Author: Laura LeBlanc MA, CCC/SLP

Autism Rates Have Stabilized in U.S. Children

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Rates of autism spectrum disorder among children in the U.S. remained stable from 2014 to 2016, according to new research—a change from previous studies that found steady increases over the past two decades.

The new research letter, published in JAMA, looked at survey responses from a nationally representative sample of more than 30,000 children, ages 3 to 17, and their families. From 2014 to 2016, adults in each household were asked if a doctor had ever told them that their child had autism, Asperger’s disorder, pervasive developmental disorder or autism spectrum disorder. Data from the study was then adjusted to account for differences in people’s age, gender and ethnicity.

The researchers found that in 2014, 2.24% of participating children were reported to have an autism spectrum disorder. That number rose only slightly in 2015 and 2016, to 2.41% and 2.58%, respectively—an increase that was not statistically significant.

Autism rates did vary by sub-group. Over the three-year period, 3.54% of boys were reported to have an autism spectrum disorder, compared to 1.22% of girls. Prevalence was 1.78% in Hispanic children, 2.36% in black children and 2.71% in white children.

The overall estimate for autism prevalence among children in the analysis—2.4%—is higher than another recent estimate, from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, of 1.46%. The discrepancy may be explained by differences in study design, the authors note in their report. For example, the new study asked parents if their child has received a diagnosis, while the previous study looked at education and health-care evaluations.

Source: Time Health January 2, 2018

Five Common Speech Disorders in Children

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Speech Disorders

You have determined that your child has more than just a speech delay, now what? How do you determine what kind of speech disorder your child has and more importantly, what do you do about it? Here are five common speech disorders in children. Of course, we always recommend a visit to your pediatrician if you feel your child has any of these symptoms, and an appointment with an SLP may be necessary to begin an effective speech therapy treatment plan.

Articulation Disorder: An articulation disorder is a speech sound disorder in which a child has difficulty making certain sounds correctly.  Sounds may be omitted or improperly altered during the course of speech. A child may substitute sounds (“wabbit” instead of “rabbit”) or add sounds improperly to words. Young children will typically display articulation issues as they learn to speak, but they are expected to “grow out of it” by a certain age.  If the errors persist past a standard developmental age, which varies based on the sound, then that child has an articulation disorder.

The most common articulation disorders are in the form of a “lisp” – when a child does not pronounce the S sound correctly – or when a child cannot pronounce the R sound correctly. He may say “wabbit” instead of “rabbit” or “buhd” or instead of “bird.”

Apraxia of Speech is a communication disorder affecting the motor programming system for speech production.  Speech production is difficult – specifically with sequencing and forming sounds. The person may know what he wants to say, but there is a disruption in the part of the brain that sends the signal to the muscle for the movement necessary to produce the sound.  That leads to problems with articulation as well as intonation and speaking stress and rhythm errors. Apraxia of Speech can be discovered in childhood (CAS), or might be acquired (AOS) resulting from a brain injury or illness in both children and adults.

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is an inherited genetic disorder that is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disabilities in boys as well as autism (about 30% of children with FXS will have autism). It also affects girls, though their symptoms tend to be milder. It is greatly under-recognized and second only to Down syndrome in causing intellectual impairment.

FXS occurs when there is a mutation of FMRI gene and is an inherited disorder.  If a child received a pre-mutated X chromosome from one of his parents (as a carrier), then he is at greater risk of developing FXS.  Diagnosing Fragile X Syndrome is not easy for parents and doctors at the beginning of a child’s life.  Few outward signs are noticeable within the first 9 months. These signs may include an elongated face and protruding eyes.

Intellectual disabilities, speech and language problems, and social anxiety occur most frequently in children with Fragile X. Speech symptoms include repetition of words and phrases, cluttered speech and difficulties with the pragmatics of speech. All of FXS’s symptoms can range from mild to very severe.

Stuttering occurs when speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions, prolonging of sounds and hesitation or pausing before speech. Stuttering can be developmental, meaning it begins during early speech acquisition, or acquired due to brain trauma. No one knows the exact causes of stuttering in a child.  It is considered to have a genetic basis, but the direct link has not yet been found. Children with relatives who stutter are 3 times as likely to develop stuttering. Stuttering is also more typical in children who have congenital disorders like cerebral palsy.

A child who stutters is typically not struggling with the actual production of the sounds—stress and a nervousness trigger many cases of stuttering. Stuttering is variable, meaning if the speaker does not feel anxious when speaking, the stuttering may not affect their speech.

