What are Social Communication Skills?
- They may struggle with understanding and using non-verbal communication skills expectedly, for example they may find it difficult to read facial expressions, stand too close/too far from their communication partner, make limited eye contact and show little variation in the tone of their voice.
- They may find it tricky to understand sarcasm or jokes.
- They may struggle with starting, maintaining and ending conversations appropriately, for example they may frequently interrupt, talk off topic or not ask their conversation partner questions. They may find it easier to talk about topics they are interested in.
- They may respond unexpectedly in social situations and find it difficult to change how they communicate in different scenarios, for example they may talk to a teacher the same way they would talk to a friend.
- Sometimes they might be seen as being ‘rude’ but really they are struggling to understand and know how to respond to the social situation.
What signs may a young person with social communication difficulties present with?
- They may struggle with understanding and using non-verbal communication skills appropriately, for example they may find it difficult to read facial expressions, stand too close/too far from their communication partner, make limited eye contact and show little variation in the tone of their voice.
- They may struggle to understand sarcasm or jokes.
- They may struggle with starting, maintaining and ending conversations appropriately, for example they may frequently interrupt, talk off topic or not ask their conversation partner questions. They may find it easier to talk about topics they are interested in.
- They may respond inappropriately in social situations and find it difficult to change how they communicate in different scenarios, for example they may talk to a teacher the same way they would talk to a friend.
- Sometimes they might be seen as being ‘rude’ but really they are struggling to understand and know how to respond to the social situation.
How can you support your child at home?
- Explain what to do in social situations as they arise. For example, if your child interacts in a way which is not typical to the situation, tell them clearly what is expected and why and show them what they could do instead.
- Say what you mean – avoid using sarcasm, indirect language or subtle facial expressions to explain instead clearly state what you mean, for example, ‘I feel annoyed because…’
- Give positive instructions – tell your child what they should be doing rather than what they shouldn’t be doing.
- Praise your child when they show good social communication skills and be specific about what they did well.
Activities you can try at home
- Guess the emotion
Look at pictures of people in magazines or on TV together and try to guess how the person might be feeling. Discuss how you can tell this, either from their facial expression, body language or the situation.
- Conversation practice
Start by having conversations that are motivating and exciting for your child, related to their interests. Gradually start to introduce some new topics, and use objects/photos to help engage your child in these new topics.
Model comments about likes and dislikes during a conversation to show your child how to share this type of information (e.g. “This girl in the story is swimming in the pool. I like swimming in the sea”). Pause, and wait to see if your child wants to share some information about themselves. If they don’t after a pause, you could ask a follow-up question “Where do you like to swim?”.
