Lisping in children: «Today the Thonne tho shines beautifully»

When children have a lisp, it sounds cute to some adults. However, most parents worry when their child does not pronounce the s sounds correctly - especially if this severely disrupts communication or the lisp does not disappear even after a long time.

It is typical of a lisp that a child does not pronounce sibilants such as «s» and «z» correctly (sigmatism). The tongue normally lies a little behind the teeth when the «s» is formed. When lisping, it hits the front teeth so that the «s» sounds like «f» or similar to the English «th». This also affects the sound combinations «ts» and «ks», which occur in German in the letters «z», «x» or «chs». However, lisping can also affect the «ch» and the «sch» (chitism or schetism): The «ch» is then pronounced like «sch» or «s», the «sch» like «s», «ch» or «t».

40 per cent of all children develop a lisp in the course of their speech development.

First of all, to reassure many parents: lisping is relatively common in toddlers and kindergarten-aged children: around 40 per cent of all children develop a lisp when making the sibilant sounds «s», «z» and «x» in the course of their speech development. And: Lisping is one of the less severe speech disorders. However, it can have an impact on the position of teeth later on. But when is lisping harmless and does it disappear by itself with age? And when does it make sense to specifically train pronunciation with speech therapy?

Clarify causes carefully

In order for lisping to be treated successfully, the causes must first be identified. This is primarily the responsibility of speech therapists, who in many cantons are firmly integrated into the kindergarten or school.

«At the age of five to six, the level of language development is assessed in most kindergartens during language assessment,» explains Vanessa Braun, Head of the Andelfingen ZH speech therapy service. «It serves to recognise possible abnormalities in speech at an early stage.» The parents are then informed of the results of the examination.

Important to know: The «s», «sch» and «r» are the most motorically demanding sounds in the German language. This is why children are often only able to pronounce them correctly towards the end of their language development, at around the age of five. « Lisping at this age is also linked to the growth of teeth and tongue,» explains Braun. «The tongue is now growing relatively strongly, while the milk teeth are still small in comparison. That's why sibilants are often pronounced incorrectly.»

Another cause of lisping can be unfavourable sucking habits, for example if a child sucks a pacifier or thumb a lot. «This creates an incorrect swallowing pattern. In addition, the tongue is pressed between the teeth or lips, which can lead to misaligned teeth and thus favour lisping,» explains the speech therapist.

Dentists and orthodontists pass on relevant information to the schools.

Disorders of the mouth muscles - such as the tongue or lips - or misaligned teeth or jaws can also lead to lisping. «Such misalignments are often noticed by the dentist or orthodontist treating the child,» reports Braun. «They often pass the information on to the kindergarten or school after the school dental check-ups so that appropriate measures can be taken there.»

Hearing disorders, malformations or psychological reasons as the cause of lisping?

Sometimes a hearing disorder can also be behind the lisp, explains Andrea Haid, Rector of the Swiss School of Speech Therapy in Rorschach. «If there is a suspicion of hearing problems, this should definitely be clarified by an ear, nose and throat specialist ,» emphasises the expert. «This is usually arranged by the paediatrician. However, speech therapists or nursery school teachers can make the recommendation.»

In rare cases, it is paralysis of the muscles, tumours or malformations of the tongue or palate that lead to the child's impaired pronunciation. «In addition to speech therapy treatment, it is important to treat the underlying physical causes,» says Haid.

Finally, there is the rather special case of a child suddenly developing a lisp, even though it has already mastered the sound «s». «This can happen, for example, when a sibling is born,» reports Haid. «The child then lisps in order to appear younger and receive more attention and care.» As a result, a number of different components need to be taken into account in the diagnosis, says the speech therapist.

When is speech therapy useful?

The crucial question that concerns many parents is: when can you simply wait for the lisp to disappear on its own and when should you take action? Most experts agree that lisping at the age of three to four is still age-appropriate and that you can wait and see.

Some experts advocate treating lisping from the age of six or seven - others from the age of five. «At the age of five to six, the change of teeth and the associated gaps between teeth often lead to lisping, which then often disappears on its own,» says Vanessa Braun.

«However, if a child still has a lisp in first grade or at the age of seven, speech therapy should be started. By the time they start school, children should be able to form all sounds correctly so that they can also write them correctly.»

«When older children or teenagers have a lisp, it leaves different impressions on the people they talk to»

Andrea Haid, Rector of the Swiss School of Speech Therapy in Rorschach.

However, starting therapy at the age of five can also be useful. «If the lisp is caused by an incorrect swallowing pattern with a strong tongue thrust or if the change of teeth occurs at an early age, it makes sense to start therapy at the age of five in order to avoid misaligned teeth,» says Braun.

Andrea Haid advocates starting speech therapy at the age of five if a child consistently mispronounces the s sound but is already able to form the «s» correctly. «This prevents the incorrect pronunciation from becoming more entrenched,» says the speech therapist. Early practice also makes sense because lisping is no longer perceived as cute in older children, but rather as a flaw. «If older children or teenagers still have a lisp, this leaves different impressions on the people they talk to,» says Haid.

