Pragmatics: A Guideline to Understanding The Role of Social Language Skills

Written By: Elissa Murnick M.S. CCC-SLP Certified Speech Language Pathologist, Director Murnick Speech & Language Associates

The term “Pragmatics” refers to the use of language to perform social functions. Pragmatics refers to the social language skills we  use in our daily interactions with others.  They include what we say, how we say it, our body language and whether it is appropriate to the given situation. Pragmatic skills are essential for communicating our personal thoughts, ideas and feelings.  Children, adolescents and adults with poor pragmatic skills often misinterpret other’s communicative intent and have difficulty responding appropriately either verbally or non-verbally. Many children on the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulty with Pragmatic Language Skills, especially those children with Aspergers Syndrome. In addition, many children with Expressive and Receptive Language Disorders or other disorders have difficulty in this area as well.

Examples of Pragmatic Skills:

·Initiating and terminating conversation  appropriately

·Asking for, giving and responding to information

·Turn-taking in conversation over multiple exchanges

 Establishing and maintaining eye contact 

·Introducing and maintaining a topic in conversation

For more examples of Pragmatic Language Skills, visit pragmatic language on my website.

Speech Language Pathologists often work with children with Pragmatic Language Difficulties. An SLP can determine whether or not a child needs intervention based on observation in a clinical setting or in their educational or social setting, completing checklists by parents or teachers and can administer a standardized assessment such as the Test of Pragmatic  Language (TOPL). Speech Pathologists often treat children with pragmatic language difficulties in small “social skills” groups. Children with these difficulties often benefit from modeling appropriate social language skills and social stories which are scripted scenarios of how a person should behave in a certain situation (i.e. the playground). “Social Stories” describes a situation, skill, or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses in a specifically defined style and format. The goal of a “Social Story” is to share accurate social information in a patient and reassuring manner that is easily understood by its audience. Half of all Social Stories developed should affirm something that an individual does well. Although the goal of a “Social Story” should never be to change the individual’s behavior, that individual’s improved understanding of events and expectations may lead to more effective responses.  Children with Pragmatic Language Difficulties often have difficulty with peers and forming friendships. These children benefit from multiple opportunities to practice these skills in a variety of contexts.  Many of these children benefit from a peer model (child without Pragmatic Language difficulties) to help demonstrate the correct usage of social skills.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH PRAGMATIC LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES

· Review concepts with your child such as eye-contact, turn-taking and topic maintenance prior to activities that require socialization.

·Have your older child practice making telephone calls with a written down script to remind him/her what to say and how to say it (i.e. “start with your greeting, ask your questions, wait for pause time for the other person to respond, close the conversation with a “good bye” and “thank you”).

·Play games with your child and/or other siblings that require turn-taking such as Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders. Practice playing by the rules, taking turns, talking about the game, keeping proper body language and not unrelated topics and being a good sport. Allow your child to “lose” the game and discuss coping skills when it happens.

·Practice role playing social scenarios with members of the family with a script such as “eating in the cafeteria”. You can tell your child that you are acting out a skit. Practice initiating conversation or entering a conversation appropriately without interrupting, taking conversational turns over multiple instances, maintaining eye-contact, maintaining proper space from the conversational partner and using proper facial expressions (i.e. smiling)

For more suggestions for parents of children with Pragmatic Language Difficulties, visit pragmatic language on my website.

RECOMMENDED IPAD APPLICATIONS FOR PRAGMATIC LANGUAGE

· Social Skills Builder by Social Skills Builder Inc.

· Conversation Builder by Mobile Education Store Inc.

Social Express Lite

For more IPad applications to target social language skills, visit pragmatic language on my website.

Elissa Murnick is a licensed, certified Speech Language Pathologist and the owner of Murnick Speech & Language Associates in Fairfield, CT. She has worked for almost 15 years with children of all ages with a wide range of speech and language disorders in a public and private school setting as well as private practice. For more information about scheduling an evaluation visit Murnick Speech & Language Associates on the web at www.murnickspeechandlanguage.com.