Feeding Therapy in Park Ridge, Illinois

At our Park Ridge clinic, feeding therapy looks like play: exploring food, easing into new textures, and building calmer meals. Ages 18 months to 18 years.

Your child works with a feeding specialist at CST Academy, often the same speech-language pathologist who guides their speech. Every session targets the reason meals are hard: gagging on textures, a safe-food list that keeps getting shorter, or meals that end early.

Pediatric Feeding Therapists

BCBS PPO In-Network

No Referral Needed

Feeding Therapy in Park Ridge - front of CST Academy at 5505 N Cumberland Ave

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A play-based feeding evaluation at our Park Ridge clinic gives you answers. No referral or diagnosis needed, and we verify your coverage upfront.

How We Run Feeding Therapy in Park Ridge

A child who gags on food texture needs a different plan from one who eats five types of food. Feeding therapy at our Park Ridge clinic starts by identifying which struggle is your child's, and that answer decides the goals, the activities, and the pace. Here is what that looks like week to week.

How We Approach Feeding Therapy:

Sessions are one-on-one with your child's feeding specialist, each built around the one thing making meals hardest right now. Younger children explore food through play, building comfort with new textures and smells. Older children strengthen their chewing, grow the list of foods they will eat, and practice staying at the table for an entire meal.

What Makes Our Program Different:

Four things set our Park Ridge feeding program apart from a standalone clinic, and each shows up in your child's week.

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

Integrated Care Model.

Your child's feeding, occupational therapy, and behavior plans come from one team under one roof, so progress in one carries into the next.

Play-Based Therapy.

Sessions look like a family mealtime: exploring food, sitting through a snack, and easing toward a new bite at your child's pace.

Weekly Adjustments.

Every week our specialists update the plan using what your child ate in session, what still needs time, and what you saw at home.

Parent Coaching at Every Visit.

You leave each session with one or two things to try at your next meal, so the gains keep showing up at home.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Address

5505 N Cumberland Ave, Chicago, IL 60656

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 at Our Park Ridge Clinic

Starting feeding therapy is simpler than it sounds: no referral, no diagnosis, no long forms first. Here is every step between today and your child's first session.

YOUR CHILD'S PROGRAM

From First Phone Call to Meals That Get Easier

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

We get on a call and discuss how meals go at your house, and we give you an honest read on whether feeding therapy in Park Ridge is the right next step. If it is, we book an evaluation that fits your week and answer any open questions.

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

Steps

1

Consultation.

Call (773) 620-7800 or complete our online form. Tell us what you are seeing at meals, at snacks, and at daycare drop-off.

2

Insurance Check and Therapist Match.

Our team verifies your benefits and sends a one-page coverage summary, then we match your child with the right feeding specialist.

3

Feeding Evaluation.

Bring your child in for a play-based feeding evaluation. You leave knowing which skills the specialist targets first and what a realistic schedule looks like.

4

Start of Therapy.

Your child begins one-on-one feeding sessions. Each week, the specialist picks the goal most likely to show a difference by the next visit.

5

Progress Tracking and Home Practice.

Get a recap at pickup of what happened and one thing to try at your next meal.

Stop Googling Symptoms. Talk to Our Feeding Specialist.

Search results describe every child. A feeding specialist talks about yours.

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Signs It May Be Time for Feeding Therapy in Park Ridge

Most feeding problems are visible at the dinner table months before they show up on a growth chart. The eight signs below are what Park Ridge parents describe most often when they call us. If you count two or more, that is your cue to reach out.

child eats a very small variety of foods

Your child eats only a small handful of food and refuses whole groups, like anything crunchy, saucy, or green.

