A lisp is a very common articulation disorder and is considered a type of speech impediment. Lisping impacts many children and adults. Often, adults carry unresolved lisps from childhood that were either never addressed or remediated properly.
While most people think of lisping as not being able to produce the /s/ and /z/ sounds correctly, it actually occurs on a group of sounds called sibilants. These include the /s/, /sh/, /zh/ (like measure), /ch/, /h/, and /z/ sounds.
In this blog post, we will discuss:
In this blog post, we will discuss:
Different Types of Lisps
It is important to identify the specific type of lisp you or your child exhibits to effectively address it. This can assist in understanding the underlying issue and will determine the appropriate treatment strategies.
Interdental Lisp also know as a Frontal Lisp:
This is the most common and well-known type of lisp, characterized by the tongue protruding through the teeth and the lowering of the jaw. The change in tongue placement and jaw position impacts the sound produced, often resulting in reduced intelligibility.
Someone with an interdental lisp may produce “thun” for the word sun.
Lateral Lisp:
A lateral lisp occurs when air escapes over the sides of the tongue instead of down the center or midline, producing wet or slushy sounds due to the mixing of air and saliva as the person speaks.
Someone with a lateral lisp may pronounce the word sick as "shik."
Dental Lisp:
In this type of lisp, the tongue makes contact with the front teeth but does not protrude through the mouth, leading to a distorted and muffled sound.
Palatal Lisp:
Less common, palatal lisps occur when the mid-section of the tongue makes contact with the hard or soft palate. The sound produced often sounds somewhat slushy and muffled.
Causes of a Lisp
A lisp is a functional speech disorder which means the cause cannot always be determined. Functional speech disorders, including lisps, can be effectively treated by speech-language pathologists.
Some known causes for lisps include:
Incorrect Practice:
Children acquire sounds through imitation and practice from the adults around them. If the adults they are imitating have a lisp, it is possible the child will develop a lisp.
Developmental:
Developmental issues such as high frequency hearing loss can impact the development of speech production. Some can develop a lisp for this reason.
Anatomical:
In some cases a lisp can be caused by structural factors. Irregularities in the soft palate, tongue, or positioning of the teeth can all contribute to the development of a lisp. Examples include: missing teeth, anterior open bite, underbite, cross bite, permanently crooked teeth, cleft palate, and fistulas.
Oral Myofunctional Disorders (OMD) can be the root cause of these anatomical anomalies. For example, an abnormality in the shape of the palate or crooked teeth could be caused by a tongue tie or thumb sucking.
Utilizing Different Dental Appliances:
The utilization of a bite-plate, dentures, retainers, and other appliances can cause a temporary lisp. This occurs because the place where the tongue anchors is more slippery given the appliance and can cause incorrect tongue placement
Diagnosing a Lisp: The Speech-Language Pathologist Evaluation
A lisp is often not hard to recognize; however, a thorough speech evaluation is necessary to determine the possible causes for a lisp, the type of lisp, and the proper treatment plan.
The speech therapist will gather all pertinent information about the client, including medical history, past speech history, and current concerns.
Oral Peripheral Exam: The SLP will examine the structures of the mouth, including the tongue, teeth, hard and soft palate, jaw, and lips. These structures play a critical role in producing sounds and are therefore an important part of the examination.
Observation: The speech-language pathologist will listen to the client speak and identify speech-sound errors, including lisping and other difficulties with speech sounds. The speech therapist will take note of which sounds are impacted by the lisp, as well as determine whether any other sounds are produced incorrectly.
Standardized Assessment: The speech language pathologist may use a formal or standardized assessment to evaluate overall speech-sound production. These assessments may involve tasks where the individual is asked to say specific sounds, words, sentences, or engage in conversation. The SLP will listen for errors in speech sounds, including lisp-related errors.
Language Assessment: The SLP may informally or formally assess the client's language skills. This assessment aims to exclude any language delays or disorders; however, it is important to note that lisping itself is not indicative of a language impairment.
