Specialized Pediatric Services

We offer social skills group therapy to encourage your child to share space with and think about others. Your child will:

• Improve turn taking skills in conversation and while playing games
• Increase awareness of body language and non-verbal gestures
• Increase safety awareness
• Improve conversational skills

Your child may benefit from social programs if he or she:

• Has high functioning autism
• Has mild cognitive impairments and/or use alternative assistive communication devices
• Has behavioral difficulties when in social situations

Social groups are run by an occupational or speech language pathologist and last approximately 45 minutes. Each group is developed by age group to meet the needs of the children in attendance.

We understand mealtime from a family and child perspective and can help your child enjoy and master mealtime skills with confidence. Feeding therapy can help your child get the nutrition he or she needs to reach developmental milestones. We work with a range of issues from children who are picky eaters to those with weight issues, oral motor deficits, limited oral intake and kids transitioning off a feeding tube.

We also help children who are highly specific about brands, refuse food and experience difficulty transitioning to new textures. Moreover, families who have “power struggles” at mealtime or children who display bad mealtime behavior may benefit from feeding therapy.

Our therapists look past the mouth and to the bigger picture of mealtime. We address behaviors, sensory responses to food, oral motor improvements and diet expansion. Our approach allows interaction with food in a playful, non-stressful way.

Foundations for Learning is designed for children ranging in age from 2 to 6 years old with autism spectrum disorder. It serves as an alternative to the traditional early childhood setting. We take a comprehensive, multidisciplinary team approach—incorporating physical, occupational, speech-language and applied behavior analysis therapy—to help care for your child.

Program goals:

• Develop a pre-academic readiness foundation through group instruction and one-on-one therapy
• Learn through play-based experiences
• Build meaningful social relationships
• Increase independence in classroom routines and daily activities
• Promote functional communication, self-regulation, social-emotional skills and motor abilities
• Improve conversational and social skills

Areas of focus:

• Social skills
• Independence with self-care, including potty training
• Gross and fine motor development
• Joint and sustained attention
• Sensory processing and regulation
• Early language skills
• School readiness
• Positive coping and adaptive behaviors

Foundations for Learning is insurance-based and available for half- and full-day enrollment at various locations.

Contact:

• For our Hinsdale location, please contact Monique at [email protected]
• For our DePaul location, please contact Anna at [email protected]
• For our St. Charles location, please contact Alyssa at [email protected] or Gatsby at [email protected]

Led by Monique Bronowicki, pediatric speech-language pathologist and Dr. Ryan Holley, clinical psychologist, the Developmental Diagnostic Clinic assesses developmental concerns you may have for your child.

Our team* can effectively evaluate and diagnose:

• Autism spectrum disorders
• Communication delays
• Global developmental delays
• Cognitive delays
• Intellectual disabilities
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorders
• Sensory processing differences
• Speech and language disorders
• Mood disorders

An evaluation includes:

• Diagnostic interview to collect history, identify areas of concern and address questions
• Interdisciplinary testing, questionnaires and play-based observations
• Overview of comprehensive report findings and treatment recommendations for home, school and therapy environments
• Meeting with caregivers to review recommendations and discuss next steps

*The Developmental Diagnostic team collaborates with physical therapy and applied behavior analysis therapy for consultations and screenings as needed.

For a complimentary consultation to determine if a diagnostic evaluation is right for your child, please contact Monique at [email protected].