Feeding Therapy in Gurnee, Illinois

Pediatric feeding therapy for Lake County kids 18 months to 18 years. Sessions look like play and tackle what makes eating hard: gagging, a shrinking diet, and stressful meals.

One visit to our clinic on 1 S Greenleaf Street can do what used to take three. Your child sees one feeding therapist. If they also need behavior or occupational therapy, those clinicians are right down the hall.

Pediatric Feeding Therapists

BCBS PPO In-Network

No Referral Needed

Feeding Therapy in Gurnee - front of CST Academy at 1 S Greenleaf St

Get a call back in 24 hours

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Start with a ten-minute phone call. Tell us what mealtimes look like, and we will help you figure out whether a feeding evaluation is the right next step.

What Does Feeding Therapy in Gurnee Look Like at CST Academy?

The hardest part of your child's day might be a plate they will not touch. It might be a gag on a texture or a meltdown when dinner starts. That is where the feeding session begins, gently, so your child feels safe enough to try.

How We Approach Feeding Therapy:

Our feeding therapists do not follow a rigid checklist. Each 45- to 60-minute session targets one or two things that came up at your table that week. That might be touching unfamiliar foods or chewing more effectively, always at a pace your child can handle.

What Makes Our Program Different:

Four things set our program apart, and you see each one in your child's week.

Feeding Therapy in Gurnee - child during a feeding therapy session at CST Academy

Integrated Care Model.

A win in one session does not stay there. Your child's other clinicians hear about it and build on it in their own sessions.

Play-Based Mealtimes.

Each session puts real eating first: your child explores food, sits through a snack, and eases toward a bite. Nothing is forced.

Weekly Adjustments.

Your feeding therapist adjusts the plan around what your child accepted and what you saw at home. You see it when a refused food gets touched.

Parent Coaching.

Every pickup ends with one or two specific things to try at your next meal, so progress shows up outside the clinic, too.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Address

1 S Greenleaf St, Gurnee, IL 60031

Phone

(773) 620-7800

Hours

Monday to Thursday: 8 AM to 6 PM
Friday: 8 AM to 5 PM

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How Feeding Therapy Starts in Gurnee, in Five Steps

Five steps take you from the first phone call to your child's first feeding session.

YOUR CHILD'S PROGRAM

Your Child's Plan Starts with What You Tell Us

Feeding Therapy in Gurnee - child during a feeding session at CST Academy

The first call takes about ten minutes, and everything after moves at your family's pace. By the end of the evaluation, you know where the feeding therapist will start and what to expect next.

Book Your Child's Evaluation. Our Team Responds in 24 Hours.

Steps

1

Consultation.

Call (773) 620-7800 or fill out the form. Describe a rough meal at your table and what your child refuses, and we will point you to the next step.

2

Insurance Check and Therapist Match.

Our team verifies your benefits and matches your child with the right feeding therapist.

3

Feeding Evaluation.

Your child comes to our clinic for a play-based feeding evaluation. You leave with initial answers from your feeding therapist, and a written report follows within a week.

4

First Session.

Your child begins one-on-one feeding sessions with the same feeding therapist. Each visit targets the change most likely to make a difference at your table that week.

5

Ongoing Progress.

Your child keeps the same feeding therapist and the same reserved slot. The plan grows with them, from a first accepted food toward calmer, fuller meals.

One Clinic for Every Therapy Your Lake County Child Needs

Start with feeding, and every other therapy your child might need is down the same hall.

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Signs Your Gurnee Child May Benefit from Feeding Therapy

Two or more of the signs below, and a feeding evaluation is your next step. No diagnosis or referral required. Families usually call when the same struggle shows up at every meal.

child eats a very small variety of foods

Your child eats only a small handful of food and refuses whole categories such as anything crunchy, saucy, or green.

Your child gags, coughs, or chokes at meals, or struggles to chew.

child reacts strongly to food textures and smells

Your child's breakfast, lunch, and dinner have become a daily struggle.

child refuses meals or melts down at the table

Your child reacts strongly to the smell, texture, or temperature of food and refuses anything new.

child pockets food or overfills their mouth

Your child leaves the table, melts down, or refuses meals entirely.

child struggles with cups, straws, or utensils

Your child holds food in their cheeks or keeps it there long after the meal ends.

child not gaining weight or eating too little

Your child cannot yet manage a cup, straw, or utensils the way other children their age do.

daycare or pediatrician raised concerns about eating

Your child's eating or weight has prompted a note from your pediatrician.

The evaluation gives you a direct answer: what is going on, whether feeding therapy can help, and what to do next. An hour at our Gurnee clinic beats another month of wondering.

Talk to a Feeding Therapist

We have been driving across Lake County to three different specialists. Will switching to your clinic save us time?

Lake County families at CST Academy save the hours they used to spend driving between separate appointments in Libertyville, Waukegan, and Gurnee. Your child can finish a feeding session and walk straight into speech or occupational therapy. It is the same team in the same building.

My pediatrician has not told me my child needs therapy yet. Am I jumping the gun?

You know your child's meals better than anyone, and that is reason enough to call. If feeding therapy is not what your child needs, we will tell you and point you toward what might help.

Will this fit our family budget?

You will know what you will pay before your child sees a feeding therapist. Our billing team checks your insurance and walks you through any deductible or copay before any session is booked.

Meet Your Feeding Therapy Team

The same feeding therapist at every visit, on plans the rest of your child's team builds together.

