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Lake Zurich, Illinois

The Child Find Screening Said "No Concerns." Your Gut Says Something Different.

CUSD 95 runs Child Find screenings for children ages 3 through 5 using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires. Your child passed. The district said there was nothing to flag. But you are still watching your child avoid the playground, gag on new foods, and melt down every time a plan changes. School screenings measure whether a child needs educational support. They do not measure whether daily life is harder than it should be.

Your therapist

Meet Laura

Laura O'Brien, OTR/L has more than thirty years of experience helping families who fall between the cracks of school-based screening. She works with Lake Zurich families over Zoom, focusing on the skills that school evaluations are not designed to catch: dressing, grooming, eating, playing with peers, and managing sensory challenges in the places your family goes every day.

Parents keep coming back because Laura teaches them what to do between sessions. You leave every visit understanding why your child reacts the way they do and what you can do about it starting tonight.

  • ✓ Laura O'Brien, OTR/L
  • ✓ 30+ years of pediatric experience
  • ✓ Sensory Integration Certified
  • ✓ Yoga for the Special Child Certified
  • ✓ Reflex Integration trained
  • ✓ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Last reviewed: April 2026

Talk to Laura (708) 724-8780

What parents tell Laura

Sound Familiar?

  • "He passed the Child Find screening, but I know something is off. He still can't hold a crayon the right way"
  • "Her teacher at May Whitney says she's fine in class, but at home she falls apart after school every day"
  • "He was in the At-Risk Preschool program and now he's in kindergarten with no support at all"
  • "She covers her ears at the school assembly and refuses to go to gym class"
  • "He chews on everything. Pencils, shirt collars, his fingers"
  • "Getting shoes on takes 20 minutes. Every single morning"

These are not behavior problems. They are signs your child may be working through sensory processing, motor planning, or other foundational skills that affect life beyond the classroom.

Start with a Free Screening Contact Laura

Understanding your options

What CUSD 95 Provides, and Where the Gaps Are

What school OT covers

CUSD 95 is a PK-12 unit district with five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The district operates its own special education program rather than joining a cooperative. Early childhood services at May Whitney Elementary serve students with IEPs, at-risk students, and typically developing peers together. Child Find screenings for ages 3 through 5 use the Ages and Stages Questionnaires in both English and Spanish. School OT targets handwriting, fine motor tasks, and classroom regulation.

What school OT does not cover

Dressing independently. Tolerating a haircut. Eating more than five foods. Riding a bike. Managing a birthday party without shutting down. School OT addresses educational impact only. A child who holds it together during the school day but falls apart at pickup is not showing a school-based need. But the family still needs help.

That is where private OT fills in. Laura works on the life skills that matter at home and in your Lake Zurich community. Many families use both school and private OT because they cover different parts of a child's day.

Telehealth-first for Lake Zurich

What Working with Laura Looks Like

Zoom from your Lake Zurich home

Laura mails you a kit of specific materials before your first session. From there, she watches your child in your actual environment and coaches you in real time. You learn why your child gags at certain textures, how to restructure the morning routine to avoid meltdowns, and what sensory input helps your child stay regulated after school. Telehealth is the primary model for Lake Zurich families because the coaching happens exactly where the challenges do.

In-person at the Des Plaines sensory gym

About 26 minutes from Lake Zurich. The sensory gym provides climbing equipment, therapeutic swings, and crash pads for the kind of deep-pressure and vestibular input that is hard to set up at home. Some families visit monthly for hands-on work and use Zoom for the weeks in between. Laura walks you through every activity so you understand the purpose behind it.

Either way, you leave every session knowing exactly what to do between appointments.

Parent strategies

Two Things to Try Tonight

After school pickup: Before asking about the day, hand your child a crunchy snack like pretzels, carrots, or apple slices. The jaw work from chewing provides organizing input to the sensory system and can help a child who holds it together all day decompress without a meltdown.

Before shoes in the morning: Let your child squeeze a stress ball or do five frog jumps before sitting down to put shoes on. Heavy work to the hands or legs often reduces the tactile sensitivity that makes sock seams and shoe laces feel unbearable.

Get Strategies for Your Child (708) 724-8780

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions

My child passed the CUSD 95 Child Find screening. Does that mean they do not need OT?

Not necessarily. Child Find uses the Ages and Stages Questionnaires to identify children who may need special education services at school. Passing means the screening did not flag an educational impact that meets the district threshold. A private OT evaluation looks at a wider set of skills, including daily routines, sensory processing, and community participation, that school screenings are not designed to measure.

Does Laura see Lake Zurich families in person?

Yes. The Des Plaines sensory gym is about 26 minutes from Lake Zurich. Most families use Zoom as their primary session format because it puts the coaching directly into your home. Some add monthly in-person visits for hands-on sensory gym work when Laura recommends it.

My child was in the At-Risk Preschool at May Whitney but aged out. What now?

The transition from early childhood programs to kindergarten can leave gaps, especially if your child no longer qualifies for school-based services. Private OT can continue building the skills that the preschool program started: motor planning, sensory regulation, self-care, and social participation. Laura works with many families in this exact situation.

Getting started

Ready to See Changes at Home, Not Just at School?

Start with a free screening form so Laura can understand your child's needs. Many Lake Zurich families come to Laura after a Child Find screening or a transition out of the At-Risk Preschool program, looking for support that school services do not provide. Call with questions about how Zoom-based private OT can work alongside your child's CUSD 95 program.

Contact Laura Free Screening Form

(708) 724-8780