A social communication disorder is characterized by difficulty using verbal and nonverbal language for social purposes. Social communication includes pragmatics, social interaction, social cognition, and language processing. A social communication disorder is not the same diagnosis as autism spectrum disorder. The causes of social communication disorder as a primary diagnosis are unknown.  

Signs and Symptoms: 

• Difficulty changing language and communication style based on setting or partner 
• Challenges engaging in conversation (e.g., initiating or entering a conversation, topic maintenance, turn-taking)
• Difficulty repairing communication breakdowns (e.g., rephrasing when misunderstood)
• Demonstrating inappropriate verbal (e.g., prosodic features) and nonverbal (e.g., gesture) signals to regulate interactions 
• Difficulty making inferences (understanding information that is not explicitly stated) or using nonliteral meanings of language (e.g., idioms, humor)

At One Speech Therapy, our licensed speech-language pathologists will help your child acquire new skills and strategies to enhance meaningful communication and social participation. Our speech therapists will tailor goals to address your child’s specific needs in a variety of natural environments. Social skill groups are also offered to provide instruction, engage in role-playing scenarios, and deliver feedback to teach and encourage ways to interact with peers.