My goal with this post is to walk you through the basics of some of ARK’s most popular oral motor products and highlight additional resources that will give you some helpful pointers for how to use each of these tools with the children in your life. The Z-Vibe is available in two different versions: plastic (all of the color options) or metal (aluminum). The plastic optionsare sturdy, affordable, easy-to-clean, and colorfully kid-friendly. The aluminum option has slightly more weight to it, and the metal is cool to the touch. The Z-Vibe improves a variety of speech and feeding skills. Further, it is also highly recommended for people with low oral tone and/or texture dislikes who need sensory oral motor stimulation. Most of us are either visual or auditory learners. But when these two senses are not enough, you may need to physically direct the articulators for certain speech and feeding skills. ARK's Z-Vibe® is anideal toolto help you do so. Therapists (and trained caregivers) can use it to provide targeted tactile cues within the oral cavity to teach tongue elevation, tongue lateralization, lip closure, rotary chewing, and much more. For example, use the Z-Vibe® to apply gentle pressure to the alveolar ridge (just behind the upper front teeth). Then remove the Z-Vibe® and instruct the individual to touch the same spot with his/her tongue tip. You can also follow up by prompting the individual to say the tongue tipsounds /t/d/n/l/. There are over 35 different tip attachments for the Z-Vibe®. The Z-Vibe comes standard with the original and still most popular Probe Tip. However, we also make a variety of other tips to work on more specific targeted goals. All of the tip attachments are interchangeable and compatible with any Z-Vibe® or Z-Grabber®. From spoons to toothbrushes to pencils and more, the same handle can shift goals simply by switching out one tip for another.

The pencil adapter screws into the Z-Vibe® like every other tip, and the pencils fit nicely into the adapter. Caution: the Z-Vibe is NOT a toy. It is atherapeutic tool intended to be used by a professional therapist (or by parents trained by their therapist). Itcontains small parts (including a battery)that may pose a choking hazard: direct adult supervision is required at all times. Why It Works This post is sponsored by ARK Therapeutic. However, I have been a firm believer in ARK products for many years and have used them with OT clients as well as with both of my young children (and have even shared about ARK’s oral motor tools on my blog in the past), so my opinions are based on positive experiences with these products in both the past and the present. Z-Vibe are o viteză de vibrare abia perceptibilă și este însoțită de un accesoriu Probe. Orice alt accesoriu se poate atașa aceluiași mâner.Textura vârfului Probe transmite un stimul tactil care ajută să înlături aversiunile față de mâncare și normalizează sensibilitatea la anumite mâncâruri. Caution: the Z-Vibe is NOT a toy. It is a therapeutic tool intended to be used by a professional therapist (or by parents trained by their therapist). It contains small parts (including a battery) that may pose a choking hazard: Direct adult supervision is required at all times.XXT / Super Firm - this is the toughest level, which we call XXT ("Xtra Xtra Tough"); It still has some “chewability” to it, but it’s fairly rigid / pretty firm ARK's Z-Vibe® is a vibrating oral motor tool for speech therapy, feeding therapy, and a variety of other applications. Recommended by speech and occupational therapists for 20 years, it's used to provide oral stimulation and tactile cues, to "wake up" the mouth,to decrease oral aversions and normalize oral sensitivities, to decrease drooling, to soothe, calm, focus, and self-organize, to improve oral motor skills, and much more. Brush Tips - The soft version has gentle bristles for gum massage; the hard version has firmer bristles closer to that of a traditional toothbrush. These can be used to help get orally sensitive individuals more comfortable with oral care, so that they can eventually use regular toothbrushes, be more comfortable going to the dentist, etc. If you are interested in learning more about the development of mouth, feeding, and speech skills, here are a few suggestions: If someone does chew through things, it’s possible they may need the toughest XXT level eventually. XXT is super firm, though, so we don't always recommend getting it right off the bat (some people find it uncomfortable chewing on something that firm).

I have bought this several times and made the recommendation to my patients and families to use it at home in between therapy sessions. It is great for oral motor use in the therapy room or at home. A loved one of mine was having a hard time dealing with an oral fixation and this helped immensely! While ARK Therapeutic makes many more oral sensory/motor products, I wanted to highlight the Z-Vibe and the Grabbers in this post since they are the staples of many oral motor intervention programs. XT / Medium Firm - this is the middle level, which we call XT ("Xtra Tough"); It's firmer, but still fairly chewy The Z-Vibe is highly recommended for individuals with hyposensitivities and low oral tone. Its gentle vibration can help increase oral awareness and provide much needed proprioceptive input to the lips, cheeks, tongue, and jaw. For sensory-seekers who crave oral stimulation, massaging the gums with the Soft Brush Tip can be particularly helpful.

Recommended for individuals of all ages and abilities under the guidance of a therapist or a trained caregiver Usually we recommend going with the softest/standard level by default. Unless someone chews through or causes damage to anything else they chew on (chews through pencils, chews holes in shirts, etc.), in which case the XT level would be longer lasting.

ARK's Tran-Quill® Pen has a smooth, gentle vibration that provides sensory input to the hand without affecting the actual writing/drawing. The vibration, texture, and weight of the handle can help increase focus and concentration, improve rote muscle memory, normalize writing speed, increase hand strength and dexterity, and decrease the grip force. Perfect for homework, note-taking, and more.

About This

We do! At ARK Therapeutic, you are buying directly from the manufacturer and designer of this tool. Designed with versatility in mind, there are over 35 tip attachments available in various sizes, textures, and resiliencies. From spoons to toothbrushes to pencils and more, the same handle can shift goals simply by switching out one tip for another. Oral defensiveness: If your child experiences oral defensiveness, they will have an aversive response to touch sensations in and around their mouth. Using a Z-vibe provides the mouth with vibrating sensory input and can help decrease the sensitivity over time thus allowing them to tolerate sensations with decreased aversion. Compatible with a wide range of Z-Vibe Tips (available separately) to support various speech and occupational therapy exercises