Does your child experience difficulty with feeding or oral sensory processing? If your child currently receives feeding therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy, a Z-Vibe might be a tool that the therapist will incorporate. So, what exactly is a Z-Vibe? The pencil adapter screws into the Z-Vibe® like every other tip, and the pencils fit nicely into the adapter.

So XXT is usually best either for people who have chewed through the XT level already, and/or for anyone who already likes chewing on very hard items - things like legos, hard plastic toys, wooden items, etc. Bite Tube Tip - These tips are similar to the Bite-n-Chew Tip, but with a hollow center so that you can put puréed foods (applesauce, yogurt, etc.) inside the tip for functional biting & chewing practice. Once you bite down on the tip, you get 'rewarded' with a taste of food. ARK's Tran-Quill® Pencil 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 grip force.

Point of Clarification: A few years ago there were two different types of Z-Vibes – the original Z-Vibe (which was single-ended) and the DnZ-Vibe (which was double-ended). The double-ended version made so much sense that ARK has now transitioned to producing exclusively double-ended Z-Vibes. So what used to be called the DnZ-Vibe is now what you see being called the Z-Vibe. Does that make sense? 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. If you’ve been around pediatric occupational therapy or speech therapy for any length of time, then you’ve probably heard of the Z-Vibe. It’s awesome! Probe Tip - This is the most versatile & popular tip attachment. It's bumpy on one side and striated on the other side for different levels of sensory input (the bumpy side provides more input than the striated side).

ARK's Z-Vibe® is a vibratory oral motor tool that can help build oral tone and improve a variety of speech, feeding, and sensory skills. Use it to provide a varied sensory experience and/or to provide targeted tactile cues within the oral cavity. Its gentle vibration provides a new level of sensory stimulation to increase oral focus and draw more attention to the lips, tongue, cheeks, and jaw. Vibration can also be very calming, soothing, and organising. The Original Grabber – The Original Grabber is purple and consists of a “loop” and “stem” that are soft and chewy. Learn how to use a Grabber in this brief instructional video. 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 firmThe Z-Vibe is also recommended for hypersensitive individuals. In these cases, vibration as well as the various textures/shapes of the tips can help gradually desensitize the mouth and decrease oral aversions and sensory defensiveness. Spoon Tip - Great for feeding therapy and mealtimes, these attachments turn the Z-Vibe into a vibrating spoon! The smooth, gentle vibration can help "wake up" the mouth and decrease aversions. The textured version has bumps on the bottom of the spoon bowl to help stimulate the tongue and lower lip, and to help encourage the transition from puréed to more solid foods. The hard Spoon Tip is rigid, like a regular spoon. The soft Spoon Tip is flexible (still firm enough to hold food, but flexible enough to be gentle on the teeth if someone bites down on the spoon.

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. Many individuals crave oral sensory input and welcome stimulation from the Z-Vibe®. However, each person has his or her own set of sensory preferences, likes, and dislikes, and so some may be less receptive to vibration than others. Vibration is very alerting, and it may take time to establish trust and acceptance. Start slowly and gradually introduce the device without vibration first. Then, turn it on and show it to the individual, allowing him or her to feel the vibration in the hands or on the arms, slowly working towards acceptance into the mouth. Remember, however, that the Z-Vibe® can always be used in the OFF position without vibration. Even without vibration, the Z-Vibe® can be used for oral motor stimulation and speech/feeding exercises. 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.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.

And guess what? We are hosting a GIVEAWAY at the end of this post! So be sure to not only pin this post for future reference, but also make your way to the end so you can enter the giveaway. Alright, let’s get to it! There are a ton more great ideas for how to help children use Grabbers for mouthing, oral motor, feeding, and speech development in ARK’s handy little book Tips and Techniques for the Grabber Family. Tongue Tip - This tip can be used as a traditional tongue scraper to help establish good oral care. It can also be used to help establish the concept of tongue lateralization and elevation (hold the Tongue Tip vertically in front of the mouth and ask the individual to put the tip of their tongue inside the hole, then guide the tongue from side to side or up and down). You can also place the Tongue Tip flat on top of the tongue to provide input to a large surface area of the tongue (this tip has the largest "footprint" surface-area-wise). ARK’s Z-Vibe este un instrument logopedic care ajută la îmbunătățirea problemelor de vorbire, de hrănire, desensibilizare, reducerea hipersalivației, tulburările de masticație și deglutiție.Fine Tip - This tip narrows down to a fine point, which makes it perfect for pinpointing very specific areas in the mouth. Debbie, her husband and team have developed over 80 different products forspeech and oral motor development, sensory integration, oral defensiveness, texture aversions, fine motor skill development, drinking, feeding, chewing, and more. Each ARK product was created for the same reasons as above - we either saw a need within my own practice or a therapist / parent would share a problem and ask us to create a solution. The Brush Tips basically turn your Z-Vibe into a vibrating toothbrush and can be used to promote improved oral hygiene for children who avoid brushing their teeth due to oral sensitivities. The Brush Tips come in a blue soft version and a yellow hard version. The soft brush has more pliable bristles that can be used to practice gently massaging the gums and cleaning the teeth, while the harder brush has firmer bristles that are more similar to the feel of a regular toothbrush (though the bristles are shorter). When combined with the vibratory effect of the Z-Vibe, the Brush Tips can help children with oral sensory sensitivity/defensiveness begin to engage in oral hygiene as they work toward the transition to a regular toothbrush. Learn more about how to work on toothbrushing for kids with oral defensiveness (either hypo- or hypersensitivity) by reading this ARK blog post or watching this brief instructional video. When used with the Pen, Pencil, or Crayon Tips, the Z-Vibe becomes the Tran-Quill® Pen/Pencil/Crayon - an excellent tool for sensory motor needs. The vibration increases focus and attention while working on handwriting, homework, and other writing tasks, but does not affect the actual writing.