TYPES OF LISPS
- Interdental Lisp
- Lateral Lisp
- Dentalized Lisp
- Palatal Lisp
Interdental Lisp - The most common type of lisp.
It’s called “interdental” is because the tongue protrudes between the teeth. You’ll hear more of a /th/ sound instead of an /s/ or /z/.
E.g., The word “soon” sounds like “thoon,” and “zipper” sounds like “thipper.”
Lateral Lisp - The next most common type of lisp.
The tongue is close to the correct position; however, the sides of the tongue are not high enough in the mouth. In a correct /s/ and /z/ production, the sides of the tongue should touch the insides of the top back molars. This helps air not escape over the sides of the tongue. The air should be directed only out the front of the mouth. In a lateral lisp, when the tongue is lower, the air escapes out the sides of the tongue and creates a slushy or wet sound.
E.g., The word “sick” sounds like “shick,” a mix of air and saliva.
Dentalized Lisp
In this type of speech error, the tongue doesn’t totally protrude between the teeth like an interdental lisp, but it does push against the back of the front teeth.
This produces a more muffled /s/ sound.
Palatal Lisp - The least common.
A palatal lisp is produced when the middle part of the tongue is raised up to the hard or soft palate. It’s similar to the lateral lisp, but the body of the tongue is touching the middle of the mouth, not behind the front teeth.
This produces a somewhat slushy and somewhat muffled /s/ sound.
Learn how to say /S/ the right way
The development of the sound /s/ is a process. Babies and young children typically start by making the sound /s/ with air coming out of the mouth. This is called an “air leak.”
As babies and young children develop, they learn to make the sound /s/ with the tongue tip in between the teeth. This is called interdental production. The next step is to produce the sound with the tongue tip behind the top teeth. This is called alveolar production. Finally, children learn to produce the sound with the tongue tip at the back of the teeth. This is called velar production.
Most children will go through all of these stages before they are able to produce the sound /s/ correctly. The speech sound /s/ can be difficult for some children to produce correctly. This is because the /s/ is a fricative. A fricative is a speech sound that is produced by narrowing the speech organs and then releasing air through the narrow opening. Coordinating all of the speech muscles to produce a fricative correctly can be difficult, especially for young children.
If your child is having difficulty producing the speech sound /s/, you may want to try these tips:
Have your child place their tongue tip behind their top teeth. You can practice this by using a lollipop or straw and put it behind the top teeth. This will help them get the tongue placement correct.
Once your child has the hang of placement, have them practice producing the speech sound /s/ while holding their tongue tip in place.
Keep the sides of their tongue up and touch the back molars.
Tell your child to direct the airflow out through the middle of their mouth. This is easier if you associate the sound with the sound of an animal, such as a snake for /s/ and a bee for /z/.
Remember, it takes time and practice for a child to learn how to produce speech sounds correctly. Be patient and encourage your child to keep trying!
Drinking Through A Straw
Repeating Another Letter To Make Your Sound
By repeatedly sounding out the "T" sound (TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT) you can actually “slide” it into the S sound.
The Butterfly Technique
If you have difficulty with "S" sounds, try the "Butterfly Technique." Place the outside of your tongue lightly on the sides of your teeth, like the wings of a butterfly. Keep the center of your tongue curved in a groove letting the air flow over it. Now, try to make an "S" sound. You may have to repeat this several times before you see success.
How to Correct a Lateral S (Lateral Lisp) by Peachie Speechie on YouTube
How to Fix a Lateral Lisp Slushy S Speech Therapy on YouTube
Free Speech Articulation Materials