No matter which approach is chosen: The prognosis for young children is generally very good - in most cases, lisping can be successfully treated with speech therapy.

Improve hearing and pronunciation with speech therapy and individualised exercises

The children come to speech therapy once a week. If the lisp is particularly pronounced, therapy takes place individually or in a group of two. In addition, the speech therapists form an «s group» in kindergarten or later at school , in which the pronunciation and correct hearing of the s sounds are trained. «As the progress of the therapy depends on the intensity of the exercises, we also give the parents exercises to do at home with their children on a regular basis,» reports Braun.

The exercises should be individually tailored to the children. «Some find it difficult to hear and recognise the s sounds correctly, for some the lip and tongue muscles are slack, for others the correct position of the tongue or jaw doesn't work well yet,» explains Haid. «The exercises are therefore selected in such a way that precisely these aspects are trained.»

At the very beginning, the children still have to consciously form the «s» sound, which requires a lot of concentration. «However, the aim is for them to be able to pronounce the «s» correctly spontaneously and without difficulty,» says the speech therapist.

Some children have a lisp - and they don't mind it at all. Others, however, are ashamed of their mispronunciation and their self-confidence suffers. This is often exacerbated when schoolmates tease them about their lisp or when parents frequently criticise or correct their incorrect pronunciation.

Older children in particular suffer from lisping.

How common is such psychological stress? And how can they be avoided? In Vanessa Braun's experience, older children in particular suffer from lisping. «In kindergarten, children's awareness of the disorder is still low,» says the speech therapist. «Lisping is also much less problematic than other speech disorders. In most cases, the children are still well understood and parents and teachers are relatively relaxed about it.»

Lisping can be more stressful from the 3rd grade onwards. «Here it is no longer perceived as age-appropriate. In addition, the children now often have to give small presentationsalone or in a group , where the lisp is particularly noticeable,» says Braun. Girls often suffer more from lisping than boys - however, awareness of the disorder and psychological stress vary greatly from person to person.

Promote tolerance for deviations!

«In any case, it is important to take away the children's shame and maintain their joy of speaking,» says Braun. «You can tell them that lisping is common and that it often disappears with appropriate exercises.» Teachers and parents should also boost the child's self-confidence - for example, by praising them for things they can already do well.

It also depends on the attitude of classmates, parents and teachers, emphasises Andrea Haid. «Teachers and other carers should create an atmosphere in which tolerance for differences is a matter of course,» says the speech therapist. «This is important for all types of abnormalities - many of which are more serious than lisping.»

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Practical tips: How to help your child practise the «darn S»

• Sprechen Sie die s-Laute selbst klar und deutlich aus, um die richtige Aussprache Ihres Kindes zu fördern. Und lassen Sie sich nicht dazu verleiten, das Lispeln Ihres Kindes – bewusst oder unbewusst – nachzuahmen, etwa, weil es so «herzig» klingt.

• Um die Mund- und Zungenmotorik zu trainieren, können Sie mit Ihrem Kind verschiedene Übungen machen: etwa Gegenstände wie kleine  Papierbildchen mit dem Strohhalm ansaugen, mit der Zunge schnalzen oder Luftküsse machen. Pustespiele wie Kirschkernweitspucken oder Seifenblasenmachen können die richtige Atmung verbessern.

• Kann das Kind das «s» bereits sprechen, sind Zungenbrecher unterhaltsame Übungen. Etwa: «Sieben Schneeschaufler schaufeln sieben Schaufeln Schnee» oder «Susi isst süsse Sauce».

• Motivieren Sie Ihr Kind durch Feedback: Loben Sie es bei Fortschritten, aber kritisieren oder schimpfen Sie nicht bei Fehlern. Sonst zieht es sich eventuell zurück oder übt nur noch ungern.

• Statt einen Fehler zu korrigieren, greifen Sie das falsch ausgesprochene Wort in einer Gegenfrage oder einer Antwort auf und sprechen es dabei klar und deutlich aus.

• Insgesamt ist es günstig, ein sprechfreudiges Klima zu schaffen. Wenn Eltern viel mit ihrem Kind sprechen, singen oder spielen, fördert das die Sprachentwicklung und damit auch eine korrekte Aussprache.

Links on the topic of lisping in children:

• Der Deutschschweizerische Logopädinnen- und Logopädenverband (DLV) bietet Informationen über Störungen der Sprache und des Sprechens, Tipps für Eltern zum Umgang mit Sprechstörungen sowie eine Liste spezialisierter Logopädinnen und Logopäden in der Schweiz: www.logopaedie.ch

• Die Website «kindersprache.ch» gibt Informationen zum Spracherwerb, zu Sprachstörungen bei Kindern und zu Möglichkeiten der Sprachförderung: www.kindersprache.ch

• Auf der Website des Zürcher Berufsverbands der Logopädinnen und Logopäden (zbl) finden sich Informationen über die Sprachentwicklung und über Sprechstörungen sowie nützliche Links: www.zbl.ch