I am a resident of Topsfield and mother of three children, 8, 6 and 4, all of whom have speech and language disorders. My husband and I are not natives of the north shore, and at the time our son was diagnosed with apraxia back in 2012, we did not know the area well and certainly were not aware of what resources existed for private speech and language therapy up here. We were very fortunate to work with a specialist at Children’s Hospital who referred us to Joanne Hanson of Miracle Farm Speech Therapy. My first conversation with Joanne was truly a breath of fresh air. She was incredibly easy to speak with, accommodating with my schedule, very knowledgeable and full of energy. It was an unexpected surprise as well when Joanne revealed that she grew up in Topsfield and still had family members living in Topsfield! Her practice is so appropriately named as she has been nothing short of a miracle since we first met with her 5 years ago. Our then non-verbal 3 year old is now an 8 year old who will talk your ear off if given the opportunity! Joanne and her colleagues have been instrumental as well with the remarkable progress of our two daughters. Joanne not only seeks out professional development opportunities to further her knowledge and remain current with new developments in the field of speech and language pathology, but she has also partnered with incredible, high caliber occupational therapists, literacy specialists and countless other resources to assist families with challenges beyond speech and language. Our family has utilized each of these as well. Her sessions are extremely creative and engaging, so much so that our children do not view these weekly sessions as work. They look forward to going each week and they are highly motivated. I strongly encourage any parents out there who may have concerns about their child’s speech and language or who might be looking for a private speech and language therapist to check out her website. At the very least, her website is loaded with information and is a great starting point. I feel fortunate that this resident page exists as a forum to share this sort of information. I certainly felt lost 5 years ago, so hopefully this post might help someone in a similar position.

“Our family has used six different speech therapists in the past and when we finally found Joanne, we knew we had found a special lady. She gives us hope. Hope that one day our little guy will talk. She is the cheerleader you want for your child. No. She is the cheerleader you need for your child and yourself.”

“My daughter Anna came to the Miracle Farm just after her 3rd birthday and I can say with honesty that I attribute 95% of her progress to the work she has done with Joanne over the last 2 years. The other 5% I attribute to myself after taking the strategies Joanne has taught me and implemented in my home. There are not many people in Anna’s life with the level of patience, devotion, and belief in her success that Joanne shows at each session. Joanne’s warm smile on the outside hides behind it an unbreakable will to better the quality of life for her clients and their families. Not only has my daughter gone through a transformation in her speech but her challenging temperament has transformed with the support of Joanne’s consistent strategies and unquestionable dedication.” 

“My 7 years old twins, Lauren and Nicholas, have been receiving speech and language services from Miracle Farm Speech Therapy since they were originally diagnosed with ASD at age 2 1/2.  The therapists they have worked with at Miracle Farm over the years have exceed all of my expectations.  They are truly devoted to my children and are able to develop relationships that help further their work and progress.  Their current therapist, Allison, is an excellent speech pathologist.  Over time she has built on the relationships and has worked extremely hard and patiently with them both.  As a result we are seeing significant progress in their communication skills. My children genuinely enjoy the time they spend with her and I highly recommend her and the other therapists at Miracle Farm.”