now be back in Minnesota and providing services in Fergus Falls! For the past 9 years, I have gained skills and experience working in the Minot, ND public school-setting serving elementary and middle-school aged children. My special interests include supporting children with Autism, social-emotional skills, executive function skills, dyslexia, childhood apraxia of speech, and language delays.

The best thing about being a speech-language pathologist is getting to see kids’ confidence, academic success, and relationships grow with improved communication skills. I value the trust you put in me to help your child. I am incredibly grateful that I get to be an SLP and serve your family in this way. 

One of my core values is providing a fun, safe, and emotionally secure environment for your child to learn and develop, free of shame and guilt. Kids who work with me know that when they make mistakes, they will hear how I also have imperfections. When we recognize we are all incapable of being perfect, it helps us develop empathy, learn to forgive others, and cope when others make mistakes. 

Special certifications / trainings: 

• NLA (Natural Language Acquisition) Level 3 Trained Clinician, meaning being trained in assessing and supporting those who are gestalt language processors (i.e. echolalia). 
• IMSE Orton-Gillingham Plus (OG+) Curriculum which teaches foundational phonics skills required to be successful readers. The Orton-Gillingham method is considered the gold-standard intervention for any struggling reader or child with dyslexia.
• IMSE Morphology Plus (Morphology+) curriculum. This training is designed to improve reading comprehension and vocabulary for struggling readers or children with dyslexia
• LETRS Units 1-8 designed to provide knowledge and tools to teach literacy skills based on the science of reading
• Level 1 Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
• LINCS Vocabulary strategy
• “Thumbs Up!” Simon Says Speech Program – used to eliminate thumb or finger-sucking. Prolonged use of thumb-sucking, sippy cups, etc. can negatively affect the positioning of the teeth, swallow, tongue positioning at rest, etc. For use with children aged 4 years old and above.
• “Tiny Tongue Tips” Simon Says Speech Program – used to retrain and strengthen muscles of the face and tongue in order to help develop a correct swallow and speech sound production. For use with children aged 3-7 years old.
• “Tongue Tips” Simon Says Speech Program – used to retrain and strengthen muscles of the face and tongue in order to help develop a correct swallow and speech sound production. For use with children aged 7-8 years old and above.
• Proficiency in the Sentence Writing Strategy
• Fundamentals in the Sentence Writing Strategy

I hold a current speech language pathologist license from the Minnesota Department of Health and am a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
Certification page available using the ASHA ProFind tool:

If you have any questions or are interested in a free screening for your child, please contact me.