Why does my child/teenager have a lisp?

A lisp is a speech sound difficulty where one or more sounds are produced differently from expected. It most commonly affects ‘s’ and ‘z’, but depending on the type of lisp, other sounds such as ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ‘j’ and ‘zh’ may also be affected.

Your child’s speech may otherwise be completely clear, but the difference may become more noticeable as they get older. Some children and teenagers are not bothered by it, while others become self-conscious, avoid particular words or feel less confident speaking in class, socially, during presentations or as they get older, in situations such as interviews.

What this can look like

Your child/teenager may:

• produce ‘s’ and ‘z’ differently from expected
• make ‘s’ sound more like ‘th’
• also have difficulty producing sounds such as ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ‘j’ or ‘zh’
• place or push their tongue between or against their teeth when producing certain sounds
• have a ‘slushy’ or wet quality to some speech sounds
• be easy to understand overall, with only particular sounds affected
• avoid certain words because they know they are difficult to say
• become self-conscious about their speech
• feel less confident speaking in class, socially, during presentations or later in situations such as university or job interviews
• have had the lisp for many years without it resolving
• have a lisp linked to an underlying congenital or structural condition present at birth, even if this has since been repaired or treated

What may be going on

Not all lisps are the same.

A lisp can affect one or several speech sounds. Although ‘s’ and ‘z’ are commonly affected, difficulties may also be heard on sounds such as ‘sh’, ‘zh’, ‘ch’ and ‘j’. The exact pattern varies from person to person.

With some lisps, the tongue moves too far forward when producing the affected sounds. This may result in an ‘s’ sounding more like ‘th’.

With a lateral lisp, airflow is directed over the sides of the tongue rather than centrally. This often creates a characteristic ‘slushy’ or wet sound quality and may affect several related speech sounds.

The exact pattern varies from child to child, so assessment is important to establish which sounds are affected and how they are being produced.

For some children, the speech difficulty may also occur alongside or be secondary to an underlying structural or congenital difference affecting speech production, including a condition that has since been repaired or treated. Relevant medical, dental, structural or surgical history is therefore important to consider during assessment.

Structural differences, including those associated with cleft palate or dental/occlusal differences, can contribute to speech sound distortions, so identifying the underlying nature of the error is important when planning intervention.

How assessment helps

A speech sound assessment looks at:

• which sounds are affected
• exactly how your child is producing them
• tongue placement and airflow
• whether the pattern is frontal, lateral or another type of distortion
• whether the difficulty occurs in isolated sounds, words, sentences or conversation
• whether other speech sound difficulties are present
• any relevant oral, dental, structural, medical or surgical history
• how much the difficulty is affecting your child or young person’s confidence and everyday communication

Where appropriate, I may recommend input from another professional if a structural, dental or medical factor needs further investigation.

How I can help

I provide online speech sound therapy for children and young people with lisps and other persistent speech sound difficulties.

Therapy is individualised according to the type of lisp and the sounds affected. This may involve helping your child understand and feel the tongue position and airflow needed for a clearer production, before gradually practising the new speech pattern through:

• individual sounds
• syllables and words
• phrases and sentences
• structured conversation
• increasingly natural everyday speech
• self-monitoring and independent carryover

Online therapy can work particularly well for older children and teenagers because they are often able to understand what needs to change, practise independently between sessions and develop increasing awareness of their own speech.

Sessions are usually 45 minutes once a week, with short, targeted exercises to practise between appointments. This regular practice helps the new speech pattern become more automatic over time and supports the development of self-monitoring and self-correction skills, so the young person becomes increasingly able to recognise and adjust their own speech.

I use a specialised headset during Zoom sessions to help me listen closely to subtle differences in speech sound production, while interactive activities are tailored to the child or young person’s interests, age and motivations. Therapy is functional and designed around real-life communication, so practice can be incorporated into an already busy school, social and family routine rather than feeling like additional homework.

Online sessions also remove many of the practical demands of attending therapy. There is no travelling to a clinic, no waiting around and no need to prepare your home for a therapist to visit. Your child can simply join from a familiar space, complete their session and then return straight to homework, revision, dinner, rest, family time or other activities.

Lisps are an area of speech sound therapy I particularly enjoy working with, including supporting teenagers and young people who would like to feel more confident about the way they speak.

Not sure if this sounds like your child?

That’s okay. You do not need to know what type of lisp your child has or which sounds are affected before asking for help.

Book a free 15-minute telephone consultation and we can talk through your concerns togethe