Your child works hard to chew and swallow, or gagging and coughing interrupt most meals.

child reacts strongly to food textures and smells

Your child's breakfast, dinner, and bedtime snack are a consistent struggle at home.

child refuses meals or melts down at the table

Your child pulls away from foods based on how they smell or feel, and new dishes rarely get a chance.

child pockets food or overfills their mouth

Your child dreads mealtime, whether that shows up as tears, leaving the table, or refusing to sit down.

child struggles with cups, straws, or utensils

Your child holds or puts too much food in their mouth without swallowing.

child not gaining weight or eating too little

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

daycare or pediatrician raised concerns about eating

Your child's eating or weight has been flagged by a teacher, pediatrician, or family member.

Your answer is one evaluation away. It shows whether your child needs feeding support or simply more time, and both outcomes come with a clear plan for what to do next.

Talk to a Feeding Therapist

What if my child already gets feeding help through their IEP at school?

School-based support and feeding therapy at our Park Ridge clinic do different jobs. The school version is brief and focused on eating safely during the school day. Our 45- to 60-minute sessions target the bigger picture: a narrow diet, gagging, and stressful family meals. Many families do both, and we coordinate with the school when you ask.

Our family speaks two languages at home. Does that change feeding therapy?

Feeding therapy works the same in every language. Your child's specialist focuses on chewing, textures, and comfort at the table, skills that have no accent. You leave each session with strategies in simple, everyday words, ready to use in whichever language your family speaks.

We tried feeding therapy somewhere else, and it did not work. Why try again here?

The usual reason is a clinician who worked alone, cut off from the rest of the child's care team. At CST Academy, your feeding specialist, occupational therapist, and behavior analyst compare notes whenever goals overlap, so your child keeps building instead of starting over.

Meet Your Feeding Therapy Team

The specialist who leads your child's feeding usually guides their speech too, with the full team planning alongside.

Colleen D., M.S., CCC-SLP

Feeding Therapist & Speech- Language Pathologist

Colleen is a member of the feeding therapy team at the Park Ridge clinic. Her feeding work spans oral motor skills, sensory food tolerance, picky eating, and mealtime routines. Her strengths-based, family-centered approach meets every child exactly where they are. She partners closely with our speech and behavior teams, so gains in feeding carry over to your child's other sessions.

Feeding Therapy

Maria S., OTD, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Maria is an occupational therapist who supports the sensory and postural side of feeding at our Park Ridge clinic. She works on the skills around the plate: tolerating new textures, holding a comfortable upright position through a meal, and managing cups and utensils. She uses play and each child's strengths to build confidence in the routines that matter at the table, and coordinates closely with the feeding team.

Occupational Therapy

Self-Care Skills

Sensory Integration

Kendra M., MOT, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Kendra partners with the feeding team across the Park Ridge clinic. She addresses the fine motor and sensory components of feeding. Kendra and the feeding specialist swap notes between visits, so a gain in one room shows up in the other within the week.

Occupational Therapy

Mealtime Behavior

Parent Coaching

Feeding therapy at our Park Ridge clinic starts with one specialist and one focused plan. Add a service later, and the same care team carries your child forward with shared notes and one coordinated plan. Your intake, history, and goals travel with them.

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

By This Time Tomorrow, You Could Have a Plan

Tell us about your child in the form below. Within one business day, our team calls with answers, next steps, and open times for a feeding evaluation at our Park Ridge clinic.

Feeding Therapy in Park Ridge - Therapy Rooms at CST Academy

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Name

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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 Park Ridge Families Say About Feeding Therapy at CST Academy

Our son had extreme sensory issues with food and would cry at the sight of anything new on his plate. CST Academy's feeding therapists were so gentle, patient, and creative. Now he tries new foods regularly, and mealtimes have become something we actually enjoy together.

Amanda F.

Feeding Therapy

Our daughter struggled with chewing and swallowing, and we were so worried about her nutrition. The CST Academy team helped us understand what was going on and gave us a clear plan. Their support changed everything; she is now eating more confidently and gaining weight at a healthy pace.

Jason K.

Feeding Therapy

Mealtimes used to be filled with stress and battles. CST Academy did not just help our child, they helped our whole family. The feeding therapy team taught us how to support our son at home and made huge progress feel possible.

Danielle S.

