Hey there, parents and caregivers! If you're looking for a simple tool that can make a big difference in your child's development, let us introduce you to the  ARK Flute Whistle. This little tool isn't just a fun whistle - it's a powerful way to help your child build essential skills they use every day. Let's break down why this oral motor whistle is a must-have tool for your child's development:

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Breath Control

Have you ever noticed how your child's voice can sometimes sound super quiet? That might be because they're still working on breath control. Good breath control helps your child speak loudly and clearly, and it's also key for fun things like blowing out birthday candles, blowing bubbles or even necessary things like chewing and even swallowing food safely!

The act of chewing and swallowing requires a delicate balance between breathing and the coordination of mouth muscles. Without sufficient breath support, individuals may struggle to manage solid foods or rapid consecutive swallows of liquid. Struggling with breath support while managing solid food consumption may lead to difficulties in breaking down tough textures, swallowing foods before they are adequately chewed and/or increase the risk of choking while eating. It can also be very tiring and lead to poorer rates of food consumption. If breath support is poor, and a child needs to inhale while simultaneously managing the foods/liquids in their mouth, it may lead to penetration or aspiration of the bolus (bolus = food/liquid in mouth). Penetration or aspiration occurs when food or liquid "goes down the wrong pipe," entering the trachea, towards the airway instead of the esophagus. This can result in respiratory issues, which may be particularly dangerous for young children.

Switching gears to your child's physical development: Have you caught your little one holding their breath during a physically difficult task? This can also be a sign that they are struggling with their breath control. When any human completes a physically challenging task, whether that's pushing something heavy or standing from a chair, thoracic and abdominal pressure management through breath control is required for proper completion of these tasks. If they cannot manage these pressures, compensations like holding their breath and bearing down on their pelvic floor and glottis can occur, leading to other complications as this mechanism is used over time. To work on breath control paired with a physically demanding task, try having your child toot the whistle while pushing a heavy box, or while completing a sit to stand. Combining the slow and controlled flow of air to toot the whistle while completing the task will keep children (and adults too!) from holding their breaths to generate force!

In summary, insufficient breath support can lead to challenges such as low vocal volume, difficulty managing solid foods, increased risk of aspiration when swallowing liquids, and breath holding during challenging physical tasks. The  Oral Motor Flute Whistle from ARK is a great way to practice breath control - plus, it's fun!

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Lip Closure

Your lips do more than just smile - they're important for sipping through a straw, making speech sounds, and even eating. If your little one struggles to get food off a spoon by using their lips, they might need a bit of help with lip closure. This can be particularly frustrating for both the child and their caregiver(s), who may have to assist with feeding more than expected. Poor lip closure can also affect the ability to drink from a straw, which requires a strong and consistent lip seal to draw liquid upward.

In addition to feeding challenges, weak lip closure can impact speech production. Many speech sounds, particularly those that require a burst of air (such as "p" or "b"), rely on the lips' ability to close tightly and release air in a controlled manner. If lip strength is inadequate, these sounds may be produced inaccurately or may lack the necessary clarity, making speech harder to understand and potentially causing frustration for the speaker and the listener.

Have you ever noticed a child drooling, and the open mouth posture wasn't attributed to teething? This may be because a child's lip strength is too weak to keep their lips closed and manage their secretions/saliva. (Or, it could be that maybe they're in deep concentration!)

Back on topic, this flute whistle helps strengthen those lip muscles while a child is having fun doing so. Unless the flute whistle player maintains a tight lip seal around the tip of the whistle, they cannot successfully toot the flute. Over time, flute whistle players may find it easier to perform tasks that require strong lip closure, enhancing their ability to engage in everyday activities with greater independence and confidence.

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Cheek Tension

Okay, here's a fun fact: Did you know your cheeks play a big role in blowing up balloons or playing a musical instrument? If the cheeks aren't strong enough, air is inefficiently guided and doesn't go where it's needed in a strong, efficient manner. Instead, it puffs up your cheeks like a chipmunk! This can lead to fatigue and ineffective task completion.

