Frequently Asked Questions

The right therapy depends on your child’s strengths, challenges, and developmental needs. Some children benefit from ABA therapy, while others may need speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, feeding therapy, counseling, or a combination of services. Our team helps families understand what support may be the best fit. Call (815) 469-1500 or fill out a contact form to get started.

Children who may benefit from an autism evaluation often show signs like speech or language delays, limited eye contact, difficulty with social interaction or play, repetitive behaviors, sensory sensitivities, trouble with transitions, or delayed developmental milestones. If you’re unsure where to start, try our free autism screener.

Some insurance plans or therapy services require a pediatrician referral, while others do not. Our team can help you understand what’s needed for ABA therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, or evaluations.

Timing depends on the therapy type, clinic location, scheduling availability, and insurance authorization process. Our team works hard to help families begin ABA and pediatric therapy services as quickly as possible.

Therapy frequency depends on your child’s age, goals, evaluation results, and treatment recommendations. Some children benefit from one or two sessions per week, while others may need a more comprehensive schedule.

Yes. Westside is in-network with 100+ insurance plans, including Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Aetna, Optum, United Healthcare, and Duly Health & Care. Coverage varies by plan and your child’s needs, and our team can help you understand your benefits. We do not accept Medicaid at this time.

Cost varies by insurance plan, number of therapy hours, and other factors. We provide a clear cost breakdown before therapy starts, including what insurance typically covers and what your estimated out-of-pocket responsibility may be. If your child receives multiple services, we make sure the full picture is clear across all of them.

ABA helps children with autism learn new skills and work through challenging behaviors using positive reinforcement. Children make progress in communication, independence, and social connection over time. Goals are based on your child’s specific needs, not a standard curriculum.

ABA is best known as an autism intervention, but the approach can support any child who benefits from structured learning and skill-building, including children with developmental delays, ADHD, and other behavioral needs.

At Westside, ABA does not look like a child sitting at a table running drills. Sessions are built around natural environment teaching, play, movement, peer interaction, and activities that feel meaningful to the child.

A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is a licensed clinician who evaluates your child, creates their treatment plan, and supervises therapy. A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) carries out the plan during sessions under the BCBA’s direction.

At Westside, we take an individualized approach and recommend the level of support each child truly needs, not the maximum amount possible. Westside’s ABA program generally averages fewer than 20 hours per week, currently around 15 hours per week.

Most families start noticing meaningful changes within 3 to 6 months, though the timeline depends on your child’s goals, hours of therapy, and how consistently skills are reinforced at home.

After-school slots are available, though they fill up quickly. We are upfront with families about current availability and reach out as soon as an opening comes up.

Yes, and many children do. A schedule where a child attends both school and therapy is common and often works well. As school readiness grows, the balance gradually shifts.

There is no single milestone that marks the end of ABA therapy. Graduation looks different for every child. The goal is for your child to have the skills they need to succeed in school and everyday life.

Many children benefit from more than one type of therapy. ABA focuses on behavioral skill-building and learning, while speech therapy focuses on communication and language development. Your child’s evaluation will help point toward the right combination.

Most major insurance plans are required to cover ABA therapy for children with an autism diagnosis. Coverage varies by plan. Westside verifies benefits before therapy begins so you know what to expect.

Pediatric speech therapy focuses on helping children communicate more effectively, addressing specific language and speech delays through structured techniques and play-based learning.

Children with delayed speech development, difficulty understanding or expressing language, fluency or stuttering challenges, difficulty communicating socially, or feeding and swallowing concerns may benefit from speech therapy.

At Westside, we generally treat children 0-18 years old, including toddlers and teens.

Most speech therapy sessions occur 1-2 times per week in the clinic, based on the clinical recommendation of the speech therapist and each child’s individual needs.

Speech therapy evaluations are 60 minutes long, and regular treatment sessions are 45 minutes long.

Graduating kids from therapy is our goal, meaning the communication difficulties have been addressed. There is ongoing communication between family and therapist about progress throughout.

Occupational therapy for children focuses on building the practical skills kids need to participate in everyday life, like getting dressed, writing, playing with peers, and managing emotions.

