WHAT IS A LISP?
WORDS: Jennifer Colombo, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
There are different types of articulation dif��culties that children
may experience - a common speech error is the “lisp.”
What is a Lisp?
A lisp usually refers to a person’s dif��culty producing the /s/ and
/z/ sounds because of incorrect tongue placement. The tongue
may be sticking out between the front teeth, or the sides of the
tongue may not be high enough or tense enough in the mouth.
Both articulation errors result in sound distortions.
There are two different types of lisps - the frontal and lateral.
What is the difference?
An interdental (frontal) lisp occurs when the tongue sticks out
between the front teeth. This is often caused by a tongue thrust
pattern of swallowing. It results in errors making /s/ and /z/ sound
like “th” (e.g., yeth/yes). A lateral lisp occurs when air escapes
over the sides of the tongue. A lateral lisp often sounds “wet” or
“slushy” because you can hear the sounds of saliva. In young
children, a frontal lisp is often a developmental distortion.
This means that it may improve on its own as a child develops
new sounds. Therefore, a speech-language pathologist may
wait to provide intervention for this error until a child is seven or
eight years of age. A lateral lisp is not a developmental distortion.
Treatment can begin around four and a half years of age for a
child with a lateral lisp.
There are many different considerations and treatments for
lisps. What can I do to help my child speak more clearly?
An assessment by a speech-language pathologist is a great
start. They will complete an evaluation of your child’s oral motor
structures, functions, as well as sound productions. Often,
management of a tongue thrust requires a team of professionals
that may include a dentist, orthodontist, physicians, and speech
language pathologist.
The team will look at variables that include: 1) anatomical
differences (high narrow palatal vaults), 2) malocclusions
(positioning of the teeth), 3) restricted frenulums (tongue tied), 4)
oral behaviors (thumb sucking, paci��ers, teeth grinding, mouth
breathers), 5) medical conditions (obstructions to the airway,
upper respiratory complications), and 6) swallowing functions
that may cause a more forward tongue position due to a reverse
swallow pattern.
With a thorough assessment, a speechlanguage
pathologist can make the
appropriate referrals if necessary. They can
then initiate a treatment plan to remediate a
lisp and achieve smooth, accurate, speaking
patterns.
Jennifer Colombo, M.S., CCC-SLP
Owner of Therapeutic Potentials, Inc.
www.TPIKids.com
/www.TPIKids.com
