Q: How young do you see children with a lateral lisps?
Most SLPs leave the lateral lisp alone until age 6-8. However, I and many other therapists address it earlier with children 4 and 5 years of age. I work on the following with younger kids–
- I make sure that T and D are midline and not lateral. If they are lateral, I straighten them out. I use a straw for this– They produce T into the straw held outside the teeth at midline.
- I work on FINAL T with the straw – boat, coat, light, fight, mate, bait, etc.
- I work on FINAL TS with the straw. I call this a “Long T” or “T with more air.” I do this by working on “It’s” and “That’s” and by stimulating plural, possessive, and 3rd person verb marker.
- Sometimes I teach a child to use a FRONTAL LISP instead. This brings the airflow to the midline and puts him on the normal developmental path.
- I work on Sh as taught from E (as I teach it in my classes).
Great response, Pam. You can count me in the camp that treats /s/ at 4 and 5 years. I also ensure accuracy of the /t/, /d/ and sometimes the /n/ and /l/. Honestly, and I’m sure no one will believe me the order of ease for accuracte tongue position in the above sounds is /n/, /l/, /d/ and /t/, then I go to /s/ and /z/. I have a child right now, could first do /l/, then /n/. It’s taken about 6 weeks to get the /d/ and as of yet, we haven’t gotten the /t/ sound with correct placement. She’s even generalizing the /l/ to conversation some.
I have never heard of this straw technique. Could you briefly explain it? I have a 10 year old who produces /s/ and /z/ with her tongue in the left side of her mouth. Would the straw techique work in this instance?
The straw is just to help the child understand the concept of the midline airstream. Hold one end of the straw in front of the central incisors at midline to catch the airstream as it exits from between the teeth. Have the child make a /t/ into the straw. Then have him make a “Long T.” This will be similar to /ts/, but not perfect. Then make the /t/ longer and longer. Shape it into /s/.