The following features may indicate difficulties with social communication and children may present one or more of these characteristics:
Social Communication
In addition to children developing their structural language skills, it is also important to consider how they use their language to engage with others.
Difficulties in very young children
- Inconsistent/unusual eye contact
- Does not consistently respond to name
- Does not point to objects to show others or bring objects to others to show them
- Does not try to direct adult’s attention to own activity for shared interest
- Can appear indifferent to others
- Play is restricted and often repetitive- no imaginative play or plays using learned sequences only
- Unusual reactions to sound
- Echolalia (echoes words)
Difficulties in older pre-school children
- Has difficulty with turn-taking in interactions (e.g. not listening/co-operating with conversational partner)
- Good vocabulary but has difficulty gauging what the listener needs to know, e.g. may assume knowledge or may talk incessantly about favourite topics
- Chunks of language may have been learned and repeated in a rote manner
- Lack of creative pretend play
- Difficulty with understanding other people’s emotions. May result in inappropriate social reactions
- Inflexible behaviours e.g. experience difficulty when routines change