ARK Therapeutic Review

I was asked to try out a couple of products from ARK Therapeutic a while back.  The first product is the Y Chew.



They sent two different Y Chews for us to try, a blue and a green.  One of them was a little more firm than the other.  I did give them to Kamdyn to try out, but I decided not have her use them very much, because she is not a big mouther or chewer, and I didn't want to encourage her to do so.  They definitely seem very sturdy, and I think they would last a while even for children with teeth.

Brooklynn also tried them, and I found that they were wonderful for teething.



When I posted the picture above of Brooklynn on Facebook, I got a couple of responses about them.

One mom said, "They'd be great for redirecting those kids who like to chew on EVERYTHING, though!"

Someone else, who had some personal experience with using them, said, "They were great for Jess when he wouldn't stop chewing everything. We would get him these and those chewable necklaces."



We also tried a set of 3 Lip Bloks.  The mouth piece of each one was a different length.  The first one, a yellow one, had a pretty large amount of space between the block and the top of the straw.



The blue one had a little less.



And the green one has a very small nub, which pretty much forces the user to put their lips against the block.



As you can see from the picture above with the yellow Lip Blok, Kamdyn does not have any tongue protrusion with a small straw.  I think that if she did, this would help to train her tongue to stay back.

The difficult thing about using these, however, are that they are a bit awkward, so it is not comfortable or convenient for the child to use.  You couldn't just hand your child a cup with this in the straw and expect them to use it.  It takes hands-on adult assistance.  And because of that, it also takes away independence from the child.  Kamdyn cooperated the first couple of times that I tried them, and I was able to get these very blurry pictures, but she grew more and more resistant to using them.  I feel like they would be a good tool to use in therapy if the therapist is willing.

My final review on these products would be that they are well-made and affordable at $24.99 for a 4 pack of Y Chews and $9.99 for a set of 3 Lip Bloks with straws that they attach to.  I think they would be very useful for a child with feeding issues and feeding therapy.

For feeding therapy, I have also heard speech therapists recommend using a product like this Basic Bear Bottle Kit to help with straw drinking.  Kamdyn's Early Intervention Speech Pathologist used the Oral Motor Probe Set while she worked on oral-motor exercises with Kamdyn.  And a fellow Down syndrome mom commented about the Z-vibe that, "it's been the only way i can give her [child] solids without her instantly spitting them out."

Rockin' out

Kamdyn has been rockin' out at her therapy sessions lately. She is 3 months old now and reaching for toys- the same age that Madison and Austin were, by the way.

I'm so proud of her when she pops that head up and looks around.
I couldn't be more proud.

The therapists are very impressed by how well she is pushing with her legs too. She draws her little legs toward her body and springs off with every bit of might she has.

Its amazing how you can take things for granted. Holding their head up, following an object from side to side, rolling over-- those are all things I never gave a second thought to. Now every one is a triumph.

When you read the books that tell you your baby probably won't sit up until she is 11 months old or walk until she's well past 2, your heart sinks a little.

So when she's rockin' out at her therapy I find myself on the inside, hollering out, "Kiss it, Down syndrome! You can't tell my girl what she can and can't do or when she will or will not do it!" We're not going to worry about what some book says.

Sometimes she gets a little tuckered out and decides to take a break to suck her thumb. Which I just think is the most darling thing I've ever seen. Sucking her thumb is another triumph, by the way. Since you read so many times about how she might need a nurse to teach her how to get things to her mouth. So once again, "Kiss it!"

But if she does decide that she needs more time to roll over or crawl or walk, that's ok too. Not because it's what some book says, but because she can go as fast or slow as she wants. And I'm just going to stand behind her and cheer her all the way no matter what.

I'm not negative about Down syndrome. I guess I just have a hard time hearing "what she can and can't do". Down syndrome is part of Kamdyn, and there is not even one part of her that I am not completely in love with and crazy about. I'm just going to do my best to give her every opportunity possible and encourage her to follow whatever dreams she has.