why does my son have a lisp? What has been the cause of this?
464356
I guess the cause is unknown.\n\nThis might help:\n\nA lisp is a Functional Speech Disorder (FSD). A functional speech disorder is a difficulty learning to make a specific speech sound, or a few specific speech sounds.  \n\nThe word 'functional'  means that the cause of the disorder is not known. Indeed, in some (recent)  literature FSDs are referred to as "speech delay of unknown origin" or "speech disorder of unknown origin".  \n\nFunctional speech disorders, or speech delays of unknown origin, may persist into adulthood. They can be treated successfully in motivated children and adults. ( http://members.tripod.com/Caroline_Bowen/lisping.htm )\n\nYou may already know this:\n\nFour types of lisp \n\n1. Interdental (frontal) lisp\nIn an interdental lisp (or frontal lisp) the tongue protrudes between the front teeth and the air-flow is directed forwards. The /s/ and /z/ sound like 'th'. \n\nChildren developing speech along typical lines may have interdental lisps until they are about 4½ - after which they disappear. If they don't 'disappear' an SLP assessment is indicated.\n\nInterdental /s/\nWords such as 'soup', 'missing' and 'pass', which all contain the voiceless alveolar fricative consonant /s/ are pronounced 'thoop', 'mithing' and 'path'. The voiceless 'th' sound that occurs in a word like 'thing' (or a sound very much like it) replaces the /s/. \n\nInterdental /z/\nWords like 'zoo', 'easy' and 'buzz' which all contain the voiced alveolar fricative consonant /z/ are pronounced 'thoo', 'eethee' and 'buth'. The voiced 'th' sound that occurs in a word like 'them' (or a sound very much like it) replaces the /z/. \n\n2. 'Dentalised lisp'\n'Dentalised lisp' is not an 'official' diagnostic term. It is an expression (like 'dentalised production') that SLPs use to describe the way an individual is producing certain sounds. The tongue rests on, or pushes against, the front teeth, the air-flow is directed forwards, producing a slightly muffled sound.\n\nTypically developing children (in terms of their speech) may produce dentalised variants of /s/ and /z/ until around 4½ years - and then grow out of it. If they don't grow out of it, an SLP assessment is indicated.\n\n3. Lateral lisp\nLateral lisps are not found in typical speech development. The tongue position for a lateral lisp is very close to the normal position for /l/ and the sound is made with the air-flow directed over the sides of the tongue. Because of the way it sounds, this sort of lisp is sometimes referred to as a 'slushy ess' or a 'slushy lisp'. A lateral lisp often sounds 'wet' or 'spitty'.\n\nUnlike interdental and dentalised lisps, lateral lisps are not characteristic of normal development. An SLP assessment is indicated for anyone with a lateral lisp.\n\n4. Palatal lisp\nPalatal lisps are not found in typical speech development. Here, the mid-section of the tongue comes in contact with the soft palate, quite far back. If you try to produce a /ç/ - or a 'h' closely followed by a 'y', and prolong it, you more or less have the sound. \n\nUnlike interdental and dentalised lisps, palatal lisps are not characteristic of normal development. An SLP assessment is indicated for anyone with a palatal lisp. \n\n'sh', 'zh', 'ch', 'j'\nSometimes children and adults who lisp when they attempt to say /s/ and /z/ also have tongue placement problems when they try to say 'sh' as in 'shoe', 'zh' as in measure, 'ch' as in 'chair', and 'j' as in 'jump'. \n\nThey may dentalise these sounds, or produce them interdentally, or produce them with lateral air escape, or with excessive palate to tongue contact. \n\n"...everything seems interden
1110986
I just emailed you! Lol! I have a 7 year old with autism who is on a gluten free/casein free diet. He is EXTREMELY hyperactive. Before I put him on the diet (he was almost 3) he would be even MORE hyper after eating foods with milk, and would have these crazy laughing spells. He already bounces off the walls, but it was obviously more so with the milk products, not to mention the stools he would have after eating them. I was changing like 10 pull ups a day. He would not even touch milk after I took him off of the bottle but he was addicted to cheese, and cereals/crackers with wheat in them.  AFTER I put him on the diet, within a matter of only a couple of weeks, he just stopped peeing on himself. Period, including at night. So to me I related that directly to the diet. I have wanted to give up on the diet sometimes, but you know, every time I let him have some foods which he normally doesn't have, he acts even more hyper than usual, and if you knew my son you would find that hard to believe! Lol! I have considered Feingold as well as vitamin therapy(B6 and Magnesium), but with my financial situation and stress level, any more changes would just be really hard for me to enforce right now. I also had completely takem him off of sugar for a long time, but I have caved and so he has it every now and then. I can't really tell if it affects his behavior or not. I am still looking for a solution that works, I am just kind of burned out by the trial and error of it all!
