ARK's Blog

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 …

Rhythmic chewing is one component of a mature chewing pattern.  There's a tempo to the way we chew - it's not sporadic;  we don't chew fast then slow then fast again.  We chew to a silent yet steady beat in order to properly break down food. . .  In the video below, however, this young man has a very sporadic chewing pattern.  In fact, he'll …

Feeding therapy tip: if a child won't eat with a spoon, use whatever he/she WILL accept. In this feeding session, for instance, the child's favorite spoon was at home and he didn't like any of the other spoons I had.  So, I tried a twizzler and voila!  He ate the entire container of food.  . . You can also try dipping a Grabber, Y-Chew, or ARK Probe into whatever the c …

Having a child with feeding issues is one of the hardest problems to handle both for therapists and parents, and it's stressful for the child as well.  Our lives often revolve around food!  And so does healthy growth and development.  I commend you for looking for more information on this topic and hope that you find this post helpful.  So, take a deep breath and let’s roll …