ARK's Blog

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 …

Oral defensiveness falls into two main categories: HYPOsensitivity and HYPERsensitivity: . •  Individuals with hyposensitivities have low oral tone and very little awareness of what's going on inside their mouths.  This "oral numbness" so to speak can cause significant speech and feeding delays.  For example, the ability to create a food bolus is a critical oral motor skill n …