CST Academy is a preschool-styled therapeutic program that serves children ages 2-6. Many of the children who attend the academy receive multiple therapies and behavior support. Karen George, a renowned speech-language pathologist, and owner of Chicago Speech Therapy founded CST Academy. “We had parents repeatedly asking us for a program that would offer therapy services and be an extension of …

When a child is immersed in pretend play, it helps them expand their thinking abilities. This is because the concept of the pretend play is rooted in imagination, rather than the physical environment or surrounding objects. Some children, particularly children with autism, have difficulty with learning and using pretend play. Around the age of two, children will start to use …

Raising a child can be a rewarding, albeit challenging experience for primary caregivers. A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or another developmental delay can be difficult for many families to accept and navigate. Once you receive the diagnosis, what next? To move through the next steps following a diagnosis, it is important for the child and their family to …

What is reinforcement? Reinforcement is used to increase the frequency of a positive behavior. There are two different types of reinforcement that can be used in a therapeutic preschool program: positive or negative. Positive reinforcement involves adding a reinforcing stimulus (e.g. allowing a child to play with their favorite toy for two minutes), whereas negative reinforcement takes away a present …

What is a sensory social routine? Sensory social routines are activities in which an individual (e.g. parent or therapeutic preschool teacher) and child are happily engaged in a face-to-face social activity. These activities involve interaction between both parties, which means that turns and communication with words, gestures, or facial expressions are encouraged to keep the “game” going. A sensory social …

If you are new to the world of speech-language pathology and therapeutic preschool programs, you may not know a great deal about selective mutism. This is a rare condition that severely impacts the ability of a child to communicate with others, usually in school or the community. If you believe your child or a student in your therapeutic preschool program …

As children progress through early childhood development, there are many important milestones to meet. If you find that your child is experiencing delays in skills needed to complete their daily activities, such as balance or coordination, they may be receiving services from a pediatric occupational therapist or a therapeutic preschool program. A pediatric occupational therapist is a professional who helps …

Throughout early childhood development, there are many important milestones for children to meet. Since every child is a unique learner, not every child will reach these milestones at the same time, and some children may require additional support with their developmental skills. One way to provide this additional support is by enrolling your child in a therapeutic preschool program. In …

If a child is enrolled in a summer therapeutic preschool program, they are receiving consistent (if not daily) support in key areas of development. Some programs even offer services from speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, ABA therapists, or feeding therapists throughout the day. If your child is enrolled in a similar program throughout the school year, you are likely seeing them …

We all process information differently, and this is part of what makes the world go round. If a child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), they process information differently than children who are typically developing. For some children on the spectrum, this can mean challenges with difficult transitions from one activity to the next in their therapeutic preschool program, at home, …