Occupational Therapy in Lincoln Park, Chicago

A licensed occupational therapist who turns the everyday struggles, getting dressed, holding a pencil, staying calm, into skills your child can actually use. Pediatric OT for ages 18 months to 14 years.

Mornings have become the hardest part of your day, the negotiation at the sock drawer, the lost patience, the late start for work. At CST Academy on Clybourn, your child works with a licensed occupational therapist who finds those friction points and builds the skills that ease them.

Licensed Pediatric Occupational Therapists

BCBS PPO Accepted

No Referral Needed

Occupational Therapy in Lincoln Park - front of CST Academy on Clybourn Ave

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Wondering if occupational therapy is the right fit for your child? An OT evaluation at our Lincoln Park clinic is the easiest way to find out, with no referral and no commitment.

What Occupational Therapy in Lincoln Park Looks Like at CST Academy

You are looking for occupational therapy that gets results, not just appointments. Here is how OT at our Clybourn clinic delivers individualized, evidence-based care built around your child.

How We Approach Occupational Therapy:

Your child sees the same licensed OT each visit, and every session works toward a goal your family actually cares about. Younger kids practice grip, climbing, dressing, and tolerating the textures that used to derail snack time. Older kids work on legible handwriting, longer attention, self-care, and staying calm when big feelings hit. The OT resets the goals as your child grows.

What Makes Our Program Different:

A standalone OT medical practice gives your child a session and you a paper handout, with no way to coordinate with their other providers. At CST Academy in Lincoln Park, your child's OT works alongside speech, behavior, and physical therapy clinicians in the same building, so a strategy that works in OT carries into the other sessions that same week.

Occupational Therapy in Lincoln Park - child during a pediatric OT session at CST Academy

Integrated Care Model

Occupational, speech, behavior, and physical therapy all happen under one roof, with clinicians who coordinate when your child's goals overlap.

Play-Based, Real-Environment Sessions

Real-life skills built through sensory gym play and the kind of everyday routines your child already lives.

Data-Driven Progress

Every session is shaped by weekly observations and the everyday details you share with the OT from home.

Parent Coaching Inclusion

The OT gives you a couple of specific strategies to use at home each week, so mornings and homework time get easier.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Address

2121 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

Phone

(773) 620-7800

Hours

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

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Occupational Therapy in Lincoln Park: A Five-Step Path That Fits a Busy Family

You should know exactly what starting therapy involves before you pick up the phone. Here are the five steps, from your first call to real progress at home, with what to expect at each one.

YOUR CHILD'S PROGRAM

Small Wins That Make Your Child's Mornings Easier

Occupational Therapy in Lincoln Park - child during an OT session at CST Academy

A few weeks into therapy, the small wins start showing up at home. Your child puts on their own coat. They wash their hands without a full pep talk. Each session builds toward changes like these with an OT who knows your child by name and knows what your family is working on this week.

The program adapts as your child develops, and the OT uses what you describe at home and at daycare to choose the next focus area.

Book Your Child's Evaluation

Our Team Responds in 24 Hours.

Steps

1

Tell Us About Your Child

Start with our online form or a quick call. Our team responds within one business day to hear your concerns and answer your questions.

2

Insurance Check and OT Match

We verify your plan benefits and match your child with the OT whose specialty and schedule fit your family best.

3

OT Evaluation

The OT evaluates how your child handles fine motor skills, sensory input, self-regulation, and daily routines. What we learn becomes the foundation of the therapy plan.

4

Therapy Begins

Your child begins one-on-one sessions with their OT. We build the schedule around real family life, after daycare, after kindergarten, or before the day starts.

5

Track Progress and Practice at Home

After each session, the OT tells you what your child accomplished and previews the next focus area. You also leave with specific things to practice at home.

Therapy That Actually Fits Your Calendar

Your child's licensed occupational therapist on Clybourn is one phone call away.

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Signs Your Child May Benefit from Occupational Therapy in Lincoln Park

You know your child best, and small everyday signs, trouble with scissors, routines that keep breaking down, are often what bring Lincoln Park families to us. No diagnosis or referral needed.

Your child struggles with fine motor tasks like holding a crayon, using scissors, or buttoning clothes.

Your child has strong reactions to clothing tags, food textures, loud noises, or crowded rooms.

Your child has a hard time with everyday routines like getting dressed in the morning.

Your child struggles with balance and coordination compared to other children their age.

Your child has trouble paying attention, sitting still, or staying calm enough to learn.

Your child resists handwriting tasks or their letters and numbers are hard to read.

