Lisp is a pathology of speech development in which a person experiences certain difficulties with the pronunciation of certain sounds and pronounces them incorrectly. As a rule, lisp occurs when pronouncing whistling and hissing sounds. At the same time, a person does not experience any discomfort at all when pronouncing words without problematic sounds. Moreover, the patient perfectly understands the speech of other people and does not experience a shortage in vocabulary.
Lisp is one of the variations of a more widespread disease – dyslalia. Dyslalia is a general concept for problems that occur in people with the pronunciation of certain sounds. For example, dyslalia, which is associated with the difficulty of pronouncing the sound [p], is called rotacism, difficulties with pronunciation [l] – lambdacism.
CAUSES OF LISP DEVELOPMENT
There may be several reasons that cause incorrect pronunciation of words. Individual reasons can be formed into groups based on a common feature:
Congenital anatomical anomalies and organic disorders:
Shortened frenulum of the upper lip or sublingual frenulum
Too big a language (macroglossia)
Thick lips
Microglossia – shortened language
Anomaly of the development of the bone apparatus of the facial part of the skull:
Gothic sky (high vault)
Malocclusion
Cleft, cleft lip
Wide interdental spaces – diastema
Social causes:
Imitation of children – adults
Imitation of adults – children
Injury to the facial part of the skull – fractures, dislocations, etc.
Hearing disorders – hearing loss
Genetic predisposition
Violation of diction and lisp cause the patient social discomfort. People experiencing a similar problem become more withdrawn, silent. Social activity decreases as it becomes difficult for a person to convey his thoughts to an opponent. In severe cases of lisp, an inferiority complex develops, a person is more irritable than usual, is in constant stress.
SYMPTOMS OF LISP
When a lisp appears, the patient first tries to avoid using difficult-to-pronounce words in speech. However, there are times when patients cannot exclude problematic words. When pronouncing with a lisp, patients begin to experience psychological discomfort and withdraw into themselves.
A person becomes less social, avoids live communication with people, preferring the Internet to modern substitutes for communication.
Some patients (more often children) with lisp, confuse some sounds, using them inappropriately for a certain word.
There are also physiological types of lisp that occur in children. As a rule, such a lisp goes away by itself at the age of 5-6 years.
DIAGNOSIS OF LISP
If a child has problems with the pronunciation of certain sounds, it is necessary to consult a speech therapist, a speech pathologist. The doctor should get the most detailed picture accompanying the development of lisp:
The course of pregnancy, what were the births
External examination and detection of organic defects in a child
Dentist’s consultation – the presence of malocclusion, diastema and other dental pathologies
Consultation of a speech therapist
It is also necessary to find out the degree of familiarization of the child with the correct pronunciation of some sounds, grammar, auditory memory
The vocabulary of the child is determined (with lisp, it should not be violated).
TREATMENT OF LISP
Lisp requires an individual approach and long-term complex treatment. If the causes of lisp are organic disorders of the oral cavity, an appropriate specialist is consulted, and the question also arises about possible surgical intervention (in the pathology of the frenulum, cleft palate, etc.).
After restoring all aspects responsible for the correctness of speech, a psychologist and a speech therapist should work with the child. With the development of complexes, the patient must undergo social rehabilitation while working with a speech therapist. A positive effect is given by a speech therapy massage, a speech therapist conducts classes where the correct formulation of problematic sounds is carried out.
