If your toddler had a tip at the end of his or her tongue that caused him/her to speak with a lisp, or speech impediment, would you get it clipped to stop it?

Personal note: this happened to me. I have no recollection of it, but my mom said that when I was about two or three years old, I spoke with a lisp, and that the doctors recommended that my tongue be clipped. She said I screamed and cried for days over the pain, but in the end, I'm glad they did it.

Again, if your child were developing a lisp, is this something you'd do?

If it would ultimately help him, yes.

Honestly, I've never heard about this. If doctors thought it was best and a speech therapist thought that was the only way to successfully handle it, I would. Going through life with a lisp has to be difficult.

My nephew is going through the same ordeal now. My sister is planning on getting that rectified very soon, and yes I would as well.

RedBedroom wrote:

Honestly, I've never heard about this. If doctors thought it was best and a speech therapist thought that was the only way to successfully handle it, I would. Going through life with a lisp has to be difficult.

I agree Red. At another forum, I read once people objecting to having this done to a young child, but I can't see a logical reason why not. It's the best way to correct the situation.

RedBedroom wrote:

Honestly, I've never heard about this. If doctors thought it was best and a speech therapist thought that was the only way to successfully handle it, I would. Going through life with a lisp has to be difficult.

I've never heard of it either. Sounds a little strange to me. I would definitely be seeing more than one doctor and getting several opinions about that idea.

I've never heard of this either. I would have to know a lot more about the procedure.

It is basically a minor birth defect, where someone is born with a small growth at the end of their tongue, which causes them to have a speech impediment …reminiscent to Cindy Brady. Doctors can clip it off, and no longer will they have a lisp.

This is what it looks like.



Some babies are born with the end of their tongue attached to the bottom of their mouths, and it creates a lisp when they talk...and yeah I would get it clipped.

Of course the next question though is what could go wrong during the procedure? A slip? Infection? With even minor surgeries there are risks involved.

Never heard of it with a lisp but yes - I'd probably correct it. My friend said that all three of her kids had to have... shoot - it was some kind of minor surgery in which that part under your tongue that attaches it to the mouth is clipped to allow more movement. I guess kids born with thie condition aren't able to lift their tongue to the roof of their mouth. She said it was really simple and the kids hardly fussed and there was almost no blood - said getting her daughters' ears pierced caused more fuss.

I guess if it's not corrected, the children have a really hard time learning to talk. Imagine trying to talk without lifting your tongue?

Supernova wrote:

Of course the next question though is what could go wrong during the procedure? A slip? Infection? With even minor surgeries there are risks involved.

There's undoubtedly some risk for something to go wrong, but it's probably a minor one; I think it's worth chancing to correct the problem.