- 1). Educate yourself. You should become aware of all the factors that could be causing you to have a lisp. In many cases a lisp that exists past the age of 5 is caused by tongue placement or size that makes pronunciation of certain sounds and vowels difficult. Children sometimes seem to speak with a lisp because they may have learned the improper pronunciation of sounds.
- 2). Locate a speech therapist in your area. A speech therapist will be able to conduct an assessment and diagnose the cause of your speech impediment. Through a series of speech exercises and brief examination of your tongue, the therapist should be able to determine if you could be helped by therapy.
- 3). Undergo a language assessment. After meeting with the speech therapist, you may be referred to a speech pathologist for a language assessment. Undergoing a language assessment will help the speech therapist and pathologist identify your speech issues and create the appropriate treatment plan. The speech pathologist will also examine your mouth and sample your speech as part of the assessment.
- 4). Follow the recommended treatment plan. Whether your plan comes from the speech therapist or speech pathologist, you must be committed to completing the exercises as recommended. Mouth placement exercises could be a part of your plan. The goal with mouth exercises is to keep the center of your tongue curved so air flows over it. Drinking from a straw is also used as a treatment. Some therapists believe that drinking from a straw trains the tongue to pull back, which will help you get used to the feeling of tongue retraction that is important to effectively pronounce some letters.
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