Language disorders can be classified in three different ways: Expressive Language Disorder (ELD), Receptive Language Disorder (RLD) or Expressive-Receptive Language Disorder (ERLD).  Children with Expressive Language Disorder do not have problems producing sounds or words, but have an inability to retrieve the right words and formulate proper sentences. Children with Receptive Language Disorder have difficulties comprehending spoken and written language. Finally, children with Expressive-Receptive Language Disorder will exhibit both kinds of symptoms. Grammar is a hard concept for them to understand and they may not use of articles (a, the), prepositions (of, with) and plurals. An early symptom is delay in the early stages of language, so if your child takes longer to formulate words or starting to babble, it can be a sign of ELD.

Children with Receptive Language Disorder may act like they are ignoring you or just repeat words that you say; this is known as “echolalia.” Even when repeating the words you say, they may not understand.  An example of this is if you say, “Do you want to go to the park?” and they respond with the exact phrase and do not answer the question. They may not understand you or the fact that you asked them to do something.

Children with Expressive-Receptive Language Disorder can have a mix of these symptoms

These are some of the most common speech disorders in children. No child is the same and you know your child best. If you feel that your child has a speech or language disorder, contact an ASHA Certified speech-language pathologist for an evaluation.

Stuttering

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What is stuttering?

Stuttering affects the fluency of speech. It begins during childhood and, in some cases, lasts throughout life. The disorder is characterized by disruptions in the production of speech sounds, also called “disfluencies.” Most people produce brief disfluencies from time to time. For instance, some words are repeated and others are preceded by “um” or “uh.” Disfluencies are not necessarily a problem; however, they can impede communication when a person produces too many of them.

What are signs and symptoms of stuttering?

Stuttered speech often includes repetitions of words or parts of words, as well as prolongations of speech sounds. These disfluencies occur more often in persons who stutter than they do in the general population. Some people who stutter appear very tense or “out of breath” when talking. Speech may become completely stopped or blocked. Blocked is when the mouth is positioned to say a sound, sometimes for several seconds, with little or no sound forthcoming. After some effort, the person may complete the word. Interjections such as “um” or “like” can occur, as well, particularly when they contain repeated (“u- um- um”) or prolonged (“uuuum”) speech sounds or when they are used intentionally to delay the initiation of a word the speaker expects to “get stuck on.”

Some examples of stuttering include:

  • “W- W- W- Where are you going?” (Part-word repetition: The person is having difficulty moving from the “w” in “where” to the remaining sounds in the word. On the fourth attempt, he successfully completes the word.)
  • “SSSS ave me a seat.” (Sound prolongation: The person is having difficulty moving from the “s” in “save” to the remaining sounds in the word. He continues to say the “s” sound until he is able to complete the word.)
  • “I’ll meet you – um um you know like – around six o’clock.” (A series of interjections: The person expects to have difficulty smoothly joining the word “you” with the word “around.” In response to the anticipated difficulty, he produces several interjections until he is able to say the word “around” smoothly.)

  • How is stuttering diagnosed?

    Identifying stuttering in an individual’s speech would seem like an easy task. Disfluencies often “stand out” and disrupt a person’s communication. Listeners can usually detect when a person is stuttering. At the same time, however, stuttering can affect more than just a person’s observable speech. Some characteristics of stuttered speech are not as easy for listeners to detect. As a result, diagnosing stuttering requires the skills of a certified speech-language pathologist (SLP).

    During an evaluation, an SLP will note the number and types of speech disfluencies a person produces in various situations. The SLP will also assess the ways in which the person reacts to and copes with disfluencies. The SLP may also gather information about factors such as teasing that may make the problem worse. A variety of other assessments (e.g., speech rate, language skills) may be completed as well, depending upon the person’s age and history. Information about the person is then analyzed to determine whether a fluency disorder exists. If so, the extent to which it affects the ability to perform and participate in daily activities is determined.

    For young children, it is important to predict whether the stuttering is likely to continue. An evaluation consists of a series of tests, observations, and interviews designed to estimate the child’s risk for continuing to stutter. Although there is some disagreement among SLPs about which risk factors are most important to consider, factors that are noted by many specialists include the following:

    • a family history of stuttering
    • stuttering that has continued for 6 months or longer
    • presence of other speech or language disorders
    • strong fears or concerns about stuttering on the part of the child or the family

    No single factor can be used to predict whether a child will continue to stutter. The combination of these factors can help SLPs determine whether treatment is indicated.

