What therapy services does Lumiere Children's Therapy provide?

Lumiere Children's Therapy offers comprehensive pediatric services, including speech therapy, occupational therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), social work, early intervention, autism testing, teletherapy, and a therapeutic preschool. Our multidisciplinary team collaborates to create personalized treatment plans that support every child's unique developmental journey.

At what age can my child begin therapy?

We serve children from birth through 18 years of age. Early intervention can help address developmental delays before they become more significant, while older children benefit from therapy that supports communication, learning, motor development, emotional regulation, and independence throughout childhood and adolescence.

How do you determine the right therapy plan for my child?

Every child begins with a comprehensive evaluation completed by a licensed therapist. We assess developmental skills, discuss your concerns and goals, and use standardized assessments when appropriate. Based on the results, our team creates a personalized treatment plan that evolves as your child grows and reaches new milestones.

Can my child receive more than one therapy service at the same location?

Yes. Because Lumiere Children's Therapy offers multiple pediatric therapy services under one roof, children can receive coordinated care from speech, occupational, physical, behavioral, and social work professionals. This collaborative approach improves communication among therapists and creates a more consistent experience for families.

Does Lumiere Children's Therapy accept insurance?

We work with many major insurance providers and help families understand their available benefits before therapy begins. Our experienced administrative team assists with insurance verification, claim submissions, billing questions, and payment options, making the process as simple and transparent as possible for parents and caregivers.

What should we expect during our first therapy appointment?

Your first visit focuses on understanding your child's strengths, developmental needs, and family goals. A licensed therapist will complete an evaluation, answer your questions, and explain recommended services. You'll leave with a clear understanding of the next steps and a personalized treatment plan designed for your child.

Why do families choose Lumiere Children's Therapy?

Families choose Lumiere Children's Therapy because we provide individualized care through a collaborative team of experienced pediatric specialists. From evaluations and insurance guidance to ongoing therapy and family education, we're committed to delivering compassionate, evidence-based care that helps children build lifelong skills and confidence.

How can I schedule an evaluation at Lumiere Children's Therapy?

Scheduling an evaluation is quick and straightforward. Simply call our office, send us an email, or complete the contact form on our website. Our friendly team will guide you through every step, including insurance verification, appointment scheduling, and preparing for your child's first visit so you can get started with confidence.

August 24, 2015

Therapists in Chicago: Rachel Myatt

Rachel Myatt is one of Step by Step Care Group’s speech therapists in Chicago, IL. Rachel completed her undergrad studies at Miami University in Speech Pathology and Audiology with minors in child studies and family relationships. She received her masters in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Marquette University. I had the privilege of asking Rachel some frequently asked questions about her field of work.

Q: How would you define child speech therapy?
A: Early Intervention speech therapy is an opportunity for speech therapists and parents/ caregivers/ teachers to work together in therapy, so they can best support the child’s language skills in all environments. By going into homes, daycares, and schools, caregivers get a chance to play an important role in a child’s therapy by learning how to carryover their child’s language goals into the home. Speech therapists engage children in motivating, play-based activities to target speech, language, and feeding goals through motivating toys, games, and songs, while collaborating with caregivers in how these skills can be incorporated into their everyday schedules.

Q: What are some common disorders of children that you work with?
A: I work with children who have expressive language delays, receptive languagedelays, articulation delays, social language differences, feeding aversions, or oropharyngeal dysphagia.

Q: What are some common milestones you focus on with your patients?

A: Frequently, I work on having a child request and label objects with increasing phrase lengths. I also include direction-following opportunities into our play-based activities.

Q: What are child speech therapy exercises you use frequently?

A: Play is an important part of learning, language, and social development for children, so I design all of my activities to be both engaging and play-based. Some of my favorite toys to use are a velcro fruit set, play dough, and a magnetic bug puzzle, since each can be used in so many different ways. I love using it for 1-, 2-, and 3-word requests, direction-following, and targeting speech sounds (cut, eat, food).

Q: What are some at home speech therapy exercises parents can do with their children?

A: At home, a great thing that parents can do is narrate what they are doing or what their child is doing in short phrases, using 1-2 more words than their child uses. So if their child speaks in one- word phrases, they can narrate their daily activities in 2-3 word phrases (e.g. cut apple, I am eating, big apple, etc). Reading books is another great way to target language skills. Parents can talk about the pictures in the books, ask their child where an object is on the page, or find actions on a page. It can be fun to take turns acting out these actions too! Finally, giving your child two choices sets up a wonderful opportunity for a child to request. Choices can be used during all parts of the day! For example, when getting ready in the morning, you can give your child two choices of shirts to wear (e.g. want blue or want green?).

Q: Explain a case that was extremely successful for you as a therapist?

A: Working with medically fragile children has always been a strong interest of mine. One of the most exciting moments was when one of my clients who wore a Passy-Muir Valve verbally requested a toy for the first time. In general, I honestly feel like there are “big” moments in therapy frequently, whenever a child does a skill we are targeting independently for the first time — the excitement of that never gets old!

SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT

Looking for expert pediatric therapy services? Our team specializes in helping children reach their full potential through compassionate, personalized care.

Book an Appointment → Call (312) 242-1665

Vasilikitsa “Kitsa” Antonopoulos

Vasilikitsa “Kitsa” Antonopoulos, MA, CCC-SLP/L is a licensed speech-language pathologist with over two decades of experience supporting children and families. After earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Saint Louis University, she gained deep clinical expertise working across pediatric hospitals, early intervention programs, and autism therapy settings.

In 2010, Kitsa founded Lumiere Children’s Therapy to create a holistic, collaborative space where children could receive personalized, multidisciplinary care. Her vision continues to guide Lumiere’s dedicated team of therapists, offering speech, occupational, physical, and behavioral therapy and more, to help every child reach their fullest potential.