Speech Therapy in Park Ridge, Illinois

Speech therapy where your child's progress does not reset every time you walk through the door. One certified SLP, ages 18 months to 18 years.

Your child spends 45 minutes a week in speech therapy. They spend the other 167 hours with you. That is why our Park Ridge SLP does not just treat your child and send you home. We teach you exactly what to practice, when to practice it, and how to turn an ordinary dinner or car ride into a session your child does not even realize is happening. Located on Cumberland Avenue, right off the Kennedy Expressway.

BCBS PPO In-Network

Certified SLP-Led Team

Ages 18 Months to 18 Years

No Referral Needed

Speech Therapy in Park Ridge - front of CST Academy on Cumberland Ave

Get a call back in 24 hours

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Not sure if your child needs speech therapy? A speech-language evaluation at our Park Ridge clinic answers that question. If therapy is the right next step, your child continues with the same certified SLP in the same location.

What Speech Therapy in Park Ridge Looks Like at CST Academy

Your child's teacher said something. Your pediatrician said wait. You have been waiting. Park Ridge families call us when the gap stops closing on its own. Now you are here, and that is the right call.

How We Approach Speech Therapy:

Our speech therapists build each session around what your child responds to. Younger children discover new sounds through songs, books, and games they choose. Older children sharpen pronunciation, conversation flow, and the academic language their teachers expect. Teens build the social communication skills that make friendships and group projects less stressful. One certified SLP leads every session, tracking progress and adjusting the approach based on what produces results.

What Makes Our Program Different:

Most speech clinics measure success by what happens in the session room. We measure it by what happens at your kitchen table. Your Park Ridge SLP coaches you on the same strategies used in every session so your child gets repetition where it counts: at home, unprompted, in real life.

Speech Therapy in Park Ridge - child during aba therapy session at CST Academy

Coordinated Team Care

Your child's SLP, OT, and behavior analyst share one clinic and align on goals that cross disciplines.

Play-Based Sessions

Your child builds language through games, songs, and activities chosen for what motivates them.

Measurable Progress

Your child's plan shifts every session based on tracked data, keeping therapy focused on results.

Family-Centered Coaching

Your SLP teaches you the same techniques used in sessions so progress carries into home.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Certified SLP

Address

5505 N Cumberland Ave, Chicago, IL 60656

Phone

(773) 620-7800

Hours

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

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Speech Therapy in Park Ridge: From Your First Call to Your Child's First Breakthrough

Families reaching out about speech therapy at our Park Ridge clinic want a straight answer: what does this process actually look like? Here are your next steps, no jargon, no surprises.

YOUR CHILD'S PROGRAM

What Progress Looks Like After the First Month

Speech Therapy in Park Ridge - child during a speech therapy session at CST Academy

The first signs show up where it matters most: at home. Your child names something new at dinner instead of pointing. They follow a two-step direction without you repeating it. They tell you about their day using sentences instead of single words. Nobody has to tell you it is working because you can hear it yourself.

As your child masters a skill, the speech language pathologist moves to the next challenge. If something is not working, the approach shifts that same week. Therapy moves at your child's pace.

Talk to Our Team About Your Child

Steps

1

Tell Us What You Are Noticing

Fill out our short form or call us directly. A member of our team gets back to you within 24 hours to hear your concerns and explain what happens next.

2

Talk With a Certified SLP

A certified SLP walks you through what your child may be experiencing and what therapy could look like.

3

Comprehensive Speech-Language Evaluation

The SLP evaluates your child's language comprehension, sound production, and conversational ability. The results become the blueprint for a therapy plan built around your child's specific strengths and challenges.

4

Therapy Sessions Begin

Your child starts one-on-one sessions on a schedule that fits your family. The SLP uses play, storytelling, and real-world activities to build communication skills your child actually uses outside the clinic.

