13 Sep Treating Lisps in Adults: Is It Too Late for Speech Therapy?
If you’re an adult, having a lisp can be more than a problem. It can affect everything from your relationships to your interactions and job opportunities. Things like feeling self-conscious when talking about facing difficulties in professions can impact your confidence over time. But is it possible to fix a lisp after childhood? Luckily, it can often be fixed, and whether you’re suffering from this condition or studying for the speech pathologist online degree, this article will take you through the reasons behind lisps in adults, how effective speech therapy is and even self-help methods.
What are the Causes of Lisps in Adults?
Many factors can contribute to speech difficulties as one grows older, whether they’ve been present since birth or developed later in life. Some common reasons why adults may develop lisps are as follows.
Delayed Intervention in Childhood
Children who have had a lisp since they were young may not receive treatment during their years, which is crucial for speech and language development. This lack of intervention can result in the lisp staying until adulthood, impacting the ability to communicate effectively, self-confidence, and interactions. Timely identification and consistent speech therapy can help address and overcome this issue and help individuals improve their communication skills.
Physical factors
The advent of the lisp can also come from various physical conditions, such as tongue ties or dental irregularities. A tongue tie limits the movement of the tongue, making it challenging to produce sounds, the condition when the band of tissue under the tongue is too short or tight. Also, problems like missing teeth, misaligned jaws, or overcrowded teeth can influence the development of a lisp. These dental issues can impact how the tongue and teeth align during speech production, leading to difficulties in articulation.
Neurological Aspects
Brain issues can also factor in the emergence of a speech impediment like a lisp in adulthood. Events such as strokes, head injuries or conditions and diseases can impact the muscle movements involved in speaking. These conditions may result in muscle weakness, coordination difficulties or involuntary muscle movements that affect speech with any disruption in the brain, giving rise to speech irregularities such as lisps. The severity of the lisp typically correlates with the extent of damage and the specific brain regions affected.
Behavioral Influences
Past behaviors often have lasting effects into adulthood, influencing speech and communication abilities. Excessive thumb pacifier use or incorrect swallowing techniques during childhood can play a role in lisp development. These habits influence muscle development and coordination for speech production, making it challenging to overcome. Stress or anxiety can worsen the condition by amplifying the lisp during periods.
The Benefits of Speech Therapy
Speech therapy provides methods for adults to address lisps and is effective even later in life. The main focus is typically articulation therapy, which centers around correcting tongue and lip placement and movement. There are also other processes that focus on sound production, and in some instances, a combination of both techniques may be necessary.
Encouraging success rates have been observed in adult speech therapy. While early intervention is preferred, research indicates that adults can achieve significant improvements in speech with practice and attentiveness. Just remember that the key is to recognise that progress may require time and perseverance over time, and just like anything, it will improve with this persistence.
Although seeking help is beneficial at any point, initiating therapy early is advantageous. Early intervention can prevent the solidification of speech patterns, making it easier to rectify a lisp. Nonetheless, adults should not feel disheartened; with commitment and proper guidance, overcoming a lisp at any age is often feasible.
Getting Professional Support
If self-help methods aren’t cutting it, finding a speech therapist is crucial for treatment, so find someone experienced in treating speech issues. Check their background and credentials, and don’t hesitate to ask for referrals or feedback from clients. Then, during the interview, get a sense of their treatment style, experience and compatibility.
When you have found the right therapist for you, it’s vital to make sure you make the most of your treatments. Regular check-ins play a role in overcoming a lisp, and understand that this isn’t something that can be fixed in one or two days. These sessions not only help monitor your progress but also introduce techniques and adjustments as necessary to ensure continuous growth and long-term success.
In Summary
Treating lisp conditions in adulthood is entirely possible, we need to understand the root causes, then explore the effectiveness of speech therapy and practice self-help strategies for future success. Realize that seeking help and enhancing communication skills is always an option no matter what age you are, improvement is almost always possible. Don’t hesitate for help and therapy is another powerful option, it’s time to take communication into your own hands.
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Last Updated on September 13, 2024 by Marie Benz MD FAAD