Your child gets stuck on tasks that require planning multiple steps, like packing a backpack or following a morning routine.

Your child's teacher or pediatrician has flagged delays in motor skills or self-regulation.

If any of these signs sound familiar, you do not need to wait for your next pediatrician visit to get answers. Lincoln Park parents who reach out with similar observations usually leave the first conversation with either a clear next step or the reassurance that their child is on track. That first call is free.

Talk to a Licensed OT

Occupational Therapy in Lincoln Park - child during an occupational therapy session at CST Academy

Will OT sessions actually work around our work schedule?

Our Lincoln Park clinic plans sessions around your family's week, not the other way around. Morning and late-afternoon openings come up often, and we will help you settle into a schedule that actually fits real life.

How do we keep up with home practice when both parents work full time?

Our occupational therapist designs home practice that takes minutes and fits routines you already have like habits around dinner, bath time, and the walk to daycare. Families tell us this is what turns clinic progress into real change at home.

What if we do not have room for more on our schedule?

There is no commitment when you call. The OT evaluation tells you what your child needs, and that might be weekly sessions, a short focused stretch, or nothing at all. The plan we recommend fits the schedule you have, not the one you wish you had.

Meet Your Child's OT Team

Licensed occupational therapists who help children build the everyday skills that change how mornings, classrooms, and family time feel.

Kendra M., MOT, OTR/L

Lead Occupational Therapist

Kendra leads the occupational therapy program at our Lincoln Park clinic. She has advanced training in Handwriting Without Tears, primitive reflex integration, and the SOS Approach to Feeding. Her work spans sensory regulation, motor planning, executive function, self-care, and feeding skills. Her strengths-based, family-centered approach meets every child exactly where they are. She partners closely with our speech and behavior teams so the strategies that work in OT carry over to your child's other sessions too.

Occupational Therapy

Brigid B., OTD, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Brigid is an occupational therapist with a genuine passion for working with children and brings warmth and enthusiasm to every session. Her clinical focus includes sensory regulation and self-care, helping children build the skills they need to feel confident and capable in their daily lives. She is a natural collaborator and works closely with our speech and behavior teams to make sure the progress children make in OT extends across every part of their day.

Occupational Therapy

Self-Care Skills

Sensory Integration

Gina S., MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist (Coordinating)

Gina is the speech-language pathologist at our Lincoln Park clinic who partners with the OT team whenever regulation or sensory needs are slowing communication progress. When Kendra finds a strategy that helps your child stay engaged, Gina folds it into the next speech session so your child sees the same cues across both rooms. The coordination keeps your child focused and progressing in every clinic visit.

Occupational Therapy

Sensory Integration

Fine Motor Skills

One licensed occupational therapist leads the work, and your child sees that same person each visit. If OT is the only service you need from CST Academy, the lineup stays simple: one clinician, one plan, no rotating cast. If your child also sees us for speech, ABA, or PT, those clinicians coordinate directly with the OT whenever goals overlap.

Meet Your Child's OT. Schedule a Free Consultation.

Tell Us What You Have Been Noticing

Reaching out is the first step, and we will take it from there. Share a few details about your child and what has been on your mind. Our client success team will respond within one business day to answer questions and walk through next steps. No pressure, no commitment.

Occupational Therapy in Lincoln Park - Therapy Rooms at CST Academy

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ABA Therapy

Autism Evaluation

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Therapeutic Preschool

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What Families Say About Our Occupational Therapy at CST Academy in Lincoln Park

Ashley S. has been incredible with our daughter this past year. We have seen huge progress, and she makes occupational therapy feel easy, fun, and personalized. Highly recommend her!

Terrance W.

Occupational Therapy

Katie was exceptional. Ella grew so much in their time together. She was always so patient and tuned into what Ella needed, and she made the hard work they did together something that Ella simply interpreted as playing. I give Katie our strongest recommendation!

Anne P.

Occupational Therapy

We had a lovely experience at CST Academy. Katie was wonderful to work with: patient, professional, and kind. I appreciated how well she connected with my son and the level of consideration she showed him, as she built his favorite toys and cartoon characters into their sessions. She was also great about communicating about his progress and ways we could replicate the work at home.

Freda B.

Occupational Therapy

1000+

5-Star Google Reviews

Insurance and Enrollment

Insurance Accepted

In-Network

Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO

Coming Soon

Aetna

Important Note About Occupational Therapy Coverage:

Across Illinois, the majority of commercial health plans cover pediatric occupational therapy when it is medically necessary. The Lincoln Park billing team confirms your benefits up front, handles any pre-authorization paperwork, and files claims on your behalf, which keeps the billing side off your plate entirely. We go over every coverage detail before your child's first session.

