What is social communication disorder?
Social communication disorder is a lasting difficulty using spoken and nonverbal language for social purposes. It can involve interacting with others, understanding social situations, using language flexibly, or a mix of these. Communication styles differ across families and cultures, and a difference in style is not a disorder.
Signs parents notice
- Trouble taking turns, staying on topic or knowing how much to say
- Difficulty adjusting how they talk to different listeners or settings
- Taking jokes, sarcasm or hints literally
- Difficulty retelling what happened so a listener can follow
- Missing cues like facial expressions, tone of voice or body language
- Struggling to start or keep friendships
Who it affects
Social communication difficulties are central to autism spectrum disorder, and are also common in children with ADHD, a history of language disorder or a brain injury. We look at the whole picture: language, attention, play and how your child gets along in daily settings.
How therapy helps
Therapy is practical and built around real situations, such as the playground, the classroom and the dinner table:
- Conversation skills
- Starting, keeping and ending conversations, taking turns and staying on topic.
- Reading social cues
- Noticing faces, tone and body language, and working out what others mean.
- Flexible language
- Adjusting how you talk to different people and settings.
- Storytelling
- Retelling events in order with enough detail for a listener.
- Practice with others
- Role-play, small groups and coaching for parents and teachers so skills carry over into daily life.