ARK's Blog

Question: I have a 2 year old on my EI caseload, our program purchased a z-vibe kit for him. He is demonstrating some sensory aversion, drooling, and an open mouth posture with tongue protrusion. His tongue protrusion is beginning to affect production of his speech sounds. Are there any specific exercises I can have him do to decrease tongue protrusion?  Thank you so much for you …

As a feeding therapist, I've seen my fair share of spoons.  Below are the ones that I've found most useful over the years.   Every spoon below is not only made in the USA, but also designed with specific occupational or feeding therapy goals in mind: . . 1.  proSpoon These are my basic, go-to, everyday spoons.  What I love about them is that they are just t …

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 …

Before mealtime: •  Play with sensory-stimulating toys, such as koosh balls, peanut balls, bubbles, play-doh, massagers, any toys/books with interesting textures, etc. •  Give the child sensory input through physical sensory-stimulating activities, such as bouncing on a ball, jumping, swinging, etc. . In preparation for mealtime: •  Put the child in a highchair/booster …