When considering mealtime, inadequate cheek tension can contribute to food getting "stuck" in the area between the cheeks and gums, known as the buccal space. This can make it difficult for individuals to clear food from their mouths, leading to slow feeding and potential dental issues. Proper cheek tension helps to keep food moving toward the teeth for chewing and swallowing, rather than allowing it to collect in the cheeks.

ARK's Flute Oral Motor Whistle helps build that cheek strength so your child can successfully blow up balloons, keep their mouths clear of leftover foods, and maybe even toot an actual horn someday - just like a little Louis Armstrong!

Tongue Retraction

Here's a knee-slapper for you: Why did the pirate go to school? To improve his "arrrrrrrticulation"! In all seriousness, have you ever tried making pirate sounds? "Arrr!" needs good tongue retraction to sound just right. But tongue retraction isn't just for pirates - it's also important for clear speech! This can be particularly frustrating for children who are still developing their speech and language skills while also struggling with tongue retraction. By using  ARK's Flute Whistle, children can practice tongue retraction while blowing their whistle and pretending to dock their ship from their latest sea adventure!

Tongue retraction is also important for safe and efficient feeding. The tongue plays a key role in moving food from the front of the mouth to the back for swallowing. Without sufficient tongue retraction, individuals may struggle to coordinate this movement, leading to difficulties in managing food and an increased risk of choking.

ARK's Flute Whistle can help your child develop more efficient tongue retraction over time, making their speech clearer and easier to understand and decreasing their difficulty feeding and swallowing! The key to this skill when using the flute is that to successfully create the whistling sound, the user must move their tongues out of the way to push the air through the flute, creating that beautiful "tooooooot".

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The Big Picture

What's really amazing about  ARK's Flute Whistle is that it helps with all these areas at once. It's like a mini workout for your child's mouth muscles! And who knows? Maybe it'll even help them blow out all their birthday candles in one go next year.

In addition to its direct benefits, this whistle may also offer indirect advantages. Encouraging deep breaths and long exhalations for sustained sound output may serve as a calming activity, helping individuals to regulate their emotions and possibly reduce anxiety. The longer they can produce the sound, the longer both their in- and exhalations must be. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals who may struggle with sensory processing issues or who are easily overwhelmed by their environment.

Moreover, ARK's Flute is a versatile tool that can be adapted to meet the needs of individuals at different stages of development. For young children, it can be used as an introductory tool for building foundational oral motor skills. For older children and adults, it can serve as a way to refine and strengthen existing skills, ensuring that they continue to perform at their best.

Overall, this whistle is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to enhance their oral motor skills. By incorporating this tool into a regular routine, individuals can experience significant improvements in their ability to speak, eat, and engage in other important activities. With its focus on breath control, lip closure, cheek tension, and tongue retraction, ARK's Flute provides a comprehensive solution for oral motor development, helping individuals to achieve their full potential in communication, feeding, and breath control during their activities of daily living.

It's hard to imagine but can you believe there's another awesome perk? It's all one piece! That means there's no worrying about small pieces detaching or struggling to clean teeny tiny crevices. It's safe for use by all ages, under adult supervision, and is very easy to clean!

So, if you're looking for a tool that's both fun and functional, give ARK's Flute Oral Motor Whistle a try. It's a small investment with big benefits for your child's growth and development! Who knows, maybe they'll be inspired by this early learning experience to create their own fun musical tunes too!

P.S. Need help with a simple routine for use? Give this a try: 5 quick toots, rest and repeat 3x in a single session. Hold for a long sustained breath of 3 seconds and repeat 3 times. Repeat 3 times per week. Please note that these are just general suggested guidelines, and that for individualized prescriptive use, you should refer to your own skilled PT/OT/SLP.

Rachel Lynn, SLP, Amber Michelle, PT, and Amanda Rae, OT

Team NewDay Child Coaching: Interweaving Disciplines and Knowledge for the Benefit of All