ARK's Blog

Question:  Do you have a tool to increase tongue protrusion and tongue lateralization? We do!  ARK's  Oro-Navigator was specifically created to help individuals "get" the concept of tongue lateralization.  It's very easy to use.  Simply place the cuff on the side of the tongue and guide the tongue from one side of the mouth to the opposite side.  Th …

As a speech therapist, I don't recommend sippy cups since many of them promote a tongue thrust and improper oral positioning, which can negatively affect a child's speech and feeding development.  So ideally, particularly for those with developmental delays, it would be best to transition them straight to cup or straw drinking.  However, I do understand their convenience, so  …

This wonderfully informative guest post comes from a dear family friend.  We thank her for sharing her story and hope that others may benefit from her insightful advice. . My daughter Sarah was born with a very wide unilateral (one side) cleft lip and palate.  Feeding became an immediate issue for us as she did not take to the typical bottle for cleft babies, the Haberman feeder …

1.  Change the individual's toothpaste.  It can be a change in flavor or a change in brand.  A different brand may have a different texture, one that is perhaps a little more gritty.  Also, changing the toothbrush to one that is a little harder or softer will get a different texture inside the mouth. 2.   Massage the gums with a clean finger.  This adds sensory …