ARK's Blog

Most people know the Grabber, Y-Chew, and Guitar as non-food chewing tools that provide a safe alternative to nail biting, chewing on pencils, etc.   But did you know they can also be used to work on lots of different oral motor / feeding therapy goals?  . . Here are some of our favorite ways to incorporate the Grabber, Y-Chew, and/or Guitar into your oral motor / fe …

Question:  Good afternoon!  I'm a speech therapist working on straw drinking with a child who has Autism. We've done the first 3 steps of your How to Teach Straw Drinking blog post, but cannot proceed to the 4th because the child does not know what it means in general to take a sip.  I cannot think of anything else to do.  He closes the lips around the straw but doesn …

Question:  I've read your Food Refusal article, that feeding problems are usually related to oral motor or sensory problems.  But can it be psychological?  I’ve searched the internet and can find very little practical advice about addressing the fear of solid foods for an infant/toddler. Our son (3 and 1/2 now) is still eating pureed food and we’ve done everyth …

Question: I am working with a 7 year old girl in feeding therapy who is refusing to open her lips and just purses. She has been involved heavily in food preparation which she enjoys doing and shows great participation.  However when it comes to the taste testing part she refuses all foods. She does eat ham and prunes.  I have tried to get her to chain to other types of ham but she …