ARK's Blog

This vertical pulling activity is a simple way for your little ones to work on upper extremity strength in their shoulders, wrists, and hands. . . Directions: 1.  Cut 3 strips of velcro, about 12 inches each. 2.  Securely attach the strips vertically to a vertical surface.  We attached them to a section of our tactile sensory board (full post on this coming soon) …

Skill-wise, what would a child gain from using a Baby Grabber vs. a Grabber vs. a Y-Chew?  In other words, does the Baby Grabber work on different skills than the Grabber?  Does the Grabber work on different skills than the Y-Chew?  . Great question.  The Baby Grabber is for mouthing and oral exploration for babies/toddlers up to about the age of 3 years old. & …

Putty, play dough, and other hand manipulatives are classic occupational therapy tools for fine motor work and sensory play.  Not only are they fun, but they can also be used to work on a whole host of developmental skills, such as hand strength, finger isolation and dexterity, bilateral coordination, imaginative play, and much more.  Here are some of our favorite play-dough games/exe …

Just like its namesake, lip closure (also known as lip seal) is the ability to close one's lips.  It's important for several different speech/feeding/oral motor skills: .  .  •  Being able to close one's lips around a straw, spoon, a piece of food, etc. •  Being able to pronounce the speech sounds /p/, /b/, and /m/ •  Being able to chew food with one's …