A closer look at the speech disorder that is the lisp

A lisp is a functional speech disorder in which the placement of the tongue is incorrect, thus interfering with the making of correct sounds. As a result, those affected will have trouble pronouncing certain letters. While incorrect tongue placement is often the reason, the disorder can also be the result of dental placement and a cleft lip, explains Dr. Curtis Cripe of the NTL Group, which works on a variety of neurological dysfunctions.

There are various types of lisp speech disorders: nasal, palatal, lateral, trident, and interdental. A nasal lisp occurs when part or the entire air stream is directed through one’s nasal track. In a palatal lisp, the middle part of the tongue comes in contact with the palate when the speaker makes a sound. Lateral lisps happen when the airflow is being pushed over the sides of the tongue, causing S and Z sounds. Trident lisps create a high-frequency hissing or whistle sound caused by stream passing between the tongue and the hard surface. Interdental lisps happen when the tongue comes in between the front teeth, pushing air forward.

A lisp can also develop after an accident, paralysis, or a stroke. Some even claim that a lisp may be hereditary. In any case, lisps can range from mild speech difficulty to severe, and speech therapy treatment will be dependent on such severity and an individual’s motivation to be treated.

Both kids and adults can have lisping issues, which immensely affect one’s self-esteem, social skills, and overall psychological makeup, adds Curtis Cripe. The best way to correcting a lisp is to get in touch with a qualified speech therapist. Short-term treatment usually works best among children, and the number and length of the sessions will depend on the kind of lisp being treated, the age of the patient, and often whether it is an individual or group session therapy.

Curtis Cripe, Ph.D. is the head of research and development at the NTL Group, which specializes in the development of brain-based technology for healing and repairing neurological dysfunctions. He has published two peer-reviewed papers and wrote two book chapters on neurotherapy and neuroengineering. For more reads on neurology, go to this page.