"How do you navigate the world?"
What is social Language?
Social communication, or social language, is the use of language within social contexts. It encompasses social interaction, cognition, pragmatics and language processing.
what CAN my child learn?
Some objectives of treatment for social language may include, though not limited to,
- how to engage in conversation (taking turns, staying on topic, asking/answering questions, asking permissions, etc.)
- how to use language to make and keep friends
- how to use language to repair communication breakdowns
- how to make social inferences and predictions
- developing a Theory of Mind (understanding other people's feelings, thoughts, intentions, etc.)
- using language to problem solve
- how to express emotions/feelings and respond to them proactively
- how to engage in disagreement and navigate conflict
- changing communication style based on communication partners or settings
- using verbal and nonverbal signals in communication
- how to tell and understand stories
- understanding ambiguous or figurative language (e.g., social sayings, telling jokes, teasing)
- how to use language in dating and forming intimate relationships (for young adults, when appropriate)
Some of the curriculums and modalities used to teach social language are didactic teaching method, video modeling, peer-mediated techniques, comic strip conversations, Social Stories™, controlled practice, Zones of Regulation, Size of the Problem, Social cognition, expected vs. unexpected behaviors, and PEERS evidence based program techniques. Therapy approaches are chosen based on which technique and method reaches the individual's learning style the best.
For more on social communication disorder, please check out this link.