5

Progress Tracking and Family Coaching

Your SLP measures progress every session and adjusts the plan as your child grows. You learn the same techniques so new skills carry into daily routines at home, at school, and everywhere in between.

The Gap Between Your Child and Their Peers Does Not Close on Its Own

Schedule a free consultation with a certified SLP at our Park Ridge clinic.

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Signs Your Child May Benefit from Speech Therapy in Park Ridge

Your child's teacher says they are quiet in class. At home, they answer every question with one word or a shrug. It is easy to chalk it up to personality, but sometimes there is more going on. You do not need a diagnosis or a referral to find out what is going on. If these signs sound familiar, it is time to talk to an SLP.

Your child is not using words or is using fewer words than other children their age.

People outside your family struggle to understand what your child is saying.

Your child gets frustrated when trying to communicate or avoids talking.

Your child has trouble following directions or answering simple questions.

Your child's pediatrician has suggested a speech-language evaluation.

Your child repeats sounds or stutters when speaking.

Your child has difficulty with back-and-forth conversation or making requests.

Your child is falling behind peers in language development.

You are not the first Park Ridge family to sit with this question. One evaluation with a certified SLP gives you the answer.

Talk to Our Team About Your Child

My child's teacher flagged something. Should I be worried?

A teacher who raises a concern is giving you a head start, not a warning. Most families who come to us after a teacher's observation are glad they followed up early. Our SLP team gives you a clear answer after one evaluation.

Is this just shyness?

Shyness and speech delays can look similar from the outside. The difference is whether your child has the language skills but chooses not to use them, or lacks the skills to use. Our evaluation reveals exactly where your child stands.

What if my child needs more than speech therapy?

That is a question you can answer after the evaluation. If additional services make sense, every discipline is available at our Park Ridge clinic. One intake covers everything. You will not repeat your child's history to a new provider at a new office.

Meet Your Child's Speech Therapy Team in Park Ridge

Certified SLPs and occupational therapists who specialize in pediatric communication, from first words through high school presentations.

Emma B., M.A., CCC-SLP

Lead Speech-Language Pathologist

Emma directs the speech therapy program in Chicago and specializes in language delays, articulation disorders, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). She coordinates daily with the ABA and occupational therapy teams to ensure every communication win is applied to every activity your child joins. Emma uses a playful, data-driven, and targeted approach to speech therapy built around your child's specific strengths and needs.

Speech Therapy

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

Speech-Language Pathologist

Colleen specializes in articulation, phonological disorders, language delays, and social communication challenges in young children. She uses play-based techniques and incorporates AAC strategies when a child needs alternative ways to communicate. Colleen partners with the ABA team daily so that new sounds or words your child produces in speech sessions are immediately reinforced during behavior therapy.

Speech Therapy

Feeding Therapy

AAC

Maria S., OTD, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Maria focuses on fine motor development, sensory processing, self-regulation, and the self-care skills your child needs to get through a typical day. She uses play and movement as the foundation for every session, building on each child's existing strengths. When Maria identifies a sensory strategy that helps your child stay calm and focused, it gets incorporated into speech sessions the same week.

Occupational Therapy

Sensory Integration

Fine Motor Skills

One certified SLP leads your child's speech therapy from the first session forward. Families who also use OT or ABA at our Park Ridge clinic get coordination across disciplines.

Talk to a Certified SLP About Your Child

Start Your Child's Speech Therapy in Park Ridge

You have been thinking about this long enough. Tell us what your child is doing, or not doing, that concerns you. A member of our speech therapy team calls you back within one business day.

Speech Therapy in Park Ridge - Therapy Rooms at CST Academy

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ABA Therapy

Autism Evaluation

Speech, Occupational, Physical, and/or Feeding Therapy

Therapeutic Preschool

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What Park Ridge Families Say About Speech Therapy

The growth we've seen, especially over the last two months, has been amazing! Our family and friends constantly comment on how much more my daughter is talking, the words she's using, and even the expressions on her face as she communicates. It's been a joy to witness, and my family is beyond grateful and blessed to Sandra and the CST team!

