AboutJanice S., M.S. CCC-SLP Expertise I can answer questions related to speech, language, cognition and swallowing/feeding disorders in the pediatric to adult population. I can answer questions related to congenital as well as acquired disorders. I cannot evaluate a person via the computer, however I can provide general information regarding a wide variety of speech/language/learning/cognition/swallowing deficits.
Experience I have 18 yrs. of experience in pediatrics, adult and neonatal populations. I have worked in outpatient settings, acute hospital settings, intensive care, rehabilitation, home care, private practice, and skilled nursing facilities. I have worked with tracheostomy/ventilator dependent patients and medically complicated adults and children.
Organizations ASHA certified and state certified since 1990
Education/Credentials Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology; B.S. in Communication Disorders
I'm a 23yo male, I have a lisp since I can remember, I think it is lateral, but I may be wrong. A lot of laterals seem to be caused by incorrect positioning of the tounge I have discovered yet I seem to have it in the right spot, ie, touching the hard palate lightly just behing the teeth, in the middle, as is described as the correct area of contact (similar to the 't' sound position, which I make correctly). This I do not think constitutes a palatal lisp as I make contact with the tip of my tounge on the hard palate toward the front of my mouth. Yet the sound I make when lisping is more of an 'air rush' than a 'slushy' sound I hear laterals constantly described as. Why is air still rushing out if I have the corrcect positioning of the tounge? I understand I should see a SLP for analysis but I live in a rural area and travel costs on top of treatment cost and limited time in my schedule - I'm studying law and would like to be able to present a case in a clear audible manner - I would find it hard to seek professional help. Any idea of what type of lisp I have or what im doing wrong would be much appreciated as I am sick of having to repeat what I've said or being looked a weirdly when talking to people who clearly didn't understand what I said. This affects all aspects of my life from class participation to socializing in general, and contributes to what would otherwise be normal - low self esteem.
Warm regards,
Matt
Answer Hello and thank you for your email. You have done a good job reading up on lisps! Impressive research. However, a good oral motor assessment and articulation assessment of how you produce sounds in isolation, at the word, phrase, sentence level in all 3 positions, as well as production of these sounds in conversation is necessary. A good assessment also includes stimulability testing to see if there is better or correct productin of the sound in certain word positions or in certain consonant clusters.
This is my recommendation: Make an appointment with a speech pathologist (look in the yellow pages, contact any local hospitals, perhaps a university or college in your area offers this as a major and has an oncampus clinic, look at asha.org etc.) You need to have a comprehensive assessment by a speech pathologist that has experience with articulation disorders. Perhaps, based on your limitations with time and travel, she can complete the assessment and develop a plan with you and a homebased program. I have done this before. After the evaluation, I see the patient for 2 sessins to work on strategies, positioning etc. and give them exercises and activities to do at home. I see them again in 2 weeks and update the activities, modify the goals, develop a new home program etc. and see them again in 2 weeks to a month depending on severity, stimulability, progress and prognosis. Sometimes, as therapy progresses and gets to the higher level working on conversational speech, with my adult patients we do the session over the phone, or meet at a restaurant to practice conversational skills in a loud or stressful environment.
Doing the diagnosis and treatment on your own is NOT what I recommend. You are not qualified, although no doubt very informed. I would not want you to continue to practice incorrect sound production to further solidify your articulation error. So an evaluation is what I recommend, with a strong home carryover program.
To answer your question about why is air still rushing out of your mouth despite adjustments you have made with tongue positioning, it could be one or a combination of several factors: Your distortion is a result of inappropriate/inaccurate mandibular positioning, you
have a 23 yr. old articulation pattern that you cannot easily break, or (and this is common)the sensory feedback you are getting for tongue positioning is not accurate. You "think" you are hitting the correct spots and positioning your tongue lips etc. correctly, but your sensory feedback is inaccurate because you've been doing this for 23 yrs. In these situations, therapy should focus on improving oral sensory skills.
Hope this helped. I hope you take my recommendations. Best of luck in therapy and law school
