Feeding Therapy in Wicker Park, Chicago

A team of feeding specialists in Wicker Park who help your child try and enjoy more foods through play, never pressure, and never a forced bite. Pediatric feeding therapy for ages 18 months to 18 years.

After your first visit, you understand why your child struggles with meals and have a concrete plan to start implementing at home. At CST Academy in Wicker Park, the same feeding therapist who evaluates your child leads their care from day one.

Pediatric Feeding Therapists

BCBS PPO In-Network

No Referral Needed

Feeding Therapy in Wicker Park - front of CST Academy at 1422 W Willow St

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Not sure where to start? A feeding evaluation at our Wicker Park clinic will tell you whether therapy is the right next step. No referral required.

What Feeding Therapy in Wicker Park Looks Like at CST Academy

Picky eating, gagging, texture refusal, meltdowns at dinnertime: you know your child's exact battle. Feeding therapy at our Wicker Park clinic targets what is actually happening and turns it around.

How We Approach Feeding Therapy:

Every week, your child meets with a feeding therapist who picks each activity based on what is happening at your table and at daycare. Younger children explore food through touch and play and develop the strength they need for chewing. Older kids practice expanding their diet and staying calm through a meal. Your child's feeding therapist builds on each week's wins, moving to the next goal as your child grows more comfortable with food.

What Makes Our Program Different:

At a standalone clinic, you leave with recommendations and do not hear from your therapist until your next appointment. At CST Academy, your child's feeding therapist and behavior analyst actually talk to each other. You never have to explain your child's story again to another provider across town.

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

Integrated Care Model.

Your child's therapists and behavior analyst share one clinic, so what helps at the table also shows up in their other sessions.

Play-Based, Low-Pressure Mealtimes.

Your child explores food through touch and play, so trying a new bite feels safe instead of stressful.

Data-Driven Progress.

Your child's therapist plans each session around the foods your child made progress with last week and what you noticed at home.

Parent Coaching Inclusion.

Your child's feeding therapist teaches you how to support your child at home using the approach that works in therapy, so mealtimes get calmer between sessions.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Address

1422 W Willow St, Chicago, IL 60642

Phone

(773) 620-7800

Hours

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

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Feeding Therapy in Wicker Park: From First Call to First New Food

Most families go from that first call to their child trying something new within six weeks. Here's how it works.

YOUR CHILD'S PROGRAM

From First Phone Call to Feeding Therapy Plan That Fits Your Week

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

Within the first month, your child will interact with food they previously refused. Mealtimes become calmer, gagging and anxiety drop, and your child gains confidence at the table. Each session targets the next realistic win based on what your child is ready for this week, so every visit moves the needle.

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

Steps

1

Your First Call.

Fill out our form or call our Wicker Park team. We respond within one business day to hear what mealtimes look like and answer your first questions about insurance and scheduling.

2

Benefits Check and Therapist Pairing.

We verify your insurance, then pair your child with a feeding therapist whose specialty and schedule fit your family.

3

Feeding Therapy Evaluation.

The feeding therapist watches how your child interacts with food, chews, swallows, and handles different textures at the table, then designs the therapy plan directly from what they observe.

4

Your Child's First Session.

Your child begins one-on-one sessions with the same feeding therapist. The evaluation tells us how often your child needs to come in, and we work around your family's availability to make it fit.

5

Progress Tracking and Home Practice.

Before you leave each session, your feeding therapist reviews what your child accomplished and coaches you on how to build on that progress at your next family meal.

You're One Conversation Away from Calmer Mealtimes

Your first call gives you clear answers and a specific path forward. Most families start seeing progress within the first month.

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Signs Your Child May Benefit from Feeding Therapy in Wicker Park

Your instinct that something is off is right. If mealtimes have been a struggle despite what you have tried, the signs below will help you understand whether your child needs professional feeding support.

child eats a very small variety of foods

Your child eats only a small handful of food and avoids almost everything else, sometimes entire food groups at a time.

Your child gags, coughs, or chokes during meals, or seems to struggle with chewing and swallowing.

child reacts strongly to food textures and smells

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

child refuses meals or melts down at the table

Your child melts down, leaves the table, or refuses to come to meals at all.

child pockets food or overfills their mouth

Your child pockets food in their cheeks, puts too much food in their mouth at once, or holds food without swallowing.

child struggles with cups, straws, or utensils

Your child struggles to use a cup, straw, or utensils that other kids their age have figured out.

child not gaining weight or eating too little

Your child is losing weight, not gaining as expected, or eating too little to stay well nourished.

daycare or pediatrician raised concerns about eating

Your child's daycare teacher or pediatrician has raised concerns about how or how much your child eats.

Recognize a few of these signs? A feeding evaluation gives you clarity: either the steps to help your child eat more comfortably or reassurance that what you are seeing is typical development for their age.

Talk to a Feeding Therapist

How do I get my child to try new food without a meltdown?

Your child's therapist builds tolerance through small, playful steps, starting with touching or smelling food long before tasting it. Most families notice their child stops bracing for a fight at meals within the first few weeks.

Mealtimes already feel like a fight. Will therapy make it worse?

Feeding therapy is designed to take the stress out of eating, not add to it. Sessions follow your child's pace and pair safe, new food with play instead of pressure. Parents tell us the table feels calmer once their child stops bracing for a fight.

