Most people have met at least one person growing up who had a lisp. It is, after all, one of the most common speech impediments in children, and, as you may know, it is characterized most commonly by issues pronouncing certain sounds, such as “s” or “z”. It is commonplace for many children to outgrow their lisps, but as they are usually still learning how to speak, early intervention with a more persistent lisp can help them develop speech that is much clearer.
If you have noticed that your child has a lisp, there are many strategies that you can use to help them. Best of all, you don’t need a degree to do so! What are these strategies? Read on to find out!
Consult a Speech-Language Therapist
If you are concerned that your child’s lisp is getting worse and you’ve started to notice that it is making them feel uncomfortable about speaking, the most crucial step to take is to contact speech and occupational therapists or a speech-language therapist (SLT). These experts will be able to evaluate the needs of your child as well as determine what may be causing the lisp. For many children, it can be linked to the tongue or to their teeth.
Either way, these experts will create a targeted plan for your child and will use evidence-based methods to improve your child’s articulation. As their parent, you need to make sure that you reinforce the techniques at home and check that they are engaging in the exercises as needed.
Practice Speech Exercises at Home
Following on from that, repetition and consistent practice of any exercises are important for a child who wants to overcome their lisp. Once the SLT provides you with the exercises, be sure to set some time aside each day to work on them. One example could be spending an hour a day practicing the correct placement of the tongue when pronouncing the letter ‘s’ by making sure that the tongue does not move past the teeth.
Model Clear Speech
Kids learn to speak via imitation, so make sure you model clear speech in your home, as this will help your child to improve. Try to speak slowly and deliberately, overly move your lips to emphasize the speech, and focus on words that your child may struggle to pronounce. This will set them a clear example to follow.
Also, it goes without saying that you should not criticize your child’s speech, as this may cause them to feel frustrated and develop issues with their self-esteem.
Read Aloud Together
Reading aloud is a great activity to engage in with your children, and it will strengthen both their language skills and their reading skills while allowing them to practice speech sounds. Try to choose books that are fun to read but also slot in some time for ones that have rhyming patterns, as this can help your child anticipate certain sounds. Dr. Seuss’s books are great for this, so try them out! Also, try to keep it fun; maintain a relaxed posture, don’t rush, and praise your child, as this will encourage them to want to engage in reading again, which is always a plus!
Encourage Positive Self-Esteem
Having a lisp is hard, and it can lead to a child potentially feeling embarrassed, so you need to ensure that you work on building your child’s confidence and self-esteem. Praise them and celebrate milestones, which your speech therapist will be able to help you spot.
Encourage them to support themselves and, if you can, remind them of many famous people (like actors, singers, and even presidents and kings) who have overcome speech challenges. This will help them to feel less alone and will likely give them something to aim for.