Amanda R.

Speech Therapy

My son started here when he was 3 1/2 yrs old and other than saying "daddy" he was not talking at all. They have a great team that are very knowledgeable in dealing with my son who is on the spectrum. He graduated this August and I cant thank enough all of the teachers and staff at CST. Now my son is talking and will start kindergarten at a local grammar school.

H c.i

ABA

Speech Therapy

I can't thank her enough for everything she did for my son and me. My son is high energy, and she made every session fun for him. She is caring, energetic, compassionate, and just a pleasure to work with. She goes above and beyond for her kids. My son saw her as more than just his speech therapist, Ms. Steph is his friend.

Elizabeth G.

Speech Therapy

1000+

5-Star Google Reviews

Insurance and Enrollment for Speech Therapy in Park Ridge

Insurance Accepted

In-Network

Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO

Coming Soon

Aetna

Important Note About Speech Therapy Coverage:

Insurance should not be the reason you delay speech therapy. Illinois law requires commercial plans to cover medically necessary pediatric speech services, and our Park Ridge team makes sure your family collects on that. We verify your benefits, secure pre-authorization, and submit claims directly. The only call you make is the one to schedule your child's evaluation.

A Speech-Language Evaluation Is the First Step:

Speech therapy at CST Academy begins with an evaluation, not a diagnosis. Our Park Ridge SLP team assesses your child's expressive language, receptive language, articulation, and social communication right here at the clinic on Cumberland Avenue. The therapy plan starts there and adjusts as your child progresses.

Get Started With Speech Therapy in Park Ridge

We verify your insurance, match your child with an SLP, and schedule the evaluation, all before your first visit.

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Common Questions Park Ridge Families Ask About Speech Therapy

If your child is hard to understand outside the family, uses fewer words than peers, or gets frustrated trying to communicate, a speech-language evaluation can give you a definitive answer. Our Park Ridge SLP team tells you after one assessment whether therapy is the right step. Most families say the evaluation alone resolved months of uncertainty.

Communication challenges are among the most common reasons families seek both speech therapy and ABA for children on the spectrum. At our Park Ridge clinic, the SLP and behavior analyst coordinate on the communication goals that overlap so new language skills carry across sessions throughout the day. Families consistently tell us that coordination between clinicians makes a measurable difference at home.

Speech Therapy for Families Near Park Ridge, Illinois

Our Park Ridge clinic on Cumberland Avenue is right off the Kennedy Expressway, making speech therapy accessible for families across the northwest side and surrounding suburbs. Most families on this list reach our front door in under 12 minutes.

Park Ridge
2-5 min

Edison Park
3-5 min

Niles
5-8 min

Des Plaines
5-8 min

Norridge
5-8 min

Harwood Heights
5-8 min

Morton Grove
8-12 min

Skokie
10-12 min

By Car
From the Kennedy Expressway (I-90), take the Cumberland Avenue exit and head north. CST Academy is on the east side of Cumberland Avenue at 5505.

Parking
Free on-site parking available. No meters, no street parking required.

By CTA
The Cumberland Blue Line station is approximately a 5-minute drive or 15-minute walk from our clinic.

Get Directions to Our Clinic

Why Speech Therapy at Our Park Ridge Clinic Produces Faster Results

Before coming to us, most Park Ridge families describe the same routine: speech therapy at one office, OT at another, and a parent spending half their week driving between buildings and repeating the same updates to every clinician.

At our Park Ridge clinic on Cumberland Avenue, every clinician your child sees practices in the same building. The SLP who discovers that a specific sound game unlocks new words can tell the OT before the week is over. One building, one intake, and a coordinated team behind your child.

One clinic, one certified SLP, and a team that coordinates on every goal that matters to your child.

Your Child's Full Care Team in Park Ridge: