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Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder

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Handbook of Pragmatic Language Disorders

Abstract

Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SCD) is a neurodevelopmental communication disorder introduced for the first time in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; (American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th ed. Washington, DC: Author, 2013.)). It is characterized by difficulties in the understanding and use of verbal and nonverbal communication. Individuals with SCD present with a heterogenous profile of language, social communication, and behaviour skills. This chapter examines the profile of individuals with SCD and considers how it differs from that of other neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Clinical management of individuals with SCD is also addressed. Key considerations, such as culture, are discussed as professionals must be aware of cultural practices and other influences on social communication, particularly in relation to the assessment of SCD. Current best assessment practices include a combination of parent-, teacher-, and self-report measures of social communication performance, conversation and narrative language sampling, observations of peer interactions, and norm-referenced tests. Evidence-based intervention approaches for supporting social communication performance include individualized programs to address pragmatic language and social cognition, social skills groups to practice the skills needed for specific situations, and peer support interventions to facilitate positive interactions among individuals with social communication concerns and their typical peers.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The distinction between pragmatic language and social communication is difficult to discern in clinical populations because a deficit in one of these developmental areas may adversely affect the other (Norbury, 2014). The terms ‘pragmatic language’ and ‘social communication’ are sometimes used synonymously. In fact, language experts are likely to label a behavior as demonstrating both a pragmatic language skill and a social communication skill if words are required to display the behavior. For example, effectively complimenting a peer is classified as reflecting both pragmatic language and social communication skills but complying with a teacher instruction is likely to be classified as a social communication skill only and not a pragmatic language skill (Izaryk & Skarakis-Doyle, 2017).

  2. 2.

    The DSM-5 description of language disorder focuses on the structural aspects of language, characterized by deficits in vocabulary and grammatical knowledge and use, with subsequent impairment in discourse activities including difficulty sequencing events in a conversation so that the intended meaning is unclear to a communication partner (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). A recent international team of 57 experts has recommended the adoption of the term Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) to reference children and adults who have these linguistic deficits in the absence of accompanying intellectual disabilities, sensory deficits, or genetic syndromes (Bishop et al., 2017). Other terms for language disorder include specific language impairment (SLI) and language impairment (LI). For consistency, we use the DSM-5 term Language Disorder (LD), but also provide the specific diagnostic label used by the authors of research studies reviewed in this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, USA

    Geralyn R. Timler & Danielle Moss

  2. Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Health and Behavioral Studies Building, Harrisonburg, VA, USA

    Geralyn R. Timler & Danielle Moss

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  1. Geralyn R. Timler
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  2. Danielle Moss
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Correspondence to Geralyn R. Timler .

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  1. Department of English and Communication, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Louise Cummings

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Timler, G.R., Moss, D. (2021). Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder. In: Cummings, L. (eds) Handbook of Pragmatic Language Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74985-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74985-9_2

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