Welcome to our family company! As an SLP (speech-language pathologist), I often need to get into the mouth - to provide tactile cues for certain speech sounds, to work on tongue lateralization for feeding skills, etc. Back in 2000, however, there were very few tools available for oral motor therapy, let alone for these very specific goals.
Luckily for me, I married an engineer! So my wonderful problem-solving husband John and I joined forces to create ARK Therapeutic. Our mission has always been to create solutions that will make life easier for you and your loved ones.
Our first product was ARK's Probe for oral motor input and sensory stimulation. This tool allowed me to safely get into the mouth, direct the articulators, de-sensitize, and more. But for some of my kids it wasn't enough - they needed more input. So one day while observing me rapidly tapping a child's tongue with the Probe trying to add extra stimulation, John said, "What if we make it vibrate?" To make a long story short, that was the beginning of what would later become ARK's Z-Vibe®.
Fast forward 18 years, and we've since developed over 100 different products for speech & oral motor development, sensory integration, oral defensiveness, texture aversions, fine motor, 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.
Every ARK product is also designed, manufactured, and assembled in the USA. Made in the USA means that for every $1 of ARK products sold, almost $1.50 goes back into the US economy. It also means that your support is creating not just jobs, but jobs with fair wages, benefits, and a safe and happy environment. And particularly since these are oral products to be used in the mouth, we knew made in the USA was the best option to ensure product safety. They're medical grade, FDA compliant, and free from BPA, PVC, lead, phthalates, and latex.
ARK has been a labor of love for my husband and I as well as our two kids, who have grown up with ARK and are now the second generation of our family business. We feel truly honored and humbled that our products have helped so many people. It's more than we ever imagined!
Please know that more than just selling products, we want to be a resource for you, which is why we have put together a comprehensive "ARK University" section of our website where I share what's worked for my therapy kids over the past 35+ years. The how-to articles and videos are there to help you reach your goals, both with and without our products.
We look forward to many milestones with you in the future! If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.
Hugs and all my best,
Debbie Lowsky, MS, CCC-SLP
Fun Facts about ARK:
- My husband John and I first met when we were 5 years old. We grew up in the same one-square-mile town in New Jersey.
- Most of the children pictured on our website, in our catalog, videos, etc. are my therapy kiddos :). Some are also friends/family. For instance, our office manager's grandpa is our wonderful Sip Tip model.
- We first started in our garage like many small businesses.
- Most ARK products are not just made in the USA, but actually molded in-house under our own roof by John & our son Evan. We do all of our own product development from concept and design to prototyping to making the mold and then actually manufacturing and assembling.
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John & Evan working on some of our molds in ARK's engineering shop. |
The four of us back in 2000, just before we started ARK. |
