ARK Select-Flow Valve™ – 3 Pack

Turn most standard straws into a one-way system that keeps liquid in the straw between sips.

The ARK Select-Flow Valve™ is a small but clever one-way valve designed for individuals who have difficulty generating or maintaining suction when drinking through a straw.

Simply insert the tapered end into the bottom of a compatible straw.

Liquid can then travel up through the straw, but is prevented from flowing all the way back down between sips.

Why does that matter?

With the liquid already waiting in the straw, the drinker doesn’t have to repeatedly generate enough suction to bring it all the way up from the cup.

Less distance to travel means less suction effort required for the next sip.

Why we love it

It changes the demands of straw drinking with one tiny attachment.

For someone with reduced suction strength or endurance, repeatedly pulling liquid from the bottom of a straw can be hard work.

The Select-Flow Valve keeps the liquid within the straw between sips, so the drinker can begin again from where they left off.

It also adds some resistance to the flow of liquid. Depending on the individual and how the valve is configured, this may result in smaller amounts of liquid being drawn through at a time.

We particularly like using the valve as part of ARK’s Cip-Kup™, Sip-Tip® and Bear Bottle® systems, where a therapist or caregiver can initially help bring the liquid up the straw.

Great for

• Individuals who have difficulty generating sufficient suction
• Those who have difficulty maintaining suction between sips
• Reducing the suction effort required for straw drinking
• Beginning straw drinkers who benefit from a one-way system
• Therapist-guided straw-drinking programs
• Individuals who benefit from liquid remaining in the straw between sips
• Adjusting the resistance and flow through a straw when clinically appropriate
• Replacement valves for compatible ARK drinking systems
• ARK Cip-Kup™, Sip-Tip® and Bear Bottle® systems

How does it work?

With a standard straw, gravity pulls the liquid back towards the cup when suction stops.

The drinker then has to start again.

The Select-Flow Valve creates a one-way pathway, allowing liquid to move upwards while helping prevent it from flowing back down.

The valve is inserted into the bottom of the straw, with the tapered end pushed securely into place.

Once liquid has been brought up the straw, it stays there between sips.

This can be particularly useful for someone who can manage some straw suction but finds generating enough suction over the full length of the straw difficult.

What about flow?

The Select-Flow Valve doesn’t only affect the direction of the liquid – it also creates some resistance to flow.

For some individuals, that slower flow may be useful.

If less resistance is required, the tapered end of the valve can be carefully trimmed to open the pathway and increase the flow.

But there’s an important thing to understand:

Trimming the valve changes how the liquid flows through the straw.

Once it’s trimmed, you can’t put that piece back.

For someone using the valve as part of a specific feeding or swallowing plan, any modification to flow should therefore be made according to the recommendations of their treating clinician.

Pair it with an assisted drinking system

The Select-Flow Valve works particularly well with ARK’s assisted straw-drinking cups.

Cip-Kup™
The flexible bottle can be gently squeezed to bring liquid up the straw for the initial sip.

Sip-Tip®
The flexible lid can be pumped to help move liquid up through the straw.

Bear Bottle®
The easy-squeeze bear bottle allows a caregiver or therapist to assist liquid up the straw.

Once the liquid is there, the Select-Flow Valve helps keep it in place.

This allows the helper to provide as much assistance as needed while the individual practises their own straw-drinking skills.

Liquids

The Select-Flow Valve is primarily designed for thin and mildly thick liquids, including drinks such as water, milk and juice without pulp.

Thicker liquids require greater suction effort.

Trimming the tapered end can increase flow and may allow some thicker liquids to pass more easily, but this also changes the drinking experience.

If thickened fluids have been prescribed for swallowing safety, do not change the liquid consistency or modify the valve simply to make drinking easier without guidance from the treating speech pathologist or swallowing team.

A feeding therapist’s note

This tiny valve can make a surprisingly big difference to the amount of suction required for straw drinking.

If someone manages to pull liquid halfway up a normal straw and then stops, the liquid usually falls straight back down.

They have to start all over again.

With a one-way valve, that effort isn’t necessarily lost. The liquid stays in the straw, ready for the next attempt.

That’s what I find most useful about it.

But I also want families to understand that suction, flow and swallowing safety are different things.

Making it easier to get liquid into the mouth doesn’t tell us whether that person can safely manage the liquid once it’s there.

Similarly, slowing the flow might be appropriate for one person and completely unnecessary for another.

That’s why, particularly for someone with dysphagia or aspiration concerns, I want the valve and its flow to be chosen as part of an individual drinking plan rather than simply because coughing occurs.

Product details

• One-way straw valve
• Allows liquid to travel up while helping prevent it from flowing back down
• Fits into the bottom of most standard drinking straws
• Tapered end can be trimmed to increase flow when appropriate
• Approximately 4.5cm long
• Pack of 3
• Free from lead, phthalates, PVC, BPA and latex
• Dishwasher safe
• Not recommended for carbonated beverages
• Recommended for use with compatible ARK drinking systems including the Cip-Kup™, Sip-Tip® and Bear Bottle®
• By ARK Therapeutic

Care and replacement

The Select-Flow Valve is reusable, but it isn’t designed to last indefinitely.

Because the internal valve cannot be taken apart for thorough cleaning, it will eventually need to be replaced.

To help prolong its usable life, flush the valve with warm soapy water immediately after each use, rinse thoroughly and allow it to dry appropriately.

Replace the valve if it becomes damaged, difficult to clean or no longer functions as intended.

Important

The Select-Flow Valve™ can reduce the suction effort required to access liquid and can alter liquid flow, but it does not prevent aspiration or choking and does not make swallowing safe for someone with dysphagia.

For individuals with known or suspected dysphagia, aspiration, recurrent coughing during drinking, respiratory compromise or prescribed thickened fluids, use the valve and make any changes to its flow only according to guidance from their treating speech pathologist or swallowing team.

Contains small parts that may present a choking hazard. Direct adult supervision is required at all times.

We send Australia-wide. Delivery costs and timings, and how to arrange a return, are set out on our shipping & returns page.

If something isn’t right for you, get in touch and we’ll sort it out.