We have a packed week. How much time does this really take?

Most children benefit from one or two sessions per week, and your child's evaluation tells us which works best. We fit those sessions into your actual schedule, including morning and after daycare slots. You will have complete clarity on time and cost before the first visit.

Meet Your Child's Feeding Therapy Team

Feeding specialists who help children eat more comfortably and turn stressful meals into calmer time at the table

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

Feeding Therapist & Speech-language pathologist

Emma leads oral motor and swallowing care at our Wicker Park clinic and brings deep experience with chewing, food tolerance, and the mealtime skills young children are still building. Every session starts with foods and play your child feels safe with, then layers in the therapy goals. She briefs the occupational therapy and behavior teams so any strategy that helps at the table also shows up in your child's other sessions.

Feeding Therapy

Grace S., OTD, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist (Coordinating)

Grace supports the sensory and postural side of feeding with a strength-based, functional approach. She helps children tolerate new textures, sit comfortably and stay upright through a meal, and handle utensils and cups with more control. When sensory or seating challenges get in the way of eating, she coordinates directly with the feeding team.

Occupational Therapy

Self-Care Skills

Sensory Integration

Cassie H., M.S.Ed., BCBA, LBA

Board Certified Behavior Analyst (Coordinating)

Our behavior team supports the mealtime behavior side of feeding, from staying seated through a meal to easing food refusal and tantrums at the table. When a child's resistance to eating is mostly behavioral, the behavior analyst and feeding therapist collaborate toward the same goal. That keeps expectations the same in the therapy room and at your kitchen table.

ABA Therapy

Mealtime Behavior

Parent Coaching

Your child is paired with one feeding therapist who leads their care from the first session on. If you ever add speech, occupational, or behavior support at CST Academy, those therapists keep each other in the loop, so you are not the one passing messages between them.

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

Talk to Our Feeding Therapists

Share what mealtimes look like at home or daycare. Our Wicker Park team responds the next business day with answers and a clear next step.

Feeding Therapy in Wicker Park - Therapy Rooms at CST Academy

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Name

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Parent/Guardian Name*

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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 Families Say About Our Feeding Therapy in Wicker Park

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.

1000+

5-Star Google Reviews

Insurance and Enrollment

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. Our billing team handles the benefits check, pre-authorization, and claim submission so that billing never becomes your obligation. Your coverage is fully verified before your child's first visit.

A Feeding Therapy Evaluation Is the First Step:

You do not need an autism diagnosis or a pediatrician referral to begin feeding therapy at our Wicker Park clinic. Our feeding therapists evaluate how your child chews, swallows, tolerates textures, and behaves at the table against age-appropriate expectations. Those findings become the basis for the therapy plan. Both the evaluation and the therapy that follows happen at our Willow Street clinic.

Most families wish they had called sooner

Schedule your child's evaluation this week

Get Started Today

(773) 620-7800

Common Questions Parents Ask

Common signs include eating from a short list of safe food and refusing groups of food, gagging on new textures, and mealtimes that become a battle every day. A feeding evaluation at our Wicker Park clinic tells you whether this is typical picky eating or something worth treating. Many first-time families tell us they wish they had called sooner.

Your child can receive all of these services at our Wicker Park clinic without a second intake at another office. Your child's feeding therapist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, and behavior analyst practice in the same building and compare notes, so progress in one shows up in the others. Families tell us that having everything under one roof takes the scheduling stress off their plate.

Neighborhoods We Serve

Families searching for a feeding therapist in Wicker Park drive in from every direction across the Near Northwest Side. Located on Willow Street just west of Elston, our clinic is right off the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94), so almost every nearby neighborhood reaches us in 15 minutes or less.

Wicker Park
2-5 min

Ukrainian Village
3-6 min

Noble Square
3-5 min

Bucktown
5-7 min

West Town
5-8 min

Humboldt Park
7-10 min

Logan Square
8-12 min

East Village
5-8 min

By Car
From the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94), take the North Avenue exit (Exit 48B). Head west on North Avenue, turn left on Elston Avenue, then turn right on Willow Street. The clinic is on your left.

Parking
Free parking is available in the labeled spots directly in front of the building.

By CTA
North/Clybourn station on the Red Line is about a 10-minute walk. Check the CTA trip planner for current bus connections to Willow Street.

Get Directions to Our Clinic

Why Wicker Park Families Choose Our Integrated Care Model

Children in feeding therapy often benefit from speech, occupational, or behavior support. At other clinics, that means driving to multiple locations and juggling providers who never talk to each other. You end up repeating your child's story to every new therapist and hoping the bigger picture does not get lost between offices.

At CST Academy, your child's therapists share one clinic and work as a coordinated team. The feeding therapist, who is also your child's speech therapist, has full context from the occupational and behavior teams, so you set one appointment, explain your situation once, and everyone understands the complete picture.

A standalone feeding clinic stops at feeding because that is their only focus. At CST Academy, when your child makes progress with textures in feeding therapy, the occupational therapist sees it and builds on it in their sessions. When behavior strategies help at the table, the speech therapist brings those same techniques into your child's other work.

One coordinated team handling your child's care, not separate providers at separate locations.

Your Child's Full Care Team in Wicker Park: