Lisps

[kando]

DD1 (3 in December) has quite a pronounced lisp. It's not a problem - it's never really been mentioned by anyone (family or hv/doctor etc) but I was just wondering if it's something she will have forever, or will she "grow out" of it?

Hi Kando

Sorry, don't know anything too scientific about lisps, but I had one when I was younger and have 'grown' out of it (am now 23). Though, when I am nervous, like public-speaking or talking to someone new and am self-conscious, it seems to come back slightly!

DH has a bit of a lisp and his younger brother has a very pronounced one. Neither seems to have a prob, suspect I only pick up DH's because I've got an ear for such things, my mum looked at me like i was mad when I mentioned it to her.. That said have heard tape of DH talking at about age 8 and it's really Violet Elizabeth, so suspect your DD's will fade as she gets older.

BTW, has she got a very long tongue? Apparently this has something to do with likelihood of lisping.

Don't know but ds (2) has a quite pronounced lithp! He also misses the s sound from the beginning of words. His farm set has an 'eep who when it's tired goes to 'eep. And we've just got back from a holiday at the 'ea 'ide. 'Sh' sounds come out as 'th' as do s sounds at the end of words, as in 'preth the buttonth'. Would be interested on any expert opinion on this one.

Hi Aloha, I had a lisp and went to a speach therapist when I was 8yrs at school. Not sure about length of tongue (as mine isn't long ), but it was all about me putting my tongue to the top of my mouth/teeth when saying "s"'s rather than against my bottom teeth. Over and over again I had to practice putting my tongue down and eventually it went. Not sure how long it took, only a few sessions and lots of practice at home. HTH

My ds sort of pokes out his tongue when trying to make s sounds, particularly at the beginning of words. With his 'auntie' Susan he just says Oosan, but with Cherayne (a worker at his nursery) he tries very hard but pokes his tongue out between his teeth, closes his eyes with effort and says "Thsherayne"

Thanks Karen99 - are you now totally lisp-free?

A lisp at 3 is not unusual, and often disappears within a year or so - see if you can get him to hisssss like sssammy ssssnake - if you get my meaning, but just as a game.

DS1 has had all sorts of problems pronouncing sounds, and so speech therapists have worked on his lisp as well, though this has been trickier than some other things.

Generally, I think, a serious lisp problem (I'm talking about a 5 or 6 yr old) tends to resolve itself when the new adult top teeth come through aged 5-7. (They seem HUGE!) If there are no other speech problems before then, they would generally wait to see if this sorts it out. If not, then speech therapy at age 7-8 should correct it.

aloha - at such a tender age it's very common - 's' and 'sh' are very tricky sounds. I really wouldn't push it at this age. Once he can make the 's' sound properly, he will automatically start putting it into his words. If you pressurize him now, he is more likely to substitute 'th' more and more often in words, and then it takes longer for the 's' to be pronounced properly. For example, it is better in the long run for him to say 'eep' rather than 'theep'. Just keep repeating back to him the words correctly, but don't make a big deal about it.

Oh, I don't push it at all, really. I was just interested as it is quite pronounced. I actually think it's cute. And dh and I keep having to stop ourselves telling ds that he's going "for a lovely leep in his cot" or that we will go back to the "'ea 'ide" because we are so charmed by it.

Hi Aloha & Kando (sorry Kando, forgot to put you on my last post!) - yes, I don't have any speach problems now (but still working on my bad grammar!). If I think about it I used to put my tongue anywhere near where my teeth join to against the inside of my top teeth, to where my top teeth and gums join. Now my tongue presses against my bottom teeth and gum join when pronouncing s's. Sorry to be so graphic

As kmg1 says, maybe once the adult teeth come through this is something you can practice with them yourselves and if it continues to be a problem then a speach therapist might be an option.

aloha,

Our nephew missed the s sound out for ages - horse became hore for example! He wasn't really speaking much at all until 3. However his speech has come on a lot in the past year (he'll soon be 5). ds, 5.5, has a slight lisp which I fear he has picked by copying a friend who is bilingual and has a gap in his front teeth so is not as clear. He also still struggles with th and multiple consonants.

This is good to read as my dd lisps, at 3.5 & I assume she'll grow out of it, not worried as yet.
She mispronounces a few words still (we miss it when she starts sounding grown up) & today I rushed in as she was shouting "oh no I'm cwapped" which turned out to be trapped, thank goodness, not anything else... (pretend cwapped by the way).