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 …

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 …

We've all heard the popular "Don't play with your food!" mantra. But contrary to popular belief, playing with food is actually a wonderful way for kids to learn about and discover new foods. Why? . .  1.  Trying a new food can be stressful, particularly for kids with sensory issues and/or food aversions. If you introduce a new food through play, you're removing the pressure/anxi …

Tongue lateralization is the ability to move the tongue from side to side inside the mouth.  It's an important skill for feeding therapy and development, as the tongue lateralizes in order to manipulate food to be chewed and formed into a ball (or bolus) before swallowing.  It's also how we go "fishing" for leftover food particles in the cheeks, around the gums and teeth, and on th …