Is your child hesitant to speak in public? Let's talk about Pragmatic Language Disorder!

Your child is a good conversationalist at home, but have you ever felt a little worried about how he behaves in public, at parties, or at school? Maybe he interrupts in the middle of a conversation. Or he says something completely unrelated to the conversation. Or you feel like he doesn't understand other people's facial expressions and emotions. When you see these things, some parents think that their child is being "bad" on purpose. But this could be a deeper topic that we need to talk about.

What is Pragmatic Language Disorder?

Simply put, this is a social communication disorder. Sometimes it is also called ``Social Communication Disorder''. The problem here is not in pronouncing words or forming sentences. The problem is in not understanding how to use language appropriately for the society and the situation.

Imagine, if language were like a vehicle, these children could drive, that is, they could speak words. But they don't know the rules of the road. They don't understand the social rules of where to stop, who to give way to, and when to honk the horn.

Normally, we use three main skills when using language. All three skills are challenging for children with this condition.

1. Using language for a specific purpose: Using language appropriately for things like starting a conversation by saying 'hello', asking for something, or expressing one's opinion.

2. Changing your language according to the audience or the situation: Imagine that you are talking to a small child, not a teacher at school. You are talking to a playground, not a classroom. That is how you change your language to suit the situation.

3. Following social rules in conversation: Listening while someone else is speaking and taking your turn to speak, staying on topic, maintaining personal space, and understanding the other person's facial expressions and body language.

What are the symptoms that can be seen in this situation?

Let's look at some of the behaviors that you might see in a child with this condition. These may make you think they're very stubborn or bad kids. But in reality, they're just weak.

How is this treated?

There are several main goals of treating this.

• Identifying and capitalizing on the child's strengths while helping them overcome their weaknesses.
• Teaching new social skills and encouraging the child to participate in social situations.
• Helping the child and family to live successfully with this condition.

Treatment can vary. It is very important to seek the help of a Speech and Language Therapist for this. Your doctor will refer you for this. Some of the methods used here are:

• Social Stories: A story using simple pictures and words teaches the child how to behave in a social situation (e.g., a birthday party).
• Role-playing: The child practices a difficult situation (e.g., going to a store and asking for something) with the parent or therapist.
• Video demonstrations: Show the child videos that show how people behave in different social situations and talk about them.
• Peer Groups: Children are brought together with other children who have similar problems and trained in social skills under the supervision of a therapist.

How can you, as parents, help at home?

As well as therapy, the support you provide at home as a parent is also very valuable to your child. Try these things to practice what you learn in therapy at home.

• Ask your child to tell you an everyday event or story. If parts of the story aren't clear, ask questions like, "I didn't get that, son, who were you talking about?" Explain to him why those details are important to understanding the story.
• Help your child understand the topic of the conversations they are listening to, reading, or participating in.
• Practice nonverbal cues, such as smiling, frowning, and folding your arms. Ask your child what each gesture means.
• Practice starting a conversation with 'Hello' and ending it with something like 'I'll be right back.'
• Practice role-playing how to explain the same thing to different people (e.g., grandma, little brother, friend). Talk about how language should change depending on who is speaking.
• When you tell a story to your child, intentionally omit some details (such as using pronouns instead of names). Encourage your child to ask you what else he or she needs to know to understand the story.