ARK's Blog

Question:  I have a 2 and a half year old boy. He stopped eating and drinking just before he turned 2. He has an NG tube through his nose for 6 months so far. He started eating solid foods with great appetite three months ago. Now we use the NG tube for drinking only. Since they put the NG tube, I was able to give him water in a spoon from a glass jar while he was in the high chair. Now he …

Stacking toys - Oh how I love thee!  Let me count (and stack) the ways.   Don't be deceived - these seemingly simple toys pack a big punch when it comes to early learning development.  How do stacking/nesting toys aid in the development of fine motor and language skills?  Here's how you can play to learn with these classic toys: . . FINE MOTOR SKILLS Ther …

Question:  I have a client (5-years) who sucks her thumb.  She has a lisp and produces most of her consonants while protruding her tongue.  I perfectly understand that unless we resolve the thumb sucking, the protrusion will not going to go away, but her parents are not on the same page as me.  What techniques would you recommend to decrease the thumb sucking? .  You …

One day I happened to have a Band-Aid in my pocket, so I decided to put it on one of my classic bean bag toys. This added a whole new dimension to the toy.  Children immediately related to "Mr. Turtle and his boo-boo.” Some of them said, “Awww!” Some gave him a kiss or held and rocked him. From here, the opportunities for speech and language seemed endless.  As some examples, we worke …