Committed to assisting preschool aged children with autism and their families, Stride Autism Centers (“Stride”) is proud to announce the opening of our brand new location in Orland Park, Illinois. Enrollment is now open for children ages 2 to 6 at this new center, which is conveniently located at 18080 Wolf Rd. This represents our tenth location in the Midwest and the third in Illinois. The Stride team is looking forward to continuing our mission of providing effective, evidence-based therapeutic programs that help children with autism thrive in school and beyond.
Striving to serve clients no matter the specific funding source involved, we accept most private insurance plans including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Cigna, Optum and United Healthcare.
Stride is recognized across the Midwest for providing personalized support to children as they progress through their most critical developmental periods. We exclusively serve children ages 2 to 6, and keep a 1:1 therapist-to-child ratio to enable each child to get the most attention and assistance possible. Stride’s results-driven, center-based operating model allows children to participate in naturalistic group activities and expand their social skills as they connect with their peers in the program.
An important part of Stride’s continued success is our exceptional team of empathetic and experienced clinicians. These clinicians use a therapeutic approach based in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, which has been thoroughly evaluated and is widely regarded as the gold standard of autism treatment. Each child that participates in Stride’s full-day program gets a fully customized treatment plan meticulously crafted by one of our Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA).
Brad Zelinger, Stride’s Founder and CEO, explained that “Stride’s mission to provide the best possible support to children with autism and their families is deeply personal to me. My sister has an autism-related disorder called Rett Syndrome. She is nonverbal, and requires substantial support in everyday activities. I founded Stride so individuals like her can get the effective therapy they need as early as possible to live more independent, joyous lives. As a Chicago native, I’m particularly motivated to bring Stride’s services to underserved areas near where I was raised.”
Speaking on the philosophy behind the program, Stride’s Clinical Director and University Chair of ABA at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Dr. Ashley Whittington-Barnish, PhD, LCP, BCBA-D, NCSP said that “Decades of research demonstrating the effectiveness of early intervention for children with autism underlie our decision to specialize in the early treatment of young learners.”
“Our mission-driven team is incredibly motivated by Stride’s unwavering commitment to meaningful outcomes. We’re grateful that our singular focus on the highest quality care has allowed us to attract outstanding clinical leaders and therapists alike,” Dr. Whittington-Barnish added.
About Stride Autism Centers
Stride Autism Centers is a mission-driven organization that provides evidence-based ABA therapy to children with autism ages 2 to 6. Stride has numerous locations throughout Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. Stride’s full-day program combines structured one-on-one therapy with naturalistic group activities. It is designed to assist with communication, emotional regulation, school readiness, social skills, self-care, play and leisure, and transitioning skills. Families interested in learning more can contact Stride Autism Centers at 312-554-5578 (Illinois) or 515-207-5251 (Iowa and Nebraska).
If you’re interested in a rewarding career assisting children with autism, please visit stridecenters.com/careers to view our available positions.
