There's many a slip between the word and the lisp. Speech therapist Snehal Worah encourages people to speak up...

I am: A speech language pathologist.

What does my work involve?

I work on anything connected with speech and audio - from simple speech disabilities (like stammering, lisps, pronunciation problems, loss of voice from an extended cold) to neurological damage and the subsequent inability to talk.

Speech therapy is not just about cure, but regular usage as well:

It doesn't just have to be problem-related. It is important to keep treating your voice. For example, a cricket team has a physiotherapist, who keeps giving the players exercises, recommends massages for specific areas for smoother flow, etc. Similarly, people who use their voices a lot - musicians, lecturers, people in audio professions who are constantly stretching their voices all the time - should keep visiting a speech therapist. It helps to keep working your voice.

There's not much awareness about this field: That's because people with speech problems do not recognise or rather, will not recognise that their speech is a problem that needs to be treated. People with a limp will rectify it, but people with speech impediments normally ignore it till it becomes a serious problem.