What causes a lateral lisp?

Lateral lisps can be so persistent and frustrating to correct. These “slushy” sounding /s/ errors are caused by incomplete elevation of the sides of the tongue, causing the airflow to be released over the side rather than straight down the middle. The resulting “lateralized” airflow is what creates that slushy sound. What age should you treat a lateral lisp?
Many young children do present with interdental lisps and this is considered age appropriate until approximately 4-5 years of age. A lateral lisp, however, is never considered developmentally appropriate and a Speech-Language Pathologist should be consulted without delay.

Is a lateral lisp normal?

While It is a perfectly normal developmental phase for some (though, not all) children to produce a FRONTAL LISP of /s/ and /z/ sounds until they are about 4½ years of age…. a LATERAL LISP is NEVER considered to be part of typical speech development. How do you get rid of a lateral lisp?
Exercises to Improve a Lateral Lisp

1. Identify Your Problem. Identify the letters and sounds you have trouble pronouncing. …
2. Drinking Through a Straw. Many speech therapists believe that those with a lisp can benefit from straw drinking. …
3. Repeating Another Letter to Make Your Sound. …
4. The Butterfly Technique.

Is a lateral lisp hereditary?

-Genetics – Genetics can play a significant role in the development, structure, and position of one’s jaw, teeth, tongue and bite. In some cases, a lisp can be caused by abnormal development or positioning of the jaw and/or teeth. Are lateral lisps developmental?

Parents of children with lateral lisps often describe their child’s speech as sounding mushy or slushy. These types of lisps are NOT developmental. Children with lateral lisps do not typically outgrow it and will require speech therapy to correct.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)

How do you target a lateral lisp?

How do you fix a lateral lisp in adults?

3 Effective Strategies to Get Rid of a Lisp

1. Start by raising the side of your tongue, like a butterfly’s wing.
2. Slightly touch the back teeth with your tongue. This is to ensure that the tip won’t extend beyond the front teeth.
3. Pronounce the “s” sound for thirty seconds and then the “z” sound for another thirty seconds.

Can adults fix lisp?

Lisps are common and can be corrected through speech therapy. It is important to treat the patient early, however, adults can also benefit from therapy if they have a lisp.

Can speech therapy cure a lisp?

Speech sound and general communication problems caused by a lisp can be improved through speech and language therapy. By working on these areas, a client may develop coping strategies to overcome their lisp and improve the fluency of their speech.

Where do you put your tongue when saying s?

What age does a lisp go away?

But if the lisp is truly developmental in nature, we expect it to disappear on its own by age 4 and a half. On the other hand, if the child is speaking with what is called a “lateral lisp,” this is not considered developmental, and this type of lisp likely won’t resolve on its own.

When should a child grow out of a lisp?

This happens with many children, and most will outgrow it by age 7 with no intervention at all. If your child is 7, though, you should get some professional help, since a lisp is a hard habit to break as a child gets older.

What is the difference between a lateral lisp and an interdental lisp?

Lateral lisp Because of the way it sounds, this sort of lisp is sometimes referred to as a ‘slushy ess’ or a ‘slushy lisp’. A lateral lisp often sounds ‘wet’ or ‘spitty’. Unlike interdental and dentalised lisps, lateral lisps are not characteristic of normal development.

Why can’t I say R?

Rhotacism is a speech impediment that is defined by the lack of ability, or difficulty in, pronouncing the sound R. Some speech pathologists, those who work with speech impediments may call this impediment de-rhotacization because the sounds don’t become rhotic, rather they lose their rhotic quality.

What is a side lisp called?

A lateral lisp occurs when the [s] and [z] sounds are produced with air-flow over the sides of the tongue. It is also called slushy ess or a slushy lisp in part due to its wet, spitty sound.

Is having a lisp a speech impediment?

Lisping is a common speech impediment, which usually appears during early childhood. While it’s best to treat a lisp when your child is still in their early school years, it’s never too late to correct lisping.

How is a lateral lisp diagnosed?

Identifying a Lateral Lisp A lateral lisp is fairly easy for parents to identify because it results in the classic “slushy” sound. Listen closely to your child as he vocalizes sounds or words with the “s” and “z” sounds. If your child appears to have articulation difficulties, bring him to an SLP for an assessment.

Is it bad to have a lisp?

No!It is never too late to work on remediating a sound deviation such as a lisp. Although a lisp is considered a relatively minor speech error, many adults feel that a lisp negatively impacts their professional or social life. This in turn can contribute to a decrease in confidence around social communication.

What is a lazy tongue?

Dysarthria often causes slurred or slow speech that can be difficult to understand. Common causes of dysarthria include nervous system disorders and conditions that cause facial paralysis or tongue or throat muscle weakness.

When should you worry about a lisp?

Lisps are very common in children and there are many reasons why they develop. While they are normal in early childhood development, if a child continues to have a lisp by the age of seven, you should seek professional assistance as the longer you wait to treat one, the harder they are to correct.

What is a lateral lisp Asha?

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.

When should Deaffrication be eliminated?

Selected Phonological Processes (Patterns)*

Assimilation (Consonant Harmony) One sound becomes the same or similar to another sound in the word
Process	Description	Likely Age of Elimination**
Gliding	liquid (/r/, /l/) is replaced with a glide (/w/, /j/)	6–7
Deaffrication	affricate is replaced with a fricative	4

Can you get surgery for a lisp?

Lisping is caused by an ankylossed tongue and lips. Lisps (L, S, H, Th, G, R, RR, F, W, Ch words and sounds) can easily be treated by a Dentist with laser surgery, which would take less than 10 to 15 minutes to complete, aka: Frenelectomy and /or Frenectomy. Healing time normally takes a few minutes or a few hours.

Can you get rid of a stutter?

There is no cure for stuttering. Early treatment can prevent stuttering from continuing into adulthood. Different techniques are used to teach your child skills that can help him or her speak without stuttering. For example, the SLP may teach your child to slow down speech and learn to breathe while speaking.

Why do I have a lisp when I say s?

In an interdental lisp (or frontal lisp) the tongue protrudes between the front teeth and the air-flow is directed forwards. The /s/ and /z/ sound like ‘th’. Children developing speech along typical lines may have interdental lisps until they are about 4½ – after which they disappear.

Can braces get rid of a lisp?

Traditional braces in which the brackets are affixed to the front of the teeth are the best option for avoiding lisps. This is because there is no foreign appliance between the back of the teeth and the tongue. However, traditional braces are not always a viable option for every patient.