Westside Children's Therapy

06/05/2026

Swim safety matters for all children, but for families of children with autism, it carries an extra layer of urgency. Many autistic kids are drawn to water naturally, which makes knowing how to keep them safe even more essential.

We want to make sure every family in our community heads into summer with the tools they need, and that no child is left without the skills to stay safe around water.

We wrote a full water safety guide with a special focus on autistic children: including how to approach swim lessons, how to set up your environment, and how to teach water safety rules to kids who learn differently.

👉 A Swimming and Water Safety Guide for Autistic Children: https://hubs.la/Q04jKZqb0

Know a family who could use this? Share it with them today. 💙

A practical water safety and swimming guide for autistic children, with tips on sensory needs, drowning prevention, and learning to swim safely.

06/04/2026

🎤✨ We're excited to announce that we're having a Talent Show!

All Westside kiddos are invited to take the stage: singers, dancers, comedians, musicians, you name it. 🌟

📅 June 25th | 6:15–7:30 PM
📍 New Lenox Village Commons & Performing Arts Pavilion

Click the link below to sign your child up before spots fill up! And if you just want to come watch, everyone's welcome. 🎉

https://hubs.la/Q04jYS-t0

06/02/2026

🌈 Love looks like support.
Family looks like belonging.

Care looks like being seen for who you are.

This Pride Month, we’re celebrating all families and the many ways love, connection, and community show up in our lives every day. 💙

We’d love to hear from you, complete the sentence in the comments:
✨ “Love looks like ______.”
✨ “Family looks like ______.”

06/01/2026

🌊🐠 Dive into something amazing! 🤿

We're making a splash with our **Under the Sea Adventure** Make-Up ABA Therapy Session!

📅 Saturday, June 13th
⏰ 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Your child will enjoy:
🐚 Hands-on spring activities
💬 Communication-building exercises
🤝 Social interaction practice
🎨 Sensory play
🎯 Goal-focused games tailored to their individual needs

Spots are LIMITED. Don't let your child miss out on this fin-tastic day! Click the link to sign up today. 🦈💙

https://hubs.la/Q04jCn2z0

05/31/2026

May was both Mental Health Awareness Month and Better Speech & Hearing Month, two reminders of how deeply connection, communication, and emotional well-being shape every part of a child’s development. 💚💙

In our work, we see every day how closely these areas are tied together. A child learning to express themselves more clearly, a family learning new ways to support regulation at home, a therapist holding space for progress that doesn’t always look linear, it all matters.

And just as important, so does the well-being of the clinicians doing this work. Supporting communication and mental health doesn’t happen in isolation, it happens through teams that are supported, collaborative, and grounded in shared purpose.

As we close out the month, we’re carrying this forward: continuing to center connection, continue building skills, and continue supporting both the children and the staff who make this work possible.

05/30/2026

Myth vs. Fact

❌ “My child will just start talking on their own.”

We hear this one a lot. And we understand why, it’s hard to know when “wait and see” becomes “let’s get some support.”

MYTH: “My child will catch up on their own.”

FACT: Some children do, but many don’t. And the longer a speech or language delay goes without support, the wider the gap can grow.

Early speech therapy doesn’t mean something is seriously wrong. It means your child gets a head start on building the skills they need to communicate, connect, and learn.

When in doubt, ask. An evaluation takes the guesswork out of it. And if you want to do a little research first, we wrote a blog breaking down exactly how to tell the difference between a late talker and a speech delay.

👉[https://hubs.la/Q04jpK190

Is your toddler not talking yet? Learn the difference between a late talker and a speech delay, what signs to watch for, and when to seek a speech evaluation.

05/29/2026

Ever wonder what working at Westside actually looks like? 👀

Spoiler: no two sessions are ever the same. It's not sitting at a table running drills. It's games. Books. Songs. Conversations. Moments that feel like play, because for kids, play is how learning happens. ✨

One day you're celebrating a first word. The next you're hyping up a kiddo who just crushed a milestone. And through all of it? You've got a fun, collaborative team cheering you on every step of the way.

We'll let one of our amazing Speech-Language Pathologists say the rest. Watch her day in the life at Westside. 🎥

If you're passionate about this kind of care, we'd love to meet you. We're growing, and we're looking for people who show up with heart. Apply today and come join our team. 💙

https://hubs.la/Q04jpWFQ0

05/28/2026

THIS OR THAT 🤔

For kids who need something to do with their hands (or mouth!) — which one does your child reach for?

📿 Chewy necklace
🔴 Stress ball

No wrong answers here — every kiddo is different! 👇

05/27/2026

You don’t have to be a speech therapist to support your child’s language development. Some of the most powerful things you can do happen during the ordinary moments of your day. 👇

5 things to try this week:

💬 Narrate your day. “Now I’m cutting the apple. Red apple. Cold and crunchy.” Your child absorbs every word.
📚 Read together every day: and ask questions as you go. “What do you think happens next?”
🙌 Expand on what they say. They say “ball!” — you say “Yes, a big red ball!” Small step. Big impact.
⏲️ Give them time to respond. Wait up to 10 seconds after asking a question. Let the pause work.
🔊 Reduce background noise during conversations. Turn the TV off at dinner. Let talking be the main event.

Save this for later and drop a 👏 if you’re going to try one of these this week.

There’s more where that came from! We put together a complete guide with 10 therapist-recommended strategies you can start using today.👇

https://hubs.la/Q04j2Pyn0

Speech therapists share 10 simple, everyday strategies parents can use at home to support their child's speech and language development — no special training needed.

05/26/2026

🧩 Our clinics just had the best team challenge.

Last week, envelopes were hidden all over each clinic, and every team member had to find theirs and bring it back to complete the puzzle. No one could finish their puzzle without everyone showing up.

That's exactly what Westside is about. Every person, every role, every piece matters. 💙
Until next year's puzzle challenge!