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The Slippery 'S': Helping School-Age Kids with Lisps (Without Losing Your Sanity)

  • Writer: Vicki Chia Hui Lin, M.S., CCC-SLP
    Vicki Chia Hui Lin, M.S., CCC-SLP
  • Jul 10
  • 4 min read

By Someone Who Has Practiced More “S” Sounds Than a Snake in Speech Therapy


Let’s talk about that slippery little sound that drives speech therapists and parents equally bananas: the /s/. It’s a deceptively simple hiss that can make or break a spelling test, a “Star Wars” impression, or a solid round of "Simon Says." And when a child has a lisp—well, let’s just say that /s/ doesn’t always come out sounding the way we expect.

So what do we do when a child in elementary school is still saying “thun” instead of “sun,” or “Thammy thayth thnaketh are thilly”?


We breathe. We listen. We support. And we remember that speech development is not a race—unless you’re trying to say “snake” before one slithers by.


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First of All: What Is a Lisp?

A lisp is a common speech pattern where a child has difficulty pronouncing the /s/ and /z/ sounds. The most common types are:

  • Interdental Lisp: Tongue pokes out between the teeth, turning “sun” into “thun.”

  • Lateral Lisp: Air escapes over the sides of the tongue, giving /s/ a “slushy” sound. Think “Sssslippery ssslope” meets leaky faucet.

Some lisps resolve on their own in younger children, but if they’re still around past age 7, it might be time to call in the SLPs (that’s us!).


“Should I Be Worried?” (Spoiler: Not Necessarily)

Let’s normalize this: many children struggle with /s/. It’s one of the later-developing sounds, and not every lisp needs immediate intervention. But if a lisp is affecting your child’s confidence, intelligibility, or ability to read aloud without sounding like a baby snake… it’s worth exploring.

The good news? School-age children are often ready, willing, and able to make changes. And unlike preschoolers, they’re usually motivated by things like sounding cool in front of friends or auditioning for the school play. Peer pressure: sometimes it works in our favor.


Speech Therapy: What Actually Happens?

Therapy for a lisp isn’t magic—it’s science, patience, and a lot of mirror work. Here’s a sneak peek:

  1. Awareness: First, we help kids hear & see the difference between a lisped /s/ and a crisp /s/. Cue the exaggerated snake impressions.

  2. Placement: Then comes the tongue training. We’re talking tongue tip behind the teeth, no sneaky peek-a-boos through the front gate!

  3. Practice: We build from syllables to words to sentences to conversation. And yes, sometimes that means saying “Sam sips soda silently” 45 times in a row. (Pro tip: bring snacks and those pop-out games.)

  4. Carryover: The goal is to take that beautiful /s/ out into the wild—classrooms, playgrounds, family dinner—without constant reminders.

Bonus: Some kids love seeing progress and turn into tiny perfectionists. Others need lots of encouragement, patience, and possibly stickers that say “Sssensational!”


What Parents Can Do at Home

You don’t have to be a speech language therapist to help. (But if you’re considering a midlife career change, welcome aboard.)

Here’s how you can support your child at home:

  • Model, don’t correct: Instead of “It’s sun, not thun,” try repeating the word back correctly: “Yes, the sun is bright today!”

  • Celebrate effort, not perfection: If they’re trying, they’re growing. And growth takes time (and sometimes marshmallows).

  • Play with sounds: Try silly tongue twisters, snake games, or scavenger hunts for /s/ words. Make it fun. Because let’s be honest: if it’s not fun, no one’s doing it after homework.


The Takeaway: Progress, Not Perfection

Helping school-age children overcome a lisp isn’t about “fixing” them—it’s about giving them tools to speak clearly and feel confident. Some kids get there quickly. Some take the scenic route. All of them are doing something brave.

And hey, if you’re a parent reading this and feeling overwhelmed? Just remember: we’re not looking for perfect pronunciation every time. We’re looking for growth, self-awareness, and maybe a few giggles along the way.

Because let’s be real—nothing builds resilience like laughing through a few “silly snakes slurping soda” exercises together.


Have Questions?I’m here to help—whether you’re a parent, teacher, or a speech language therapist. Drop a comment, send a message, or give us a call!


Learn more about speech-language-voice-cognitive-swallow therapy or what we do as speech language pathologists, and our in home and virtual private speech therapy settings:

call/text us at 818.823.8022 or email us at hello@thechatroomtherapy.com.


We provide virtual speech therapy visits/telehealth visits in California, and in home services in Montrose, La Crescenta, La Canada, and Pasadena, CA areas.


We also provide speech therapy in Mandarin Chinese. 中文/國語語言治療

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Vicki Chia Hui Lin, M.S., CCC-SLP

Founder, The Chat Room Therapy


Vicki is a California licensed and American Speech Language and Hearing Association certified speech language pathologist. She is a highly accomplished and award-winning Speech-Language Pathologist with extensive experience with both adults and children, with particular specialties in gender affirming voice therapy, adult voice disorders, post stroke or head and neck cancer related voice, communication, cognitive, and swallow difficulties.  Vicki has received various accolades, and is recognized for her excellence in patient care, life participation therapy approaches, and leadership in the field.



 

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