How To Help Your Child Manage Social Language Difficulties

Communication involves so much more than just speaking. Eye contact, body language, and active listening are all key aspects of communication as well. And when a child struggles with these skills–a condition usually referred to as social and pragmatic language difficulties–it can have a big impact on their day-to-day life. 

Fortunately, pediatric therapy can give your child the tools they need to improve their social and pragmatic skills. Through fun games and other activities, our pediatric therapists will help your child improve their communication so they can more easily make friends and excel in school and at play.

Keep reading to learn more about the signs and symptoms of social and pragmatic language difficulties, plus what pediatric therapy can do to help.

Does My Child Struggle with Social and Pragmatic Language?

Generally speaking, a child has social and pragmatic language difficulties if they struggle with the social aspect of communication. Although various cultural or personality factors influence these aspects, we focus on difficulties that interfere with daily life.

Furthermore, not everyone struggles with the same areas of social communication, so it’s important to remember that symptoms can vary wildly. The following are some of the more common symptoms and can help you better understand what this condition can look like:

• Not making eye contact while speaking or struggling with other types of nonverbal communication
• A tendency to talk over others and not take turns in a conversation
• Communicating in a way that’s not appropriate for a particular context (note that this can vary based on cultural norms)
• Inability to altar a communication style to suit a specific situation
• Struggling to understand metaphors or other types of ambiguous or inferential language
• Telling stories in a disjointed or confusing manner

If you notice your child struggling with these skills, don’t panic! Pediatric therapy offers specialized training to help your child communicate more effectively in a way that works for them.

What To Expect from Treatment at Skills on the Hill

We always begin with a comprehensive evaluation to help us understand your child’s unique needs and abilities. The assessment allows us to rule out other potential causes of your child’s communication difficulties, such as hearing loss. We want to ensure your child gets the exact treatment they need! 

This process also helps us identify areas of improvement, but it also lets us know your child’s communication strengths. That way, we can create a treatment plan emphasizing those strengths while addressing difficulties.

We personalize all treatment plans to the child, ensuring all interventions match your child’s age and interests. Children learn through play, so we want to ensure that all therapy sessions are fun and engaging. The more fun your child has, the better the outcomes!

Here are some of the techniques we might use, depending on your child:

• Create a comic strip conversation: We’ll ask your child to fill in the text bubbles on a comic strip, matching the words to the illustrations.
• Develop a social script: We’ll provide your child with scripted prompts for different social interactions.
• Social Stories™: This structured intervention uses stories to explore different social situations to demonstrate appropriate behaviors and responses.
• Have a one-on-one conversation: After identifying specific skills to focus on, we’ll engage your child in one-on-one discussions so they can practice those skills. We’ll then ask them to review the interaction.
• Join a social skills group: This technique asks your child to participate in activities with a small group of peers with similar language difficulties. Our therapists will facilitate the session as children roleplay different situations.

How Can We Help Your Child?

As with other communication disorders, the best way to learn how we can help your child is by scheduling an appointment at our Washington, DC, or Arlington, VA clinic. Our expert therapists will perform a comprehensive assessment and can provide tailored information about your child’s unique needs.

Call Skills on the Hill to get started today!

Sources:

https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2020_PERSP-20-00147

https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/social-communication-disorder