Becca G., M.S., CF-SLP

Feeding Therapist and Speech-Language Pathologist

Becca guides children through feeding therapy at our Gurnee clinic, with experience in oral motor skills, sensory food tolerance, and picky eating. Sessions start with food your child feels safe with, then add the clinical goals. She coordinates with speech and behavior so wins carry across sessions.

Feeding Therapy

Nikki C., OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Nikki is an occupational therapist at our Gurnee clinic. She starts from what matters most to your family, then builds the skills behind it: tolerating new textures, sitting comfortably through a meal, and handling cups and utensils with more control. She plans alongside the feeding team so what your child practices here shows up at your table.

Occupational Therapy

Self-Care Skills

Sensory Integration

Brianna P., BCBA, LBA

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Brianna is a board-certified behavior analyst who supports the Gurnee feeding team on the behavior side of eating. She looks at why a meal falls apart, whether that is leaving the table, refusing a bite, or melting down over something new, and builds routines that make the next meal easier. What she sets up at mealtime gets passed along to your child's speech and occupational therapists so that the same expectations hold across sessions.

ABA Therapy

Mealtime Behavior

Parent Coaching

Start with feeding therapy, and add ABA or occupational therapy later. Those clinicians coordinate with feeding directly, at the same Gurnee clinic your child already knows.

Meet Your Child's Feeding Specialist. Schedule a Free Consultation.

One Minute Here Saves You Months of Wondering

Filling out the form takes about a minute. Tell us what mealtimes look like, and a member of our team calls you back within one business day.

Feeding Therapy in Gurnee - Therapy Rooms at CST Academy

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URL

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Parent/Guardian Name*

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Phone Number*

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Child's Date of Birth*

Service(s) Interested In*

ABA Therapy

Autism Evaluation

Speech, Occupational, Physical, and/or Feeding Therapy

Therapeutic Preschool

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What Gurnee Families Say About Feeding Therapy at CST Academy

She was very impactful in working with our son to evolve his skills with chewing. He came a far way over the 4-5 months when we worked together.

Debbie L.

Feeding Therapy

We reached out when our daughter was struggling with her transition to solids. She made our daughter feel very comfortable and was also very comforting to me as a worried mom. She equipped us with several resources and tips and we saw great progression in just a few short sessions.

Puja B.

Feeding Therapy

My son graduated from CST last week. We used their services (ABA, SPEECH, OT, FEEDING, PHYSICAL) for 3 years. Our experience with CST was awesome, my Son's progress was very impressive and did reflect tremendously on a daily basis. His teachers at a Chicago public school were so impressed with his progress/performance.

Abdelkrim K.

Feeding Therapy

ABA Therapy

Speech Therapy

Occupational Therapy

Physical Therapy

1000+

5-Star Google Reviews

Insurance, Costs, and Enrollment for Feeding Therapy in Gurnee

Insurance Accepted

In-Network

Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO

Coming Soon

Aetna

Important Note About Feeding Therapy Coverage:

Many Illinois health plans cover medically necessary feeding therapy for children. Families with a BCBS PPO plan often have low or no out-of-pocket costs depending on their plan. Before your child's first appointment, our billing team confirms your specific coverage and explains any deductible or copay in plain terms.

A Feeding Evaluation to Start Your Child's Therapy:

Your child's evaluation is a play-based feeding session at our Gurnee clinic. It looks at how your child chews, accepts textures, and participates during mealtimes. The conversation at the end tells you where your child stands.

Find Out If It's a Phase or Time for Help

One evaluation tells you whether your child needs support or simply more time.

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Feeding Therapy FAQs for CST Academy in Gurnee

Maybe your child accepts only a few types of food, gags on new textures, or turns every meal into a struggle. If so, feeding therapy can probably help. Start with a short call to our Gurnee team. We recommend an evaluation only if the pattern matches what feeding therapy addresses.

For Lake County Families Near Gurnee

Our 1 S Greenleaf Street clinic sits just off I-94 at Grand Avenue. That puts us within a short drive of nearly every Lake County community. Your child meets every therapist they might need in one building, so the time you used to lose driving between providers is yours again.

Gurnee
2-5 min

Waukegan
5-8 min

Grayslake
8-12 min

Libertyville
10-12 min

Vernon Hills
8-10 min

Mundelein
10-12 min

Lindenhurst
8-10 min

Round Lake
10-12 min

By Car
From I-94 (Tri-State Tollway), take the Grand Avenue exit and head west. Turn south on Greenleaf Street. CST Academy is at 1 S Greenleaf St on the east side of the street.

Parking
Free on-site parking with dedicated family spaces right at the entrance.

By Metra
Waukegan Station on the Union Pacific North Line is the closest Metra stop, approximately 10 minutes by car. Families coming from the west can also use the Libertyville Station on the Milwaukee District North Line.

Get Directions to Our Clinic

Why Lake County Families Choose Integrated Care

Many Gurnee children who need feeding therapy also need speech therapy, ABA therapy, or occupational therapy. When those services sit in three separate clinics, the burden lands on you. That means three different intake forms, three drives every week, and notes forwarded between providers who never speak.

CST Academy in Gurnee lets you be just the parent. Your child's feeding, speech, ABA, and occupational therapists practice in the same building, coordinate on goals that cross disciplines, and update you in one conversation instead of four.

Most pediatric clinics in the area offer feeding therapy and little else. CST Academy's integrated approach is what makes progress at the table visible to your family within a single school year.

Here, your child's care team coordinates for you. Everywhere else, you do.

Your Child's Full Care Team in Gurnee: