Talking About Speech Impediments

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I have a speech impediment known as a "lateral" lisp. From Wikipedia:

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The "lateral" lisp, where the /s/ and /z/ sounds are produced with air escaping over the sides of the tongue, is also called 'slushy ess' or a 'slushy lisp' due to the wet, spitty sound. The symbols for these lateralized sounds are in the Extended International Phonetic Alphabet for speech disorders, [ʪ] and [ʫ].

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Basically, I pronounce the letter "s" using the side of my tongue and mouth. I have tried to pronounce it using the tip of my tongue and my front teeth (which I have gathered is the correct way), but it sounds even worse.

Over the years it has been a big source of insecurity for me. I was teased mercilessly throughout school. Many times, it is difficult for people to understand what I am saying. You can imagine how this would affect one's romantic life and professional career. It seems like it gets even worse when I get nervous and my mouth gets dry.

I have decided to see a speech therapist to attempt to correct my problem. Has anyone had any experience with one, especially as an adult?

The reason I started this thread was to provide a resource of support and advice for those with speech problems. Please share your stories.

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I don't have a speech impediment. But, I do have an experience I can share with you. My stepdaughter, who I first met when she was five, had a speech impediment that was corrected with therapy. Her particular issue was that, despite living in the midwest, she sounded as thoush she was from Boston. Her "r's" were "ahhs" and her "t's" were "d's" etc. etc. T

The other kids at school did make fun of her. I remeber thinking that there is nothing crueler in this world than a first grader with someone to pick on.

Ironically, I was from Boston, so we spoke exactly the same. I of course made a big deal about meeting someone from my hometown and how nice it was to hear someone speak properly.

At any rate, sadly, she soon entered therapy and learned to pronounce all those sounds like everyone else in the midwest. About this same time, I started a business and I noticed that people were reacting negatively to my accent. So, I started working on reducing my accent.

I don't know if the two efforts correlate. But, as an adult, I was able to get rid of my accent. I had to retrain the way I pronounced words, and to do so required thinking about forming the letters correctly. If I am tired or angry, I will lapse. But, for the most part, I was able to eliminate the accent.

In regards to your speech impediment, as long as the cause is not an irreperable or non-compensatable mechanical defect, you should be able to correct the problem.

With regard to your self-esteem and the abuse you suffered as a kid. First off, F all those people who made you feel bad. Most of them were attacking you to make themselves feel better and were/are idiots anyway.

In addition to going fo rspeech therapy, you may want to consider setting and achieving some other goals. For men, physical goals tend to produce good results. Skydiving, martial arts, boxing or even running. If you can do something like that, in tandem with therapy, you should be able to power boost your self-confidence and minimize your insecuruities.