- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Expert Q&A
 |  |  |
| By Mindy Hudon Speech and Language Pathologist | ||
 |
My 7-year-old still talks with a slight lisp. Should I consider speech therapy?
If you walk through the hallways of your child's school, you will probably hear dozens of other children who are talking with lisps. A lisp is a disordered production of speech sounds, not a delay. A frontal lisp is when the tongue protrudes through the front teeth when producing the sounds ""s"" and ""z."" A lateral lisp is when air escapes laterally between the teeth into the cheeks when producing the sounds ""sh,"" ""ch"" and/or ""j.""
Usually, these disordered production do not interfere with speech intelligibility or academic performance. Most public schools follow federal guidelines for qualifying children for special education services. Federal guidelines state that in order to qualify for speech therapy (as well as other services), a child must have a disability which impacts academic performance. In most situations, a lisp does not qualify a child for services.
As a speech and language pathologist, I feel that a lisp should be treated. It will help your child articulate her thoughts in a mature manner and help reduce any teasing by her peers. Speech therapy can be provided by clinicians outside of the school system. Clinicians also service children in clinics and private practices. Services in these environments are usually provided in a one-to-one situation. Individual treatment may help your child improve her speech quickly.
Contact your child's school department with your concerns to find out their guidelines for speech services. To find speech and language services in your community contact the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association at www.asha.org."
Related Expert Q&A
- My 7-year-old still talks with a slight lisp. Should I consider speech therapy?
- What is the proper way to sterilize a baby's bottle? And is this really necessary and for how long?
- How does language develop from 7 months to 12 months of age?
- How does language develop from 4 months to 6 months of age?
- How does language develop from birth to 3 months of age?
More Answers by this Expert
- My 10-month-old's babbles are starting to sound more like actual letters now. What letter sounds are generally a baby's first?
- My 1-year-old has started to say two-syllable words such as "ma ma," "da da," "ba ba" and "boo boo." What are some techniques to increase his vocabulary?
- Where is a good place to find videotapes, CDs, etc., for teaching my child different languages?
- Is it true that learning a foreign language at the preschool and toddler age is easier than for a middle school child?
- My 7-year-old still talks with a slight lisp. Should I consider speech therapy?