    For older children and adults, the question of whether stuttering is likely to continue is somewhat less important, because the stuttering has continued at least long enough for it to become a problem in the person’s daily life. For these individuals, an evaluation consists of tests, observations, and interviews that are designed to assess the overall severity of the disorder. In addition, the impact the disorder has on the person’s ability to communicate and participate appropriately in daily activities is evaluated. Information from the evaluation is then used to develop a specific treatment program, one that is designed to:

    • help the individual speak more fluently,
    • communicate more effectively, and
    • participate more fully in life activities.

    What treatments are available for stuttering?

    Most treatment programs for people who stutter are “behavioral.” They are designed to teach the person specific skills or behaviors that lead to improved oral communication. For instance, many SLPs teach people who stutter to control and/or monitor the rate at which they speak. In addition, people may learn to start saying words in a slightly slower and less physically tense manner. They may also learn to control or monitor their breathing. When learning to control speech rate, people often begin by practicing smooth, fluent speech at rates that are much slower than typical speech, using short phrases and sentences. Over time, people learn to produce smooth speech at faster rates, in longer sentences, and in more challenging situations until speech sounds both fluent and natural. “Follow-up” or “maintenance” sessions are often necessary after completion of formal intervention to prevent relapse.

    What can I do to communicate better with people who stutter?

    Often, people are unsure about how to respond when talking to people who stutter. This uncertainty can cause listeners to do things like look away during moments of stuttering, interrupt the person, fill in words, or simply not talk to people who stutter. None of these reactions is particularly helpful, though. In general, people who stutter want to be treated just like anybody else. They are very aware that their speech is different and that it takes them longer to say things. Unfortunately, though, this sometimes leads the person to feel pressure to speak quickly. Under such conditions, people who stutter often have even more difficultly saying what they want to say in a smooth, timely manner. Therefore, listeners who appear impatient or annoyed may actually make it harder for people who stutter to speak.

    When talking with people who stutter, the best thing to do is give them the time they need to say what they want to say. Try not to finish sentences or fill in words for them. Doing so only increases the person’s sense of time pressure. Also, suggestions like “slow down,” “relax,” or “take a deep breath” can make the person feel even more uncomfortable because these comments suggest that stuttering should be simple to overcome, but it’s not!

    Of course, different people who stutter will have different ways of handling their speaking difficulties. Some will be comfortable talking about it with you, while others will not. In general, however, it can be quite helpful to simply ask the person what would be the most helpful way to respond to his or her stuttering. You might say something like, “I noticed that you stutter. Can you tell me how you prefer for people to respond when you stutter?” Often, people will appreciate your interest. You certainly don’t want to talk down to them or treat them differently just because they stutter. However, you can still try to find a matter-of-fact, supportive way to let them know that you are interested in what they are saying, rather than how they’re saying it. This can go a long way toward reducing awkwardness, uncertainty, or tension in the situation and make it easier for both parties to communicate effectively.

     

    Source: ASHA.org

Five Tips for Getting Insurance to Pay for Therapy

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Did you know that you may be entitled to coverage or reimbursements for services for your child who has a disability or special need.

The Affordable Care Act created new mandates for “essential benefits” (but it left it up to the states to define which benefits insurance companies must provide — so don’t forget, these benefits vary from state to state).  For example, you may receive coverage for applied behavior analysis services for your child with autism.

Here are five tips that can you you get your child’s therapy covered by insurance.

1. Understand the Requirements & Be Persistent

Whenever one is attempting to get health insurance to pay for certain treatments, it pays to be persistent and to understand exactly what is needed in order to get the company to approve the coverage. Speech therapy is an example of one of these areas, where several steps may be required to obtain coverage.

2. Obtain a Medical Diagnosis

A crucial first step in obtaining coverage for speech therapy is to obtain a medical diagnosis indicating that the need for therapy is medical rather than developmental. For instance, verbal apraxia is a speech disorder that results in a delay when speaking, and it is a diagnosis that qualifies for coverage with many health plans. If your child has such a diagnosis, then it may be necessary to obtain a letter from your doctor stating that speech therapy is a medical necessity, and that the disorder is neurologic rather than developmental. Read your insurance policy’s exclusions carefully and make sure that doctors and therapists try to avoid such language in their reports.

3. Include a Personal Letter

An additional step that you may take is for you as a parent to add your own letter emphasizing the medical nature of your child’s condition.