An OT Evaluation Is the First Step:

Starting occupational therapy at our Lincoln Park clinic does not require an autism diagnosis or a referral from your pediatrician. The OT looks at how your child is doing across areas such as fine motor coordination, sensory processing, self-regulation, and the daily routines a child their age typically manages. The pattern that emerges shapes the therapy plan. The evaluation visit and every session that follows take place on Clybourn Avenue.

Get Started Today

One licensed OT. One focused therapy plan for your child.

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Common Questions Lincoln Park Parents Ask

Common signs include a hard time with fine motor tasks, strong reactions to certain fabrics or sounds, and morning or bedtime routines that take longer than they should. The OT team at our Clybourn clinic gives you a direct answer once we have completed an in-person evaluation. Most parents tell us afterward that they wish they had reached out months earlier.

Pediatric OT at the Lincoln Park location runs from 18 months up through age 14. With toddlers, the work centers on early hand strength, play, and learning to tolerate unfamiliar sensory input through play. School-age kids practice handwriting mechanics, scissor control, dressing themselves, and the regulation skills they need to settle into the classroom. Pre-teens use sessions to build the day-to-day independence that middle school expects.

Occupational therapy at our Lincoln Park clinic does not require a diagnosis or a doctor's referral. Our OT clinicians will see any child whose parents have questions about fine motor development, sensory comfort, or whether daily routines should be going more smoothly than they are. ABA is the exception in the field, since insurance authorization for ABA does require a documented autism diagnosis.

Lincoln Park families tend to spot small wins within the first month. Your child might start tolerating a clothing tag they used to refuse, or finish a morning without tears for the first time. The larger gains in handwriting, attention, and self-care independence usually take three to six months of consistent sessions. As your child grows, the OT adjusts the focus to wherever they are ready to go next.

Absolutely, autistic children tend to make more progress when the OT and the behavior team coordinate closely instead of working from separate offices. At our Clybourn location, the OT and the behavior analyst stay in regular contact on any goal involving regulation, sensory input, or self-care. Within a few months of integrated care, parents typically see their child move through transitions, manage textured foods, and handle noisy public spaces with noticeably less distress.

Neighborhoods We Serve

Our Lincoln Park clinic sits on the Clybourn Corridor with quick access from the Kennedy Expressway and multiple CTA lines, so families across the North Side and beyond reach us in 15 minutes or less.

Lincoln Park
2-5 min

Old Town
5-7 min

Lakeview
7-10 min

Bucktown
5-7 min

Wicker Park
7-10 min

DePaul
3-5 min

North Center
8-12 min

West Loop
10-15 min

By Car
Take I-90/94 to the Fullerton Avenue exit (Exit 41A). Head east on Fullerton Avenue, then turn south on Clybourn Avenue. The clinic is on the left in a shopping complex with free parking in front.

Parking
Free parking is available directly in front of the building in the shopping complex lot.

By CTA
Fullerton station on the Red, Brown, and Purple Lines is about a 12-minute walk or short bus ride. Check the CTA trip planner for current bus connections to Clybourn Avenue.

Get Directions to Our Clinic

Why Occupational Therapy at Our Lincoln Park Clinic Gives You Better Results

For most Lincoln Park families, the real choice between a standalone clinic and an integrated practice is who carries the coordination. With a standalone provider, your child gets a session and you get a handout, leaving you to move every detail between providers. Our Lincoln Park clinic was built so you do not have to.

One Schedule, Not Three: Our team handles scheduling, billing, and insurance for every clinician your child sees. Adding a new service is faster than starting fresh somewhere new, since we already have your child’s history and your family’s preferences on file.

Notes That Travel Down the Hallway: When the OT finds something that helps your child, the speech therapist knows before the next session. Wherever goals overlap, the clinicians coordinate directly, and a gain in one session shows up in the next that same week.

Reports Daycare Can Act On: The OT writes short, plain-language updates your daycare team can use the same day, and will speak with teachers directly when you give the go-ahead.

A standalone provider is fine for a child whose needs begin and end with OT. For families juggling a packed calendar, or who may add speech or behavior support later, the integrated clinic removes friction that quietly builds over a year.

One Clybourn clinic, one occupational therapist, and a team that shares notes when goals overlap.

Your Child's Full Care Team in Lincoln Park: