Lisp Therapy on Your Own

Having a lisp is actually more common than you might expect. Children can develop this at an early age, and even adults may find that it has carried over from their childhood, or they have recently developed this impediment.

There are 4 different kinds of lisps, and each one has a specific target problem which also can be corrected. Each form is caused by a specific way that air travels when producing the simple /s/ sound.

Unfortunately the common lisps of Interdental, Lateral, Dentalised, and Palatal make producing clear S sounds difficult because they combat the natural way that air should travel when producing this sound.

Here are some tips on doing your own lisp therapy.

1. You will need to listen closely to how other people speak. Chances are that you already do this, because we hear conversations all the time, but really listen deeply into what's going on.

2. Spend 10 - 20 minutes every day working on improving your speech.

3. Start with the /s/ sound. Practice just saying S's.

4. Most lisps are caused by improper air travel. The idea is to project air straight out the mouth as the S is produced. With Interdental, Lateral, Dentalised and Palatal the air does everything but that, and usually travels around the sides of the tongue. Focus on keeping it moving straight.

5. Be aware of where your tongue is. It should not be between both sets of teeth, pressing into the palate, or pressing too much into the upper row of teeth.

6. Keep track of how many times you actually say S correctly, and write it down for your own encouragement.

7. Once you can say the /s/ sound 85% - 90% of the time correctly, move on to small words such as Still, Sand, Sad, Sun, etc.

Be patient. Most people find that they can correct this on their own using these simple methods. If you were born with a medical condition that has caused this or a deformity of some sort, then you will need the professional guidance of a speech therapist. Please go here to find out more about lisp therapy.