Why Chicago Occupational Therapy

Chicago Occupational Therapy provides completely individualized care for every child. The Chicago Occupational Therapy team places a high value on parental collaboration, so clinicians work closely with parents and primary caregivers to create an evidence-based treatment plan that targets individualized goals.

Clinicians also collaborate with other pediatric professionals on a multidisciplinary team of speech-language pathologists, applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapists, and behavior analysts to ensure that every child receives the most comprehensive care possible.

We believe in the value of education and parent collaboration
Chicago Occupational Therapy works with children to build independence in critical age-appropriate skills that are needed to complete daily tasks. This may be addressed by facilitating the child’s motor skills and sensory development.

The team has extensive experience working with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), sensory processing disorder (SPD), motor delays, behavioral challenges, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and more.

Throughout the therapeutic process, the goal is for the parent to become the expert on strategies so that they can promote their child’s progress and independence at home. Parents can carry over their child’s therapeutic success by using provided home programs and strategies.

A range of therapeutic settings, including in-home therapy
Chicago Occupational Therapy offers services in a range of settings including clinic-based therapy, in-home therapy, and in CST Academy.

CST Academy is the practice’s therapeutic preschool-style program that provides additional support for key developmental skills including speech and language, social skills, motor skills, and more.

• Upper extremity and trunk coordination and strengthening (shoulder, arm, and hand)
• Bilateral coordination such as jumping jacks or hopscotch
• Midline coordination
• Neuro-developmental treatment

• Hand strengthening and coordination skills required for activities such as cutting with scissors, coloring, and writing, buttoning, using feeding utensils, etc.

• Dressing, bathing, hygiene, showering, and feeding

• Balance and coordination
• Hyper and hypo reactivity to environmental input (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and proprioception)
• Feeding therapy to address the “picky eater” or “problem feeder”

• Handwriting skills
• Hand-eye coordination

• Sleep, leisure, play, education, safety, and more
• Recommendation, training, and use of adaptive equipment

• ADD/ADHD
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disorders
• Cerebral Palsy (CP) and other neurological diagnoses
• Delayed coordination
• Developmental disabilities
• Down Syndrome and other genetic diagnoses
• Generalized muscle weakness
• Sensory processing disorder (SPD)
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Upper extremity (shoulder, arm and hand) injuries including brachial plexus injuries, fractures, etc.

Chicago Occupational Therapy understands that every child has unique needs, so our clinicians develop customized treatment plans that target a child’s individual goals. The team is also dedicated to providing the highest level of care by always staying up to date with therapeutic techniques.

The practice values having a multidisciplinary team of pediatric specialists (occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, behavior analysts, and ABA therapists), which allows for children to receive the most comprehensive care for multisensory needs.

Consistent parental collaboration also allows children to make great gains in therapy, as home practice reinforces the skills taught during the occupational therapy session. (Open communication is an important component of the therapeutic process!) Some of the key skills that parents and therapists will work on in occupational therapy include fine motor skills, sensory processing (and sensory integration), visual motor skills, and self-care skills.