4. Denials of Coverage

It is common to receive a denial of coverage from insurance companies, but this is often not their final answer. You should understand that you may need to be persistent. If you receive an initial denial, be sure to check the denial letter or other insurance documents for the diagnostic code that was used and make sure that it is a neurological code rather than one indicating a developmental delay. Your speech therapist may be able to help. If there is a discrepancy between your child’s actual diagnosis and the one used to deny coverage, this can be the basis for an appeal of the decision.

5. The Appeals Process

If you believe an initial denial of coverage was in error, then the next step is to ask about the company’s appeals process and be prepared to go through it. This will vary according to your insurance company’s policy, but regardless of the details of the process, you will need to submit everything in writing, keep a careful record of communication with the company, and be persistent. To appeal the decision, you must examine the insurance company’s specific reason for denial. You will want to obtain a copy of the insurance company’s master policy and any exclusions, and carefully compare these to the medical evidence you submitted, to make the best argument that your child’s therapy should be covered.

Preparation and persistence are key to obtaining health insurance coverage for special needs therapy.

Conquering the High Cost of Speech-Language Therapy

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Families with a speech disordered child often face a financial burden due to the high cost of speech therapy and other needed treatments. In fact, a survey published in Public Health Reports found that 40% of American families with children with special needs report feeling the strain of the financial toll that those healthcare needs cause. The survey further reported that children with disabilities are more likely to grow up in single-parent households, and that those parents often hold lower-paying jobs. As pricey as speech therapy is, you may be able to reduce the high cost of speech therapy with these tips:

Insurance

If you’re not sure if your insurance will cover the cost of speech therapy, talk to your employer’s human resources representative. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, contact the appropriate department in your state for information on insurance programs.

Flexible Spending Accounts

Ask your employer if he offers a flexible spending account (FSA). An FSA allows you to designate a portion of your income for qualifying medical and childcare expenses. The income is not subject to payroll taxes, which can save you a nice chunk of change.

Sliding Scale

Many hospitals, clinics, and early childhood centers offer services based on a sliding scale. It’s always worth asking your child’s speech therapist if she offers a reduced fee or sliding scale program based on your income.

The Gardiner Scholarship (For Home-Schooled Children)

The Gardiner scholarship is for Florida students 3 years old through 12th grade or age 22, whichever comes first, with one of the following disabilities: Autism spectrum disorder, Muscular dystrophy, Cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Phelan McDermid syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Spina bifida, Williams syndrome, Intellectual disability (severe cognitive impairment), rare diseases as defined by the National Organization for Rare Disorders, anaphylaxis, deaf, visually impaired, dual sensory impaired, traumatic brain injured, hospital or homebound as defined by the rules of the State Board of Education and evidenced by reports from local school districts, or three, four or five year-olds who are deemed high-risk due to developmental delays.

The term “hospital or homebound” includes a student who has a medically diagnosed physical or psychiatric condition or illness, as defined by the state board in rule, and who is confined to the home or hospital for more than 6 months.

  • Students need an IEP written in accordance with the rules of the State Board of Education or with the rules of another state OR the diagnosis of a Florida physician or psychologist or a physician who holds an active license issued by another state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
  • Students must be at least 3 or 4 on or before Sept 1. Students entering kindergarten must be 5 on or before Sept 1. Students entering first grade must be 6 on or before Sept 1.
  • Students can participate in the Gardiner Scholarship program as part of home education. However, they cannot be enrolled in a public school or receive any other state-sponsored scholarship (McKay Scholarship or the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship).

As always, if you feel that your child is in need of speech-language services, be sure to contact an ASHA Certified provider.

 

 

Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation vs. Phonological

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Parents often asked me about the difference between an articulation disorder and a phonological disorder.  Here is the difference:

Articulation (Phonetic) Disorder:

Articulation is the process by which sounds, syllables, and words are formed when your tongue, jaw, teeth, lips, and palate alter the air stream coming from the vocal folds. When an individual cannot produce or distorts an age-expected sound, it affects the ability of the person to be understood.  With an articulation disorder, the child has difficulty saying certain sounds or consonants- for example “wake” for “rake” or as seen with a lisp. Articulation disorders are motor errors than can occur among people of any age; however, they are most common in children whose articulators have not fully developed properly.

Phonological Process Disorder:

A phonological disorder is a simplification of the sound system that also affects intelligibility. Children with phonological processes have difficulty in acquiring a phonological system; involving organizing the patterns of sounds in the brained the output.; not necessarily in the motor production of the sounds like articulation errors.  For example, “fronting” is when sounds that should be produced  by the tongue moving up in the back of the throat are replaced with front sounds -“cake” becomes “take” or “gold” becomes “dold”.  This is typically seen in children whose speech would be considered unintelligible, but can also be seen in children through kindergarten that are developing normally.  Other examples of phonological processes include initial and final consonant deletion, cluster reduction, stopping, backing, gliding, syllable reduction, and consonant harmony.

