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What is a Lateral Lisp?

Published in Articulation Disorder 4 mins read

A lateral lisp is a specific type of articulation disorder where, despite the tongue maintaining a relatively correct forward-back position, air escapes from the sides of the mouth rather than primarily through the front. This uncontrolled release of air creates a distinctively "slushy," "wet," or even "spitty" sound, particularly affecting sibilant consonants.

Understanding the Mechanism: Why It Sounds "Slushy"

Normally, when producing sounds like 's' or 'z,' the sides of the tongue should be raised to seal against the upper side teeth, directing a narrow stream of air forward through a central groove. With a lateral lisp, the sides of the tongue are not raised enough, allowing air to escape laterally from either side of the mouth. This diffused airflow, instead of a focused stream, is what gives speech its characteristic "slushy" quality.

Key Characteristics and Sounds Affected

Identifying a lateral lisp often involves recognizing its unique auditory characteristics and the specific sounds it impacts.

  • Auditory Qualities:
    • "Slushy" Sound: The most common descriptor, resulting from air escaping around the sides of the tongue.
    • "Wet" or "Spitty" Quality: Speech may sound like it contains excess saliva, even if it doesn't.
    • Distorted Sibilants: Sounds that require a precise airflow are most noticeably affected.

Common Affected Sounds

Lateral lisps primarily distort sibilant sounds, which are produced by directing air through a narrow channel. These typically include:

  • /s/ (as in "sun," "miss")
  • /z/ (as in "zoo," "fizz")
  • /ʃ/ (sh, as in "shoe," "wash")
  • /ʒ/ (zh, as in "measure," "garage")
  • /tʃ/ (ch, as in "chair," "catch")
  • /dʒ/ (j, as in "jump," "badge")

Causes of a Lateral Lisp

While the exact cause can vary, lateral lisps often stem from:

  • Habitual Tongue Placement: Developing a habit of incorrect tongue positioning over time.
  • Oral Motor Weakness: Insufficient strength or coordination in the tongue muscles to maintain the necessary seal.
  • Structural Issues: Less commonly, dental or palatal abnormalities might contribute, though this is rare.
  • Hearing Impairment: Difficulty hearing speech sounds correctly can sometimes lead to misarticulation.

Diagnosis and Professional Help

A lateral lisp is typically diagnosed by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). During an evaluation, an SLP will:

  1. Assess Speech Sounds: Listen to the individual produce various words and sentences to identify specific sound errors.
  2. Examine Oral Structure: Check the jaw, teeth, tongue, and palate for any structural anomalies.
  3. Evaluate Oral Motor Skills: Assess the strength, coordination, and range of motion of the tongue and lips.

Treatment and Solutions

Speech therapy is highly effective for correcting lateral lisps. An SLP will tailor a treatment plan that may include:

  • Auditory Discrimination: Helping the individual recognize the difference between correct and lisping sounds.
  • Tongue Placement Exercises: Teaching precise tongue positioning for accurate sound production. This often involves:
    • Practicing sealing the sides of the tongue against the molars.
    • Directing airflow through the center of the mouth using visual or tactile cues.
  • Articulation Drills: Practicing target sounds in isolation, then in syllables, words, phrases, and ultimately spontaneous speech.
  • Biofeedback: In some cases, advanced techniques like instrumental biofeedback (e.g., ultrasound, palatometry) might be used to provide real-time visual feedback on tongue position.

Early intervention is often beneficial, though individuals of all ages can successfully correct a lateral lisp with dedicated therapy. For more information on speech and language development, resources like the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) offer comprehensive guidance.

Lateral Lisp at a Glance

Aspect Description
Mechanism Air escapes from the sides of the tongue due to insufficient elevation of the tongue edges.
Sound Quality "Slushy," "wet," "spitty"
Affected Sounds Primarily /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/
Tongue Position General forward-back position may be correct, but the sides are key to the problem.
Intervention Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) evaluation and targeted speech therapy.