Feeding Therapy

1000+

5-Star Google Reviews

Insurance and Enrollment for Feeding Therapy in Park Ridge

Insurance Accepted

In-Network

Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO

Coming Soon

Aetna

Important Note About Feeding Therapy Coverage:

Illinois law requires commercial health plans to cover medically necessary feeding therapy for children. For Park Ridge families with a BCBS PPO plan, that typically means minimal out-of-pocket costs once your deductible is met. Our billing team confirms what your specific plan covers before your child's first session at our Cumberland Avenue clinic.

A Feeding Evaluation Is the First Step:

Every child begins with a play-based feeding evaluation at our clinic. The specialist watches how your child chews, swallows, and responds to different textures, then tells you which skills come first. Regular sessions start once that plan is in place.

Start with the Evaluation, Then Decide

See exactly where your child stands and what the plan targets first. You choose every step after that.

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Feeding Therapy FAQs for CST Academy in Park Ridge

Most Park Ridge parents who reach out have the same short list of worries. The child eats only a few types of food, gags on textures, or turns every meal into a struggle. Our first call walks through that list and pinpoints which ones feeding therapy can help address. If it is a match, we book an evaluation; if not, we say so and point you somewhere useful.

Most feeding clinics around Park Ridge work in isolation. Your child sees a feeding specialist, then drives to a separate clinic for speech, then a third address for behavior support. At our clinic, every clinician on your child's team is just down the hall. When the feeding specialist finds something that works, the speech and behavior teams hear about it the same day. Adding a service later takes one conversation, and your child's history follows automatically.

Our Park Ridge feeding therapy clinic is at 5505 N Cumberland Ave, Chicago, IL 60656, just north of the Kennedy Expressway. Pull off I-90 at the Cumberland exit and head north. We are on the west side of the street. The CTA Blue Line stops at Cumberland about 1.5 miles south, and Park Ridge Metra Station on the UP-NW line is a short drive west. Families come from Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Edison Park, Norridge, Jefferson Park, Harwood Heights, Norwood Park, and Mount Prospect.

For Families Across Chicago's Northwest Side

Our Cumberland Avenue clinic sits just off the Kennedy Expressway (I-90), within a quick drive of Park Ridge, Des Plaines, and Chicago's northwest side. Feeding therapy at our Park Ridge clinic shares a building with every service your child may need, so you spend less time driving between clinics.

Park Ridge
3-5 min

Des Plaines
5-8 min

Edison Park
3-5 min

Norridge
5-8 min

Jefferson Park
5-8 min

Harwood Heights
5-8 min

Norwood Park
2-5 min

Mount Prospect
10-15 min

By Car
From I-90 (Kennedy Expressway), exit at Cumberland Avenue and head north. CST Academy is at 5505 N Cumberland Ave on the west side of the street. From Park Ridge, take Higgins Road or Touhy Avenue east to Cumberland.

Parking
Free lot on-site with reserved family spaces by the front door

By CTA/Metra
The CTA Blue Line (O'Hare branch) stops at Cumberland, about 1.5 miles south. Park Ridge Metra Station on the Union Pacific Northwest Line is about two miles west, convenient for families coming from the suburbs.

Get Directions to Our Clinic

One Clinician for Feeding and Speech, One Team Behind Them

The skills your child uses to eat are the same ones they use to talk, so trouble with one often means trouble with the other. A standalone feeding clinic treats the eating and never sees the speech side, so the two teams only know what you remember to pass along.

At CST Academy, one speech-language pathologist treats both, working on how your child eats and how they speak inside the same plan. The occupational therapist and behavior analyst share the building and the notes, adjusting the goals together when something new shows up at home.

A feeding-only clinic can write a food plan. What it cannot do is connect that plan to your child's speech, sensory needs, and behavior. That connection is why families choose our feeding therapy in Park Ridge over a standalone clinic.

One intake, one building, and a care team that already knows your child's whole story.

Your Child's Full Care Team in Park Ridge: