Lisping as a form of speech disorder
Lisping is a form of dyslalia. When lisping, the sibilants are not formed correctly. The sibilants are s, sch and ch.Most frequently, however, the sound s is affected.
Normally the S sound is formed with the tongue against the teeth. However, it is important that the tongue is located at the bottom of the lower row of teeth. The problem with lisping is that the tongue lies too high around the mouth or slides between the teeth. The resulting sound then resembles the English “th”. The sibilants are very difficult sounds, which is why children need a long time to learn them.
Causes of speech disorders
The causes of speech disorders can be very different. On the one hand, it is increasingly common for children with a general developmental delay to also have a delayed speech development. For example, mental retardation can lead to a speech disorder.
Causes for this can be, for example, damage during or after birth. A psychological cause may also be possible. Long hospital stays and their consequences (hospitalism) or bad social conditions are often said to have a negative influence on language development.
Autistic patients also tend to have a delay in speech development. Especially the Kanner type is often affected. Speech disorders, in which only pronunciation is disturbed, often have muscular (motor) causes.
For example, the muscles of the tongue and the floor of the mouth are often not sufficiently developed, which is why certain sounds cannot be produced correctly. A hearing disorder should also always be checked. If the hearing disorder is present, then the speech disorder was due to the insufficient perception of the sounds.
This also makes it difficult to repeat the sounds correctly. Malformations of the teeth or jaw should also be checked. and What is a developmental disorder?
Stress as a cause of a speech disorder
Even in children without speech disorders, errors or a stalled speech flow can occur under stress. This is normal and can usually be reduced by defusing stressful situations. It is important to give the child peace and confidence to reduce stress.
However, a speech disorder can also lead to stress. Especially if the child is teased by peers or rebuked by the parents or educators for the faulty language. Here it is advisable to praise the correct pronunciation but not to criticize mistakes. In the worst case, the child will otherwise be conditioned to speak less and less.