Individualized Therapy Plan to Fix a Lisp
1) Instruction in Phonetic Placement:
The proper positioning of the jaw, lips, and tongue are described to accurately produce the sound correctly, including:
Stabilizing the jaw: In order to produce most sounds, the jaw must be stable. For /s/, for example, there is a gap between your top and bottom teeth (about 1 mm) and a gap between the sides of your teeth (a little more than 2 mm).
Tooth props such as straws may be used to teach where the jaw should lie when producing each sound.
Stabilizing the tongue: In order to produce the sibilants, the back of the tongue must be anchored on the back molars while the front of the tongue is in contact with the palate (placement is different depending on the sound being produced).
Creating, narrowing, and refining the tongue groove: In order to produce sibilants, air must pass over the tongue. (The narrowness or wideness of the groove depends on the specific sound being produced.)
2) Exercises
Exercises involve strengthening oral muscles to improve sound production. These can include
Compensatory Strategies: Strategies to modify speech patterns and minimize the lisp may be taught if you have an anterior open bite, underbite, crossbite, permanently missing/crooked teeth, clefts, or fistulas.
Collaboration: Collaborating involves partnering with other specialists, such as dentists and orthodontists, when required. If conditions such as crossbite, anterior open bite, underbite, etc. are corrected, compensatory strategies may become unnecessary, and the accurate production of sibilants can be achieved without them. This is because the structures of the mouth have been corrected so proper positioning can now take place.
Production of the sound in varying contexts: perfecting the pronunciation of the target sound in different situations. This requires a systematic approach which entails mastering the sound initially in isolation, then progressing through syllables, words, phrases, sentences, and finally integrating it into natural conversation.
Expert Techniques by a Speech Therapist for Correcting a Lisp
You may be wondering how to get rid of a lisp. Here are some strategies to help you.
1. Use a mirror
Step 1: Using a mirror can help you see the placement of your tongue and front teeth. This visual feedback is Important for correcting a lisp. Ensure that your tongue is raised and the tongue tip is positioned correctly behind your teeth (called the alveolar ridge) to produce the /s/ sound. Proper tongue placement is essential for making the correct sounds and avoiding a lisp.
Step 2: Look in the mirror and smile, keep your mouth open with your teeth close together (but not touching). Your tongue should touch behind your front teeth. When you produce /s/, the air should flow smoothly over your tongue and out of your mouth when the tongue and tongue tip is in the proper position.
Step 3: Attempt to do the above exercise several times a day for a few weeks or until you can make the /s/ sound while keeping your tongue behind your front teeth.
Step 4: Once you can achieve this, practice the /s/ sound in syllables. Once achieved, move onto words, phrases, sentences, and finally conversational speech.
2. Exploding T- Technique
Before delving into this technique, it is important that you are able to produce the /t/ sound consistently in isolation.
Step 1: Try repeating the /t/ sound rapidly by saying "t-t-t-t." Minimize any vowel sounds as it helps place the sides of the tongue more firmly against the teeth.
As you repeat the /t/ sound quickly, you might start to hear a slight /s/ sound between the repetitions. Listen for this sound carefully.
Step 2: Next, make the /t/ sound and let a small amount of air escape at the end of it. This creates a softer sound. Focus on letting the airflow after the /t/, rather than trying to say /s/ directly.
This softer sound is sometimes called the "lazy t." You can distinguish between a "sharp quick T" and a "lazy t" by practicing and listening to the differences.
Step 3: Once you can easily produce the /ts/ sound, you can move to the next step. It's important to get a proper /s/ at the end of this step to ensure the sound is being made correctly. Sometimes, this step can take the longest. It might take several practice sessions of repeatedly saying "t-t-t-tssss" until it sounds right.
Step 4: Once mastered, you can begin practicing words that end in /ts/. Practice words can include "eats," "beets," "meets," "hits." Just make sure there are no other s sounds in the word.
Step 5: Finally, you can bridge this practice to help you produce the /s/ sound at the beginning of practice words by having an ending /ts/ sound next to a word that begins in /s/.
For example:
He hits even
He hitssssss even
He hitsssss seven
How long Does It Takes to Fix a Lisp?
