About Us
Joan Comrie, M.S., CCC-SLP, is an internationally recognized expert in pediatric dysphagia with over 37 years of experience. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Speech Pathology from the University of Wisconsin. After developing pediatric feeding programs at major hospitals, she has operated her own private practice for the past 30 years.
Joan has treated over 10,000 infants and children with mild to very complex feeding and swallowing disorders. She is a sought-after consultant and educator, having co-taught UNC–Chapel Hill’s first dysphagia course, published articles in professional journals, newspapers and parent magazines, and consulted to hospitals and practices internationally. She continues to present at universities, national and international conferences, and ASHA events.
A five-time ASHA ACE Award recipient, she also developed a top-rated online training course for therapists, with a version in progress for university programs
Sarah Comrie, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist dedicated to helping children and families thrive through compassionate, individualized care. She earned her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Central Florida, where she began building her foundation in pediatric therapy.
Following graduate school, Sarah completed her Clinical Fellowship under the mentorship of Debra Beckman, further advancing her specialized focus in oral-motor therapy and its integration into pediatric feeding and speech treatment. She has experience with early adolescence, including medically fragile, and medically complex populations. Sarah’s specialties include infant feeding and dysphagia, speech and language delays, late talkers, picky eating, tongue and lip ties, oral-motor and myofunctional therapy, tube weaning, and parent coaching.
Sarah proudly continues the legacy of her family’s private practice in St. Petersburg, Florida. Working closely alongside her mother Joan, she has helped grow Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing Associates by building strong relationships with families and developing a trusted, thriving caseload within the community. Within her first year at the practice, Sarah also collaborated with the R’Club of Tampa Bay to present a seminar focused on understanding feeding and speech development, further reflecting her commitment to community education and family support.
Meet Duke!
Duke is a service animal, and our speech and feeding assistant! He comes to work every single day. Duke takes his job seriously! He participates in oral motor exercises right alongside the kids (his personal favorite: licking peanut butter off his nose; and a crowd favorite for obvious reasons).
He helps kids accept a spoon. He tries new foods with them, because somehow eating a green bean feels way less scary when a dog is doing it too. He's also one of the best motivators on the team!
We've had picky eaters who hadn't tried a new food in months, take a bite because of Duke’s involvement. We've watched kids who walked in overwhelmed, completely settle down within minutes of being near him. There's something about the calm presence, the steady energy, the I'm-just-here-and-I-believe-in-you vibe that helps reinforce and motivate the children to try new things that they might not normally like!
If your child isn't into dogs, that's totally okay — Duke is happy to hang out in his spot and stay out of the way. But for the families who love him (which, let's be honest, is most of them), he's a huge part of what we do!