ARK's Blog

Tongue tip elevation is the ability to lift the tip of one's tongue up to the alveolar ridge (the spot just behind the upper front teeth).  As a shorthand, we often call this location "on spot," as in, "get your tongue tip on spot!" Tongue tip elevation is an oral motor skill necessary to say certain speech sounds (t, d, n, l, s, and z).  It's also where the tongue should rest …

For the K, G, and Y sounds, the back of the tongue elevates to the palate.  One of my favorite "tricks" to assist back of tongue elevation is to use the Z-Vibe with the Hard Spoon Tip. . . Place the bowl of the Spoon Tip on the tip of the tongue, and then have the child say the sound (as demonstrated in the video below).  By holding down the tip of the tongue with a tactile …

A lego wall is a very simple DIY project that packs a ton of therapeutic benefit.  To assemble:  simply attach a lego board to a wall.  Mine is from at least 20 years ago so I don't know the exact brand anymore, but any lego / brick set that comes with a mat to stack them on should work.  Then I used heavy-duty velcro to attach it on the wall.  There's probably a better …

This friendly turkey is a quick and easy craft, both for Thanksgiving and beyond.  You'll need: Play dough of your choice (funky colors welcome) Two eyeballs Pasta of your choice . . If you don't have eyeballs, you can substitute for beads, etc.  If you don't have the pasta shown, you can substitute for almost anything you do have.  There's no "right way" to d …