Tips for Helping a Child Overcome a Frontal Lisp
If your child has a lisp, there is a good chance that you want to correct it as soon as possible in order to make sure that he or she can be easily understood by everyone and so that he or she does not get made fun of at school and retains his or her confidence. Here are some tips for helping your child overcome a frontal lisp.
1. Bring Awareness to the Difference Between the 'S' Sound and the 'Th' Sound
The main symptom of a frontal lisp is that your child is making the 'th' sound, rather than the 's' sound when he or she is trying to say words that have the letter 's' in them. The first thing that you need to do to correct this problem is point out to your child that he or she is actually making a different sound than the one that the letter 's' is intended to make. By bringing your child's awareness to it, you can help correct for it. Say different sounds to your child and make sure that he or she is able to correctly identify which are 's' and 'z' sounds and which are the 'th' sounds.
2. Show Your Child Where to Place His or Her Tongue
The next thing that you need to do is show your child where to place his or her tongue. Demonstrate with your own tongue and teeth and use a mirror so that your child can really see what is going on. Have your child mimic you and check what he or she is doing with the mirror. Try to make a game out of it.
3. Practice Together
Make a list of words that have the letter 's' in them and make a game out of saying them together. Have your child read out loud to you. During any practicing that you do, make sure that your child is paying attention to the sounds that he or she is making. Put all of your correction efforts into the time that you deliberately set aside for practicing. Otherwise, allow your child to speak normally so that he or she does not become afraid to speak.
4. Talk to a Speech Pathologist
If the lisp does not go away on its own, you may need to talk to a speech pathologist because it could be a muscular problem. Services like Eastern Carolina Ear Nose & Throat-Head can ensure your child has the proper training to overcome the lisp and develop confident in their speech abilities.