Occupational Therapy in Wicker Park, Chicago
The Wicker Park clinic where your child's occupational therapist moves the needle on sensory meltdowns, scissor skills, and mornings that stop ending in tears. Pediatric OT for ages 18 months to 14 years.
First time looking into therapy for your child? Most Wicker Park parents spend weeks reading articles and asking around before they call. At CST Academy, your child meets a licensed occupational therapist who explains everything in plain language, then starts therapy at the same clinic with a plan you can follow.
Licensed Pediatric Occupational Therapists
BCBS PPO Accepted
No Referral Needed
Get a call back in 24 hours
"*" indicates required fields
Not sure where to start? An OT evaluation at our Wicker Park clinic will tell you whether therapy is the right next step. No referral required.
What Occupational Therapy in Wicker Park Looks Like at CST Academy
You probably already know which moments are hardest for your child, whether it is tying shoes or meltdowns at the playground. Here is what occupational therapy at our Wicker Park clinic does about them.
How We Approach Occupational Therapy:
Every week, your child meets with an occupational therapist who picks each activity based on challenges at home or daycare. Toddlers explore the sensory gym, climb, grasp objects, dress dolls, and learn to tolerate textures in activities that look like play. Older kids practice handwriting, scissor skills, dressing routines, and regulation strategies that help them stay focused. Your child’s occupational therapist adjusts the goals as your child improves.
What Makes Our Program Different:
At a standalone clinic, your child gets a half-hour appointment and a printed handout, then silence until the next visit. At CST Academy, your child's occupational therapist, behavior analyst, and speech therapist actually talk to each other. You do not have to be the one coordinating appointments from different clinics across town.
Integrated Care Model
Your child's therapists and behavior analyst share a clinic and coordinate where disciplines overlap.
Play-Based, Real-Environment Sessions
Your child builds skills through sensory gym time, fine motor games, and routines that feel like games.
Data-Driven Progress
Your child's therapists plan each session around what they observed the week before and what you noticed at home.
Parent Coaching Inclusion
Your child’s occupational therapist shows you exactly what to practice between sessions so morning routines, mealtimes, and homework get easier.
Address
1422 W Willow St, Chicago, IL 60642
Phone
(773) 620-7800
Hours
Monday to Thursday: 8AM to 6PM
Friday 8AM to 5PM
Occupational Therapy in Wicker Park: From First Call to First Session
First-time therapy parents often expect a complicated process. At our Wicker Park clinic, it is five clear steps from your first phone call to your child's first session.
YOUR CHILD'S PROGRAM
From First Phone Call to Therapy Plan That Fits Your Week
Within the first month, you notice the small wins. The daycare teacher mentions a smoother drop-off. Your child handles the play-dough without tears when it sticks. They put on their own coats. Each session targets wins like these, planned by an occupational therapist who knows what your child is working on this week.
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 you have been noticing and answer your first questions about insurance and scheduling.
2
Benefits Check and Therapist Pairing
We verify your insurance, then pair your child with an occupational therapist whose specialty and schedule fit your family. Want to see the clinic first? We add a walkthrough to your evaluation visit.
3
Occupational Therapy Evaluation
The OT assesses how your child grips objects, climbs, manages textures, and regulates emotions. The therapy plan is built directly from what they observe.
4
Your Child’s First Session
Your child begins one-on-one sessions with the same OT. Frequency is set by the evaluation, and we build the schedule around your family's week.
5
Progress Tracking and Home Practice
At pickup, your child's OT tells you what they accomplished and what comes next. You leave with practical ways to practice those skills at home, like getting dressed for daycare or making it through a Sunday at the park.
The Care Your Wicker Park Family Has Been Searching For
Your child's licensed occupational therapist is just one phone call away.
Signs Your Child May Benefit from Occupational Therapy in Wicker Park
You have probably been noticing things for a while, like mornings that fall apart over clothes or daycare mentioning your child cannot quite use scissors yet. Parents in Wicker Park come to us with exactly those observations. No diagnosis or pediatrician referral is required to reach out.
Your child struggles with crayons, scissors, and snaps more than they should, even with practice.
Your child has big reactions to tags, food textures, loud sounds, or a crowded daycare classroom.
Your child takes longer than they should on daily routines like getting dressed, brushing teeth, or sitting through dinner.
Your child trips, falls, or loses balance more often than other children their age.
Your child works hard to sit still, follow a story, or stay calm enough to follow directions.
Your child cries through handwriting practice, or the letters and numbers they write are hard to read.
Your child falls apart on multistep tasks like packing a daycare bag or moving from breakfast to coat to door.
Your child's daycare teacher or pediatrician has pointed out delays in motor coordination or self-regulation.
Recognize a few of these? That is reason enough to call. Every week, Wicker Park parents reach out to our clinic about exactly the patterns above, and most leave the first conversation with either a clear next step or honest reassurance that their child is on track.
Talk to a Licensed OT
How will we explain this to family members who do not think therapy is necessary?
This question usually comes from grandparents or older relatives unfamiliar with modern occupational therapy. We give you the same plain-language description we use during the evaluation, so you can share specific examples of what your child is practicing instead of having to defend the decision.
Will my child fall behind their daycare classmates while doing therapy?
Therapy is built around your child's daycare schedule, not the other way around. Sessions happen before drop-off, after pickup, or in a window that aligns with daycare hours. Most families tell us their child does better at daycare once OT skills start carrying over.