Both articulation and phonological disorders put a child at risk for difficulties in school, both academically, as well as socially.  If you feel that your child may have a speech disorder, be sure to have his/her speech evaluated by a licensed speech-language pathologist.

 

 

 

Use of Ear Buds Linked to Hearing Loss In Teens

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How often do you listen to music? How often do you use ear phones/buds in order to listen to your music? Did you know that incorrect usage of ear buds can lead to hearing loss even at an early age? While listening to music using earbuds allows us to relax and reduce stress, it can also cause hearing damage unless used properly. According to the Journal of Pediatrics, 12.5 percent of kids between the ages of 6 and 19 suffer from loss of hearing as a result of using ear phones/buds turned to a high volume. Young people are actually vulnerable to hearing loss due to their excessive use of listening at overly high volumes.

Why Now?

Portable music players have been around for decades, so why are hearing problems cropping up now? The answer lies in the sheer number of songs smartphones, iPods and MP3 players can hold. Older portable music players (such as the Sony Walkman) could only hold one CD or cassette at a time, so people listened for a shorter time. However, nanotechnology in electronic devices allows us to easily store thousands of songs, so we are more prone to listening for longer periods of time, which can lead to more ear abuse. Also, the ear buds deliver the sound directly into the ear canal, eliminating other sounds.

Decibels According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), being exposed to more than 85 decibels (about the level that teens listen to their music today) of sound for eight hours can damage your hearing. Loss of hearing is gradual, and usually begins with the high frequencies. If your hearing loss becomes serious enough, you may risk impairing your ability to speak clearly.

Do You Have Hearing Loss?

So how do you know if you have damaged your ears with your music? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may be experiencing hearing damage.

  • Are you hearing people’s voices less clearly?
  • Are you frequently asking people to repeat themselves?
  • Does your family ask you to turn down the television because it is too loud, but you hear it at a normal level?

One way to tell if your music is too loud is if others around you can hear the music you are playing through your ear buds.

Preventing Hearing Loss

By following these simple steps, you can enjoy listening to music while avoiding harmful listening habits that can lead to permanent hearing loss:

  • Switch to headphones: While listening too loudly and for extended periods of time is bad for your health, headphones better isolate the background noise, thus enabling you to listen at a lower volume. Compared to ear buds, headphones put the source of sound farther away from your inner ears. This extra space can protect your eardrums from the strain of listening to direct noise.
  • Listen at volumes lower than 85 decibels because anything higher can cause damage. 85 decibels is roughly the sound of city traffic heard from inside a car.
  • Take a break; listening to music for extended periods of time can impair your hearing.
  • Try the 60/60 rule: Never turn your volume past 60 percent and only listen to music with ear buds for a maximum of 60 minutes per day.
  • Be careful not to fall asleep while listening to music, especially if you are wearing ear buds. Your iPod can’t tell if you are actually listening to the song or not, but if you have music playing in your ears for hours at a time, you are putting yourself at risk of permanently damaging your ears.
  • Some people need “white noise” to fall sleep. If you need to listen to music to fall sleep, put together a playlist of soft songs (like classical piano) and have it play at a low volume from a speaker on your bedside table. Don’t forget to use your clock’s “sleep” function, which will automatically turn off your music after a set amount of time to ensure the music doesn’t end up playing all night long. It saves energy – and your ears.
  • Lower the maximum volume setting on your iPod. To do this, go to “Settings” and select “Volume Limit” under Music. Set it at about 60% of the full volume, that way you can’t accidentally turn your music too high.
  • Remember that higher pitched sounds have greater potential to damage your ears than lower pitched sounds. Consider turning down the volume when a high-pitched song comes on.

With a few simple changes to your listening habits, you can keep your ears healthy and prevent your chances of hearing loss in the future.

Autism: Facts and Latest Research Findings

Laura LeBlanc MA, CCC/SLPLeave a comment

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is used to describe a group of developmental disorders which range in severity, symptoms, and level of disability.  These include autism, Asperger’s syndrome and other disorders which affect one’s ability to communicate and socialize.  The national statistics are startling- 1 in 45 children ages 3 through 17 have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the United States. This is notably higher than the official government estimate of 1 in 68. Here are the the latest research findings:

Autism is in the Genes

  • Studies have identified genes and genetic mutations that may contribute to ASD.  Two such studies have discovered 60 genes that have a greater than 90% chance of contributing to ASD among 500 or more genes associated with ASD overall(Ronemus et al, 2014). ASD has been found to be 4.5 times more common in boys than girls.  It affects children of all social, ethnic and socioeconomic categories.

