Winston Churchill’s Dentures

Speech Disorders
Winston Churchill Flashing Victory Sign

Image source: Sunlituplands.org

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches… we shall never surrender…

Winston Churchill didn’t have the advanced wartime technology of today at his disposal, but he did have his words. He used them to great effect (despite all those run-on sentences). Churchill delivered his “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” speech before Parliament in 1940. He was concerned about only one thing: defending his beloved island. (Well that, and stopping the Nazi advance.) He had to tell Parliament about a disastrous military defeat and discuss the possibility of a Nazi invasion, yet simultaneously boost morale. And he did it all with a speech impediment (or possibly two).

Continue reading

Celebrities with Lisps

Pronunciation & Lisps Speech Disorders
Person with a Lisp

Image source: Ehow.com

As a parent, one of the hardest things is to see your child struggle. We wish we could protect them from everything, including being bullied or feeling low self-esteem because of a difference. As a child with a speech disorder grows older and begins to attend playgroups and school, other children might call attention to the differences in his speech and language patterns. Having positive role models who also struggled with these issues might help your child overcome this. Numerous celebrities have been diagnosed with speech disorders, including lisps. Discuss these stories with your child and remind him that he can accomplish anything he puts his mind to.

Continue reading