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Please keep pressing for solutions other than psychological! Go to as many doctors as it takes and make a nuisance of yourself if your concerns are brushed aside or put under the "mental illness" umbrella. \n\nMy 5-year-old nephew was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease (a severe allergy to gluten). This disease is commonly screened for in parts of Europe, but only now catching physician's attention in the US. It was once thought to be rare in the US and most well-meaning physicians simply don't think of this as a possibility. My nephew was extremely lucky to get a correct diagnosis so quickly as this disease has symptoms (including those you described) that can mimic many other diseases. Making it even more complicated is that the symptoms, severity, and age onset vary from individual to individual. At any rate, this will give you something to be ruled out if it has not been explored as a possibility.\n\nFor more information go to www.celiac.org. I hope you quickly find a solution. If doctors are leading to dead end diagnoses, I can see where you would post on forums like this for any ideas that think "outside the box" for a possible cause/solution.\n\nGOOD LUCK!
236437
From one special needs mom to another....you don't\nYou didn't mention what types of issues your child has  or your child's age but for most special needs children mouthing is a sensory issue ie they do it because it is soothing or helps them focus. Have a set of things that are okay to mouth and if they are mouthing something else give them one of the okay items. Since this may be a comfort issue for your child try not to make a big deal out of it as anxiety will increase the behavior my son finally stopped when he was about 4. If this is a major concern for you talk to a occupational therapist that specializes in working with sensory issues they will have lots of good ideas \nGood Luck\n\nBTW in most states it is considered child abuse to put pepper sauce on anything and give it to a child to break behaviors so please be aware if you choose to try something like this
817080
it's not too unusual.  most school districts have a speech therapist who is trained to work with such kids.  most of the time this will naturally lessen as the child gets older.  i recommend private speech therapy if the school doesn't provide it.  get on a stuttering list or something so you can understand people who have the stuttering issue more.  it often reduced people's confidence.  you  may have  to make extra efforts to keep your son's confidence up as he ages.
753368
I'm not sure but you may be interested in something that my son said to me when he was three.\n\nHe started to talk in complete sentences at a very early age. I used to lay in bed and talk to him till he went to sleep every night.\n\nOne night he told me about something that had happened to him. It seemed odd so I ask when it had happened. He said it happened to me when I used to be big like you. I asked him to tell me about when he was big before. I explained that He had been a man before. Not a man like you, a lot older. He seemed very serious so I just let him talk and he told me about the place where the babies wait to be born.  He said that he remembered the day he came to look at my wife and I to see if he wanted to have us as parents.\n\nThis story went on for several nights. I decided to see if he was making it up. So I asked him to tell me a story about something, and he was completely unable to fabricate even a simple story of two sentences. He could go on at length about things that had actually occurred,  but he was not able to make anything up and tell it.\n\nIt sure made me think.\n\nLove and blessings Don
556738
Your son has what is called an open bite.  It can be caused from sucking his thumb or a condition called tongue thrusting. This means that the space in his mouth is smaller then his tongue hence the tongue has no where to go so it comes out the front of the teeth.  Also normally children that have an open bite seem to suffer from allergies, or asthma.  Because there is some type of airway constriction and they have a hard time breathing through their nose, then they have to get air somehow so they become mouth breathers.  This can also cause an open bite.  At age 2.5 there is not much they can do yet.  My son had this trouble with airway constriction due to allergies.  We have had him on antihistamines from time to time to help.  Last year his orthodontist put in what is called a palate expander.  He wore it for about three months.  It is a fixed appliance which opens up the palate for better breathing and gives the teeth more room to come in.  It does not hurt and works well. If you have any questions or concerns call your doctor or dentist and ask what course of treatment you should be taking as your son gets older.  For now I would not worry about it, as long as he is healthy and happy then you have plenty of time to worry about his teeth.  Just make sure that you are brushing his teeth often and limit sticky candy and foods.
