Skip to content
  • Services
    • Speech & Feeding and Lactation Services
    • Insurance vs Self-Pay FAQs
    • Does My Plan Cover Speech Therapy?
  • About Us
  • Testimonials
  • SITC BLOG
    • SPEECH
    • FEEDING
    • AAC
    • Orofacial Myology
    • ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
    • LANGUAGE
    • Practice News
    • ESPAÑOL
  • Resources
    • Client Login
    • ADVOCACY
    • Boom Store
    • TPT Store
    • Podcasts & Interviews
    • Therapy Resources
  • Contact
  • Services
    • Speech & Feeding and Lactation Services
    • Insurance vs Self-Pay FAQs
    • Does My Plan Cover Speech Therapy?
  • About Us
  • Testimonials
  • custom-logo
  • SITC BLOG
    • SPEECH
    • FEEDING
    • AAC
    • Orofacial Myology
    • ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
    • LANGUAGE
    • Practice News
    • ESPAÑOL
  • Resources
    • Client Login
    • ADVOCACY
    • Boom Store
    • TPT Store
    • Podcasts & Interviews
    • Therapy Resources
  • Contact
Why is The “S” Sound so Difficult to Say?
SPEECH

Why is The “S” Sound so Difficult to Say?

February 16, 2021February 17, 2021 speechinthecity Comments Off on Why is The “S” Sound so Difficult to Say?

You will most likely hear your child use the “S” sound in words by age 4. Developmentally, speech pathologists know that the “S” sound is not fully mastered in all positions of a word until the age of 8. It is an advanced sound in terms of the order of acquisitions of sounds, but any distortion of the “S” sound should be assessed because it can be an indicator of several issues. Children with “S” sound distortions often have abnormal teeth spacing, a low range of motion of the tongue, and/or a high or narrow hard palate. For instance, a distorted “S” may be an indicator of a tongue tie that was overseen. Moreover, children who demonstrate a tongue thrust (or a lisp) typically produce a distorted “S” sound because their tongue pushes forward between their teeth when swallowing or talking. This, in turn, can negatively impact the structures of the mouth such as the teeth and the hard palate over time causing an overbite and open bite. It is important to work with a speech-language pathologist who has the proper training to correct these patterns. 

Speech sounds have a specific structured motor sequence that coordinates each sound. Any time the speech motor plan is slightly off, the sound changes. The “S” sound can be an extremely hard sound to pronounce because it requires very precise movements and coordination of the tongue, jaw, and a stream of continuous airflow.

The treatment for speech sound disorders are often marked by a “mastered age,” but speech pathologists can identify challenges before a developmentally normed mastered age. Speech-language pathologists can detect abnormalities in the structures of the mouth and refer out to other professionals such as dentists, orthodontists, and/or ENTs (otolaryngologists). SLPs can work collaboratively alongside these professionals and form a proper treatment plan once a diagnosis is made. 

In therapy, we consider more factors than if the child has mastered the sound or not by that specific time.

ARTICULATIONARTICULATION THERAPYspeech therapy

Related Posts

Detecting Childhood of Apraxia
Detecting Childhood of Apraxia
Does Being Tongue-Tied Effect Your Child’s Speech?
Does Being Tongue-Tied Effect Your Child’s Speech?
Speech Therapy for Lisps
Speech Therapy for Lisps
Echolalia and Speech Therapy
Echolalia and Speech Therapy

Post navigation

Echolalia and Speech Therapy
Speech Therapy for Lisps
Hey, There!

Hey, There!

Welcome from Rebecca
Welcome to Speech in The City's blog. Here you'll find out lots of resources to help you or your child in speech and/or feeding therapy. We are always looking for new families to meet and professionals to learn from -Rebecca

CATEGORIES

  • AAC
  • ADVOCACY
  • ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
  • ESPAÑOL
  • FEEDING
  • LANGUAGE
  • ORAL MOTOR
  • Orofacial Myology
  • Podcasts and Interviews
  • Practice News
  • SPEECH
  • Testimonials
  • Therapy Resources

Join Us

Get the latest speech news, home therapy ideas and practice updates.

More Posts

Food Chaining
FEEDING ➤ May 9, 2023

Food Chaining

Food Chaining is a child-friendly treatment approach that slowly introduces unfamiliar foods while branching off the child’s current diet. Food chaining expands the child’s diet and increase the child’s comfort level with all the different...

Read More
Spring has Sprung
LANGUAGE ➤ April 8, 2023

Spring has Sprung

A functional way to increase vocabulary and over all clarity of speech is to label and describe things outside. One way you can do this with your child is by playing eye spy. After a...

Read More
Speech Delay vs. Speech Disorder
SPEECH ➤ March 16, 2023

Speech Delay vs. Speech Disorder

Professionals use a variety of terms when describing children who have difficulty understanding and using language. Although they might sound similar, the terms “speech delay” and “speech disorder” actually have two different meanings. The misuse...

Read More

Instagram

  • Contact
  • Client Login
  • Newsletter
© 2023 | Made in New York City