What if we cannot commit to a long-term therapy schedule?
The first phone call comes with no strings attached. The evaluation tells us whether your child needs ongoing OT, short-term help, or no therapy at all. We then build a schedule that fits your family's real week, not a clinical ideal.
Meet Your Child's Occupational Therapy Team
Licensed occupational therapists who help children build everyday skills that change how their week feels at daycare and at home
Kendra M., MOT, OTR/L
Lead Occupational Therapist
Kendra guides the OT program at our Wicker Park clinic and has years of experience with sensory regulation, early fine motor tasks, and the self-care skills toddlers and preschoolers are just starting to build. Every session begins with activities your child gravitates toward, with the clinical work woven inside. She regularly briefs the speech and behavior teams so any regulation cue that helps in OT also lands in your child's other sessions.
Grace S., OTD, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
Grace brings a strength-based, functional approach to every session and has a gift for making therapy feel like play rather than work. She works with children on sensory processing, visual-motor skills, bilateral coordination, motor planning, self-regulation, and fine motor needs.
Emma B., M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist (Coordinating)
Emma leads the speech therapy program at our Wicker Park clinic and partners closely with OT on the regulation and sensory challenges that often delay language progress. When the OT finds a cue or tool that helps your child stay regulated, Emma folds it into her speech sessions the same week. That back-and-forth keeps your child engaged across both rooms.
Your child is paired with one licensed occupational therapist who leads their care. Families coming to CST Academy for occupational therapy only get one focused clinician and one focused plan. Families using other CST Academy services benefit from team coordination on goals that cross disciplines.
Meet Your Child's OT. Schedule a Free Consultation.
Talk to Our Licensed Occupational Therapists
Share what you have been noticing at home or daycare. Our Wicker Park team responds the next business day with answers and a clear next step.
"*" indicates required fields
What Families Say About Our Occupational Therapy in Wicker Park
From the first moment we walked in their doors, they met every one of our daughters needs, while also training my husband and I on the ins and outs of autism. She received services ranging from OT, Speech, ABA, Feeding therapy , ALL OF THEM and each professional we dealt with was absolutely amazing. She loved them and they loved her. As we watch her thrive at now 8 years old, friends and family still say to me constantly that all her time at CST literally changed the trajectory of her life. THIS I KNOW TO BE TRUE! When I say this team literally saved our lives I mean it. They potty trained with us, went through tantrums with us, gave my daughter her voice and beyond.
Kristen K.
Our son started occupational therapy with Mrs. Katie when he was about 1.5 years old. We just finished almost a year later and I can’t even begin to express how happy I am with the progress that was made over the past year. Mrs. Katie was always so kind, patient, and gentle with our son. She always listened to our concerns with open ears and not only did she help our son, she helped us learn different tools when it came to working with our son. I literally couldn’t be any happier with the results.
Venicia A.
We are also beyond thankful for his wonderful OT teacher, Kendra. She brought so much creativity and energy to her sessions, helping our son overcome challenges with motor skills and sensory integration.
Chinara K.
Insurance and Enrollment
Insurance Accepted
In-Network
Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
Coming Soon
Aetna
Important Note About Occupational Therapy Coverage:
Illinois law requires commercial health plans to cover medically necessary occupational therapy for children. Our client success team at our Wicker Park clinic 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.
An Occupational Therapy Evaluation Is the First Step:
You do not need an autism diagnosis or a pediatrician referral to begin occupational therapy at our Wicker Park clinic. The evaluation looks at fine motor skills, sensory processing, and self-regulation against age-appropriate expectations, and those findings become the basis for the therapy plan. Both the evaluation and the therapy that follows happen at our Willow Street clinic.
Get Started Today
One licensed OT. One focused therapy plan for your child.
Common Questions Parents Ask
Common signs include difficulty with fine motor tasks such as holding utensils or fastening clothing, strong reactions to noise or texture, and challenging morning routines. An evaluation at our Wicker Park clinic gives you a clear answer. Most first-time families wish they had called sooner.
Neighborhoods We Serve
Families searching for an occupational 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 a short hop off the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94), so almost every nearby neighborhood reaches us in 15 minutes or less.
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.
Why Wicker Park Families Choose Our Integrated Care Model
Children in occupational therapy often benefit from speech, behavior, or motor development support too. At other clinics, that means driving to multiple locations and working with 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.
That is not how it works at CST Academy. Your child's occupational therapist, speech therapist, behavior analyst, and physical therapist all share the same building.
Most standalone OT clinics cannot offer this because occupational therapy is all they do. That is exactly why CST Academy offers every therapy your child needs under one roof.
Faster progress, fewer appointments, and a care team that understands the whole child
Your Child's Full Care Team in Wicker Park:
Take the First Step Toward Easier Mornings in Wicker Park
One licensed OT. One focused therapy plan for your child.
Not in Wicker Park? Other CST Academy Locations
Bucktown
1765 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
1.2 miles from Wicker Park
Occupational Therapy
Speech Therapy
ABA Therapy
Learn More
Lincoln Park
2121 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
2.4 miles from Wicker Park
Occupational Therapy
ABA Therapy
Speech Therapy
Learn More
Park Ridge
5505 N Cumberland Ave, Chicago, IL 60656
8.1 miles from Wicker Park
Occupational Therapy
ABA Therapy
Speech Therapy
Learn More