1155934
Definitely get him to a specialist!!  Usually autistic children obsess on certain things.  My son's obsessions include dust and anything with a Pillsbury label (cookie dough, biscuits, pie crust, etc).  Also, you will see traits that include wanting to be alone, not comfortable in a crowd (low social skills), and usually some communication/speech impediments.  But you will also see areas of strong interest.  My son has memorized books, videos, multiplication tables, and is especially strong in math.  My son was diagnosed at age 5, but only after seeing many, many doctors who "didn't know".
406087
Oh, No, NO, NO!!! Do NOT take his string away!!!  Do NOT try to break his habits, until you have gotten training in how to do it without making him withdraw any further from the world!\n\nAutism is a very tricky problem. He is responding to the world the way he really does see it. How would you like it if, every time you did anything, you were not allowed to do it?  No, you can't scratch your itches, no matter how much they hurt... No, you can't look at anything pretty or interesting? No, you can't do anything you enjoy doing?\n\nYou may not understand what he sees in that string, or what he feels that cause him to have his other behaviors.\n\nThere are special programs designed, through research and through the comments and suggestions of those intelligent autistics, now adults, who are able to communicate effectively, to help your son learn new ways of seeing his world, and learn new behaviors.\n\nHow old is he? If he is under the age of 22, he (and you) should be receiving specialized Autism programming through the public schools, with home training services linked through the school social worker.  If he is under the age of 3, you are eligible for service support in your home (Individualized Family Service Program). If he is age 3 or 4, he should be in a specialized preschool program. If he is ages 5 through 21, he should be getting specialized programming through the nearest public school.\n\nSee these links:\n\nhttp://www.autismweb.com/\nhttp://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/brain/autism.html\nhttp://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer\nhttp://wwww.spedusource.org/
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Your son sounds like an imaginitive young man! He must have quite a sense of humour! \n\nMy answer - I have absolutely no idea - but thanks for giving me a laugh and something bizarre to mull over!
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I'm sorry to hear your son is having trouble speaking properly. But don't worry! There is an organisation called Myoresearch Co. that manufacture a variety of appliances that will treat your son's tongue thrust. The site for this organisation is: http://www.myoresearch.com\nIf you go to it and look up the appliance T4K or T4A, depending on the age of your son. If your son is a teenager and has all of his permanent teeth, then take a look at the appliance T4A. You can also contact the organisation if you want to ask them further questions and also ask them for ordering details! If your son is willing to comply with it, the appliance will work. It looks just like a mouth guard and he will only need to wear it when he goes to bed and for 1 hour during the day. The appliance is designed to retrain the tongue and correct myofunctional habits that braces alone cannot resolve.\n\nI hope this helps :)
1148867
I would say I was about  hmmm 5 or six when I started using words and such.  Most aspergers and autistics have trouble using body language and you say your child uses body language.  So far at four I would think he is closer to ADHD than autistic nor aspberger's.  My mother was quite concerned with me and took me to psychiatrists and other specialists on autism.  True the non-speech may point to autism but the body language and the hugs and kisses point strongly away from autism.  I really hope he starts speaking soon.  You wanted my e-mail no problem its canucksfan729@hotmail.com.
