Wellness

[nana59]

my 9 year-old grandson has a lisp.....difficulty with "s."  worries me....thought he would grow out of it by now....his parents have never said anything about it....good parents....excellent school school system....other grandmother was a kindergarten teacher....i've been waiting for someone to say something about it.....i'm afraid about the reaction i will get if i bring it up.....anybody ever been in this situation....

[blackhole99]

My son had a lisp and when he was in the 2nd grade, the teacher noticed it and referred him to the schools speech therapist. The ST evaluated him and gave us a work book to work on with him at home. My son wasn't even a quarter way through the work book and he lost the lisp. Turns out some kids just start out lisping and unless someone calls it to their attention they just continue the lazy talk. My son told me he did not like being called out of class to work with the ST and that's why he started to be mindful not to lisp.

[Kachina624]

I would privately and quietly discuss this with the child's parents and suggest they ask his teacher if she thinks it's a problem.  School districts have speech pathologists who work with children to correct speech deficiencies. 

[Carmie]

My youngest son had a lisp too. He got braces on his teeth. Once they were straightened out, his lisp was gone.

Sometimes a lisp is due to the placement of the teeth and tongue and braces can straighten out problems.  Often a speech therapist can be of help. My nephew had to go that route. He got speech therapy in school.

And some children just grow out it as they get older.

If you bring it up, I would gently and casually mention it to your adult child when their spouse and grandson is not there.  Maybe they are aware and were advised to wait or maybe he is getting speech therapy in school or are waiting until he is older to get braces.

You don't want to get in the middle of things and cause issues.  I wouldn't offer advice, only concern.  Mention it once, then forget it.

[azgal]

My son had a slight lisp too. His braces fixed the problem. I guess it would depend on what is causing the lisp.

[Snowpuppy]

I had both a lisp and stuttered in elementary school. Grew out of both. Don't recall when but by 6th grade they were gone.

Never saw a therapist and never had braces.

[SeaMaiden]

In elementary school I went to speech therapy for awhile.  I do not remember what the issue was.....or why there was a concern. I just remember going to the class.  It is good to catch things when a child is young to turn the issue around and correct things when the brain is growing.  

[software]

The host Mary has a lisp or some sort of speech impediment.   She sounds like she talks through a straw.   Can't watch her.   I've seen many people lately who speak for a living with some sort of speech impediment.   it's usually an easy fix, I don't know why people don't talk  properly.

Unless there is something physically wrong with his mouth, it could go away on it's own, or a little therapy can't hurt.

[BirkiLady]

@software  Not all speech impediments "are easy fixes". You need to educate yourself. Sometimes, it a life-long process; other times, the therapy only goes so far; and sometimes there is no "fix". Go easy on the hosts who have worked diligently with their speech therapists over the years. I'm sure it hasn't been an easy life for them . . . or anyone else with a lisp or other speech impediment. 

ETA: And sometimes it has to do with hearing or sight problems, as well. It may be a combination of things. 

[Anonymous032819]

When I was in the first grade, I had a lisp, and I worked with a speech therapist, but that didn't fix it.

I remember I had some sort of minor surgery, to remove something from under my tongue.

Lisp was gone.