Problems with “Brain Pruning” May Contribute to ASD

  • Brain pruning is the process by which a brain weeds out unimportant connections and strengthens important ones, based on experience. In a recent report published in Neuron, scientists found that ASD may be associated with higher levels of a molecule that may impair the ability of brain cells to rid of dysfunctional components.

White Matter Fiber Tract Differ in Children with ASD

  • Scientists at the University of North Carolina-chapel Hill studies the development of white matter tracts in infants who later went on to be diagnosed with ASD.  Findings indicated that at 6 months of age, infants with ASD had higher of fractional anisotrophy (FA) in key matter tracts. In other words, the superhighways of the brain are not functioning as efficiently in children with ASD as they are for typically developing children.

Environmental “Triggers” May Play a Role in the Development

  • Prenatal exposure to the pharmaceuticals thalidomide and valproic acid, as well as pesticides, has been linked to an increased risk for developing ASD.

Early Intervention Helps

  • Although there is no medical cure for ASD, research shows that early intervention and well-rounded treatment is the most effective way to ensure success with treating ASD.  Speech-language pathologists play a key role in treating ASD-as social skills and communication are often the first symptoms of autism. Children who completed the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), a behavioral intervention therapy, showed a significant improvement in IQ and language abilities in toddlers with ASD. Researcher also investigated whether the intervention changes brain functioning.  Children who completed the ESDM intervention had faster neural response and higher cortical activation when looking at faces compared to objects.  This suggests that the ESDM intervention may cultivate brain changes that result in higher IQ, language abilities and social behaviors.

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s development and/or communication skills, be sure to contact a licensed speech-language pathologist in your area.

 

 

What is a Lisp?

Laura LeBlanc MA, CCC/SLPLeave a comment

You’ve heard of a lisp-but what exactly is it? A lisp is an articulation disorder where a child is having difficulty correctly producing the “s” and “z” sounds. Sometimes the “sh”, “ch” and “j” sounds may also be in error.  There are 4 main types of lisps:

  • Interdental/frontal lisp: This type of lisp is characterized by a protrusion of the tongue out through the teeth- for example, saying “thwim” instead of “swim” or “thoup” for  “soup”.
  • Dentalized lisp:  A dentalized lips happens when the tongue pushes up against the top teeth during production of  “s” and “z” sounds, cutting off the airflow.

Both interdental/frontal and dentalized lisps are considered developmental in nature and are typically seen in normal speech development.  In other words, the child will most likely “grow out” of it.  It is perfectly normal development for a child to produce an interdental or dentalized lisp until they are about 4.5 years old.

  • Lateral lisp: This type of lisp results in a “slushy” or “spitty” sound.  A lateral lisp occurs when the tongue tip is in a similar position as when making the “l” sound but the air flow escapes out the sides of the sides of the tongue, instead of directly forward and out of the oral cavity.
  • Palatal lisp: A palatal lisp occurs when the mid section of the tongue comes in contact with the soft palate.  The sound of a person with a palatal lisp attempting to produce the “s” and “z” sounds will closely mimic the production of an “h” and a “y”.

Both lateral and palatal lisps are never normal in development and most likely will require speech therapy intervention to correct.  If you feel your child is in need of a speech evaluation, be sure to contact an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist.

 

Predicting First Words in Infants

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According to new research from Indiana University, children’s visual experiences could influence their first words.   The research team, led by Linda Smith (a professor in IU Bloomington’s Dept. of Psychological and Brain Science) found that infants may link objects they most frequently see with words they most often hear.  This new theory of language has been coined “pervasiveness hypothesis”.  Smith went on to add that “visual memory may be the initial key to getting words stuck on objects-familiar objects like table, shirt, bottle, or spoon. It’s an aggregated experience, those very first words may be learned-slowly and incrementally-for a few visually pervasive objects. This may be how infants break into language before their first birthday.”

The results of the study may help inform future interventions for children with language disorders; difficulty learning words could be caused by visual-processing problems.  For more information on this topic, see the March 2017 issue of The ASHA Leader.

If you are concerned about your child’s speech and or language development or skills, be sure to contact an ASHA certified SLP for an evaluation.  A list of providers can be found at http://www.ASHA.org