39945
He may be just going through "the terrible twos" (which actually last through the threes sometimes).  All my three kids were difficult at this age.  My first son had a tantrum, stiffened up like a board and fell backwards in the store, wacking his head on the floor hard!  He lived, we survived... barely.  Next time you take him to the doctor(and if he's like my kids, it probably will be soon), talk to the  pediatrician about it.  I'm afraid that too many kids are labled ADD and it may just end up being a stage of life the is difficult for the kids and parents.  Like Bill Cosby said, it's a good thing they are cute.
381151
First, I'd talk to his pediatrician and/or see a neurologist (I'm sure he's had one in the past with this sort of problem).  Second, ask the doctor (or look into it yourself) about enrolling him in sometype of therapy-- I'm not sure what type would be appropriate- in addition to typical therapy (emotional type- to help him find better coping strategies)also maybe you could enroll him in something like physical therapy or occupational therapy-- where at least they could maybe fit him with some type of helmet or device or install something on the walls to protect him.  Not sure if you live in an area where this is available or how affordable an option it is (I'm from a small town where these things just don't exist) but I would strongly recommend seeing the doctors and considering some sort of therapy.  I truly wish you and your child the best of luck.
108032
I think you should seek a second opinion.  Sometimes pediatricians are quick to dismiss b/c they see so many of the same things all the time.  It could be something more serious (though I have no idea).  A friend of mine is in the process of getting over an extremely rare disease, and he wasn't properly diagnosed until he was taken to one of the best hospitals in the country.  Sometimes it takes some insistence and a clean pair of eyes to get to the root of the problem.  Best of luck with your kids!
559843
You don't specify his age, but it sounds like he isn't terribly young, having beent o so many counsellors & psychologists ... Have you ever had him tested for brain damage?  There are a number of causes, and the effects are often not obvious.  I suggest that you thoroughly check out this Web site ... There are oodles of articles, & explanations, & lots of encouragement there:\n\nhttp://come-over.to/FASCRC/\nFAS Community Resource Center - Main Index\n\nThese are more specific for older children: http://come-over.to/FASCRC/#behavior\nHow Alcohol Exposure Affects Behavior - Sub Index\n\nFrom what I understand, Alcohol is a major  -- but not the only -- contributor/causer of brain damage.  It is very hard to find a doctor who understands the problem, and recognizes it.  But there are tried & true methods for handling them.  No two individuals are the same.  One may be gifted in an area where another is totally disabled.  Please -- check it out.  Such people need specialized 'programs' to help them deal with life.  You sound like you'd welcome the guidance.\nYou are to be commended for trying to get him help, instead of 'burying your head under the covers'!\n\nPS:   You may also want to check out:\n\nhttp://thedoctorwithin.com/index_fr.php?page=articles/charlie.php\nPediatricians, Brain Fats, Formula, and Raw Milk: the Jig Is Up\n\nhttp://thedoctorwithin.com/index_fr.php?page=articles/autism_mercury.php\nAutism & Mercury -- The San Diego Conference\nhttp://thedoctorwithin.com/index_fr.php?page=articles/autism_vaccines.php\nAutism & Vaccines - by Tim O'Shea\nhttp://thedoctorwithin.com/index_fr.php?page=articles/autismin2003.php\nAutism -- Vaccine Injury or Just Genetics? -- Tim O'Shea
605197
i have a son who is dyslexic and it made me realize that everything that we do on a daily basis involves language. unfortunately he feels that he is stupid because he has difficulty reading and writing but he is a mechanical genius.  what god takes away in one area he makes up for in another .  people who are rude about this have no compassion and if u ask me they are ignorant in their own way.