ARK's Z-Vibe and Z-Grabber offer a vast range of possibilities for tactile learning and oral sensory motor stimulation.  Lots of different optional tip attachments are available for these tools for specific uses.  Just untwist whatever current tip you're using and twist in any other tip (so the same handle can be used for multiple different goals from feeding therapy to gum massage, jaw grading, tongue lateralization, and much more).

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•  The Probe Tip is a rectangular tip that has three different surfaces - bumpy, striated, and smooth.  The Mini Tip is a smaller version of this tip designed for infants and smaller mouths.  Both tips are to be used for oral stimulation, awareness, and exploration.  You can also dip them in whatever the individual is eating to spark interest and work on texture acceptance.  Or stroke the sides of the tongue to promote tongue lateralization.  Or use them to pinpoint where the tongue needs to go for certain specific speech sounds.  Etc.

•  The Preefer Tip is a cylindrical tip with long ridges along its circumference that are specifically designed for when a “rolling” action is desired.  Roll it inside the cheek area, across the tongue, and/or over the lips to increase awareness.  It can also be used to improve a weak suck. 

•  The Fine Tip is a thin tip that narrows down to a rounded point just about the size of a pencil tip in diameter - perfect for isolating specific spots within the oral cavity.

•  The Spoon Tip can be used for feeding and stimulation.  The size and shape of the spoon bowl were designed to easily transition children onto their first solid foods.  Its flat and shallow bowl holds just the right amount of food so as to not overload the eater.

•  The Textured Spoon Tip is the same as the Spoon Tip, only with a bumpy texture on its back side.  This tip can be used to increase texture acceptance and to stabilize the tongue with a tactile cue.

•  The Bite-n-Chew Tip is very smooth, rounded, and chewable.  It can be used to promote a sustained bite, to improve jaw strength and stability, and to work on biting and chewing exercises.

•  The Bite-n-Chew Tip XL is an “Xtra Long” tip, approximately an inch longer than a standard Bite-n-Chew Tip.  Because of its longer length, this tip can reach all the way to the back molar area for chewing exercises and sensory input.  The XL is also available in a textured version to de-sensitize the mouth and to work on texture acceptance.

•  The Bite Tube Tips are similar to the Bite-n-Chew Tips, but with a hollow center so that you can put food inside for functional biting and chewing practice.

•  The Animal Tips are a set of playful “pets” with a variety of shapes and textures for feeding, biting, chewing, coordination of movement, discrimination, oral exploration, sensory input/awareness, and just plain fun.  The reverse sides also have bite blocks of three different thicknesses to work on jaw grading and stability.

•  The Popette Tip adds vibration to the use of lollipops, Toothettes, and DentaSwabs during therapy.  Simply press the stem of any of these items into the Popette Tip, and you’re set to go.

•  The Brush Tips are to be used to improve oral hygiene and dental care.  The blue Brush Tip has soft, pliable bristles for gentle gum massage and teeth cleaning.  The yellow Brush Tip can be used to transition into using a regular toothbrush.  Both tips can be beneficial for toothbrushing with oral defensiveness.

•  The Tongue Tip is another tip that can be used to work on oral stimulation, oral motor skills, and hygiene.  Because of its size, it can be used to provide sensory input to a large surface area of the tongue.  The hole can also be used for tongue elevation and lateralization exercises.  Or it can be used as a traditional tongue scraper.

•  The Pen, Pencil, and Crayon Tips can help improve fine motor control.  Vibration from the Z-Vibe provides increased sensory input and proprioceptive feedback to the hand during writing tasks.  The soothing vibration is felt in the hand, but does not affect the actual writing - perfect for homework, note-taking, drawing, and much more.

•  The Weighted Tip can be used in conjunction with either the Pen or Pencil Tips to improve fine motor control.  The added weight of this stainless steel tip helps to stabilize the hand, increase concentration, normalize writing speed, increase hand strength and dexterity, improve handwriting legibility, and decrease the grip force used to hold a pen/pencil.  It can also be used with a Spoon Tip to assist with self-feeding.

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Use all surfaces of these tips to stroke, brush, and apply gentle pressure to the articulators and musculature.  This varied sensory input is a great way to  normalize oral sensitivities.

All tips are interchangeable and can be used with any Z-Vibe or Z-Grabber.

For detailed exercises on how to use these tools to improve speech, feeding, and oral motor skills, see the book  Tips & Techniques for the Z-Vibe.

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