Children who struggle with sensory sensitivities, fine motor delays, handwriting, self-care routines, emotional regulation, attention, or social participation. Commonly recommended for kids with autism, ADHD, developmental delays, and sensory processing disorder, but children without a specific diagnosis can benefit too.

Most occupational therapy treatment plans are 1-3 hours per week in-clinic, with 1 hour per week being the most common.

Yes. Occupational therapy is one of the most common treatments for children or teens with ADHD, helping with self-regulation, structure and routines, and identifying emotional states.

Pediatric physical therapy addresses issues that prevent kids from moving properly and maintaining balance, and helps them recover from injuries through exercises and restorative methods tailored to each child.

At Westside, we generally treat children from birth to 18 years old, including babies, toddlers, kids, and teens.

Most physical therapy treatment plans are 1-3 hours per week in-clinic, with 1 hour per week being the most common.

Graduating kids from physical therapy is the goal, meaning their concerns have been fully addressed. The best progress comes from combining consistent in-clinic sessions with a home exercise program.

Child counseling involves discussions between the child and a pediatric counselor about personal, emotional, or social problems, helping the child identify and change behaviors and ways of thinking that haven’t worked well in the past.

Yes, information shared in sessions is treated with strict confidentiality and protected by state and federal laws. Information about the counseling plan is shared with caregivers to support progress, but personal information is not disclosed outside Westside without written permission, except when necessary to protect someone from imminent danger.

Yes. Our child counselors use a strengths-based, family-centered approach to empower parents with techniques that help their child manage stress and big emotions, keeping parents informed every step of the way.

Yes. Numerous studies show behavioral and emotional interventions work as well as or better than medication for treating anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns, though it requires commitment and collaboration between the child, counselor, and caregivers.

It depends on the reason for seeking counseling. Some concerns resolve in a matter of months using a solution-focused, cognitive-behavioral approach seen weekly; deeper concerns like bereavement or trauma may take longer.

Yes. Caregiving can take a real toll on emotional health. Westside offers counseling for parents and caregivers to help manage the emotional and physical demands of caregiving, build coping strategies, and strengthen family relationships.

Feeding therapy helps children who have difficulty eating comfortably. Feeding therapists address swallowing disorders, oral motor delays, and picky eating through structured, individualized treatment plans.

Feeding challenges can show up from infancy, so earlier is better. Early signs include latching issues, frequent gagging, difficulty gaining weight, or discomfort with certain textures. For older children, it’s best to seek help when picky eating causes a nutritional deficit or family stress.

Three types: Picky Eating Therapy, Medically-Based Feeding Therapy, and Pre and Post Frenectomy Care (for tongue-tie or lip-tie related feeding difficulty).

When a child eats fewer than 30 different foods, has extreme difficulty with new or non-preferred foods, or when feeding has become an extreme stressor for the family.

$150 every 12 weeks, covering the foods purchased and prepared for picky eaters during feeding therapy sessions, as an alternative to bringing in your own food.

Westside provides autism diagnostic testing for children from the early toddler years through age 5. Some children can be evaluated as early as 16–18 months.

Cost varies based on your insurance plan. Both virtual and in-person evaluations are billed through insurance, and our team verifies your benefits and confirms any expected costs upfront, so there’s no surprise or guesswork on your end before testing begins.

Virtual evaluations are done from home and are typically faster to schedule. In-person evaluations are conducted in a child-friendly clinic environment and typically take longer to complete. Both are billed through insurance, and our team confirms your benefits and any expected costs before testing begins.

No. Westside accepts families directly, and you can book using our online calendar.

Most families complete the process over two sessions, a parent interview and a child observation, each typically lasting 1-2 hours.

We guide you toward what your child may benefit from next, including additional developmental or neuropsychological testing, school and community resources, and more.

No, but many families choose to. Since Westside offers ABA, speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, and more all under one roof, staying with us means your child’s care team can coordinate directly rather than working across separate providers. That said, you’re always free to work with any provider you choose, and we’re happy to offer referrals if that’s a better fit for your family.