From my experience, the longer the lisp has gone untreated, the more therapy and time it may take to remediate. For example, a 10- or 20-year-old who's been lisping for a while will probably need more therapy than younger children. That being said, older children and adults tend to be more motivated for therapy. So, the dynamics operate in a dual direction.
Intervention for a lisp varies, It can take take a few weeks, but also may take longer. The more you practice by yourself and with a speech therapist, the quicker progress will be.
Your speech-language pathologist will create an individualized treatment plan that focuses on the sounds giving you difficulty. You will receive helpful tips and strategies to produce these targeted sounds.
How Speech-Language Pathologists can Help You Or Your Child With a Lisp
If you suspect either yourself or your child may be exhibiting signs of a lisp, it may be time to seek help from a speech-language pathologist. Lisps can present challenges in various aspects of life, including academic, professional, and social environments. Individuals, both young and old, may become aware of their speech difficulty and instinctively avoid certain sounds.
For instance, a child experiencing difficulty with the sound /s/ might say the word "pen" to avoid the /s/ sound in "pencil." Addressing a lisp with a speech therapist can lead to significant improvements in academic performance, professional interactions, social confidence, and self-esteem. By working with a skilled speech-language pathologist, individuals can gain the ability to express themselves articulately and confidently, enhancing their communication in a variety of contexts.
Conclusion
Overcoming a lisp is achievable with a clear understanding of the different types of lisps, comprehensive diagnosis, and a personalized speech therapy plan. From examining causes to effective techniques like mirror work and the exploding T technique, this guide provides a roadmap for those looking to improve their speech clarity. With consistent practice and the right guidance, achieving accurate sound production and eliminating lisps is well within reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What are the causes of a lisp?
We do not always know the cause of a lisp for every person with a lisp; however, some underlying factors include: incorrect practice, hearing loss, and structural irregularities in the the mouth (for example, teeth, tongue, soft palate) that assist with speech production.
2) At what age should a lisp be corrected?
In a public school, many speech therapists may begin seeing children with lisps in second grade. A speech therapist in a private practice can begin treating lisps much earlier. Some lisps are developmental; however, others like the lateral lisp should be treated as soon as possible as this is not normal trajectory for speech development. If a lisp goes untreated, it may impact a child's communication and self esteem.
Speech Therapy for a Lisp in Skokie, Illinois
At Speak with Stephanie, we focus on understanding your specific challenges with a lisp. We offer in-person speech therapy for a lisp to both children and adults living near Skokie. We can set goals that fit your needs with specific exercises. You may have trouble pronouncing a specific speech sound, like /z/, or several sounds. Together, we'll look at what causes your lisp and how it affects your communication, ability to produce speech sounds correctly, and self-esteem. Our aim is to help you. We'll give you practical ways to improve during therapy sessions. From better pronunciation to articulate speech, we'll provide the tools you need to speak confidently.
Online Speech Therapy for a Lisp Throughout Illinois, New York, and New Jersey
In addition to providing in-person speech therapy, we offer online speech therapy for children and adults to those who have lisps throughout Illinois, New York, and New Jersey. We focus on helping you produce speech sounds correctly, including fixing your lisp.
Additional Online and In-Person Speech Therapy at Speak with Stephanie
At Speak with Stephanie, we offer a wide range of speech services for both children and adults with speech difficulties. For children, we address receptive and expressive language challenges, stuttering, and articulation and phonological disorders. For adults, we provide specialized support for communication difficulties such as stuttering, aphasia. language disorders, or trouble pronouncing sounds or challenges with the correct production of words . We are committed to personalized care tailored to each person's unique needs, ensuring effective improvements in communication skills. Our holistic approach promotes significant progress, helping clients succeed in their daily interactions and achieve their communication goals.
About the author:
Stephanie Jeret is a licensed speech therapist and the owner of Speak with Stephanie LLC. She obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degree from the City University of New York. She has practiced speech therapy in a number of settings including outpatient rehabilitation, telepractice, skilled nursing facilities, schools, and a private practice. She specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a variety of communication disorders including articulation disorders, receptive/expressive language disorders, and fluency disorders. Information is available by emailing her at stephanie@speakwithstephanie.com or by visiting www.speakwithstephanie.com.