Adult here who had speech therapy for an S lisp. You do need to get it corrected, because it’s a speech habit that’s difficult to break. I was pulled out for speech therapy in 3rd grade and was coached for about three months.

Ask your dentist to check their palate. Some palate formations make it harder to correct the S.

My oldest grew out of her S problem around age 8 -- we just reminded her to keep her teeth together and corrected her occasionally. Youngest DD is currently in speech for R sounds and her therapist mentioned that S is one of the easier ones to correct. That tracks with my experience as a kid also, since I was pulled out of my 3rd grade class once a week for a group speech session and it still only took a few months to fix.

My son started speech therapy for a variety of 'missing' sounds at 4 years old through a private clinic (vs school based).

After about a year, the "s" was the only missing sound. They gave us the option of continuing or just waiting to see if it would come in time. We opted to keep going and the sound was solid within a couple months. We've had to practice here and there over time to keep things in place, but there are ways to make it fun.

He's 8 now and has no issues. He even corrects himself through his missing teeth -- it is just the teeth causing the issue, but he's aware of how he sounds and doesn't like it; I think he remembers being teased and having people say they couldn't understand him.

He has a number of friends -- older and younger -- missing their "s" and "r" who have never had speech therapy. Personally, I think it is best to get it done and over with at an early age.

bringing this post back as my 8 year old also has a lisp. He says "s" like "th"

We had him evaluated in 1st grade but at the time he was missing lower 2 fronts and top 2 were loose. The school's speech therapist said we needed to wait until his permanent front teeth were in. They are in and he hasn't outgrown the lisp which was another possibility mentioned by the ST.

With weekly sessions, how long did this take to correct?

I started speech therapy at 8, was done in about six months, and never listed after that.

Still think it’s best to handle as early as possible. You don’t grow out of it becaus it’s a habit — one you don’t know how to correct unless coached. I remember how hard it was to change the habit, and it did take weekly sessions.

I’d get it dealt with right away. It’s present and can likely be resolved without much difficulty. Sit in on the sessions and have the SLP teach you how to practice at home — e.g., using the Articulation app. My son was in speech therapy for a year for multiple sound issues from age 4.5 - 5.5. He’s 7 now and we still practice occasionally if I notice sounds — especially that pesky “s” — slipping.

I agree with the wait and see approach. My son had a lisp and I waited until he was 8 or 9 to take him to a speech therapist. He went weekly one summer and that took care of it.

Please get it fixed. I still do this and I am in my mid thirties. It is incredibly hard to change the longer she does it.

Kids are expected to have that sound by age 7. So yes, she could still outgrow it. Especially if she's often getting it right.

Up to you if you want to spend the time and money now. It's often easier to fix when a bit younger, but it certainly is fine to wait.

My 6 yo son has this, he got some speech therapy and may get more as his adult teeth come in.

If I were you, I would get a few sessions now so you can learn the exercises and do them at home. Repetition is key, and you can make progress without having to take your child for months and months, paying a ton. Knowing what to correct and how (which the therapist can show you) is a good start - at least that is what I found.

My DS had that - I recommend a few sessions of therapy so the kid can find out exactly what is the issue and learn to correct. My DS basically doesn't have it anymore, but sometimes I hear him correct himself if it comes out wrong so I'm glad he knows and understands how to fix.

Does anyone have experience with their child having a lisp when they say their S’s?

My 5.5yo has one about 75% of the time. She can say words correctly but most of the time I can see that she puts her tongue between her two front teeth a touch.

Anyway, took her to see a speech therapist who said she definitely needed therapy ASAP to correct it. However, the mother of a kid in DD’s class happens to be a speech therapist for a school so I casually asked her for her thoughts and she said she can hear the lisp but it’s the kind of thing that could go away with time. When I told her I was advised to start speech right away she said any speech therapist would push you toward services vs waiting to see.

So did anyone’s kid have a lisp and outgrow it? Or is it better to be proactive now to correct it?