Social Skills Therapy
What are social communication skills?
Social communication skills, also known as pragmatics are rules that we use when we communicate and interact with each other. It encompasses three main skills that are:
1-Using language for various functions
-Greeting, asking, informing, demanding, protesting and requesting
2-Changing language for the communication partner
-Modifying the way we communicate to fit different people and different circumstances (baby, parent and teacher) or where we are at (classroom vs. playground)
3-Following rules for conversations
-taking turns when talking, maintaining conversation, being relevant, and using appropriate body language
Signs and symptoms of social communication disorder include difficulties in:
- Responding to greetings or questions
- Reading verbal and non-verbal cues
- Taking turns during talking or playing
- Staying on topic during a conversation
- Maintaining a conversation
- Repairing communication breakdown
- Making and playing with friends
- Talking about feelings and how it affects others
- Using appropriate body gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact.
How can we help?
We will assess the social communication difficulty before recommending appropriate activities to work on the child’s specific difficulties. We will also educate parents on a variety of strategies to maximize therapy during daily routines.
School visits are sometimes recommended to guide your child on how to interact with his teacher and peers in school. We also run group therapy sessions to encourage appropriate interaction with other children.