Description and Diagnosis
Social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD) is one of the DSM-5 neurodevelopmental disorders. It is primarily characterized by impairment (pragmatics), which is the area of linguistics that has to do with how meaning is created and understood in verbal and nonverbal interactions. Some symptoms that individuals with SCD experience include a delayed language development, communication patterns appear to be rude and inconsiderate to others, difficulty understanding the main point of a question. Other symptoms include difficulty making friendships because of delayed language development, limited variety in use of language, and having problems understanding what is socially appropriate. SCD may be a specific diagnosis…show more content… Emotional and psychological disorders, and loss of hearing may also affect social communication skills. A child or teenager with this disorder will have problems in following normal social rules of communication (whether they are nonverbal or verbal). An individual with SCD will have difficulty with following rules for conversations (e.g., where each individual takes a turn to speak). Changing language depending on the situation and needs of the listener is another difficulty an individual with SCD possesses. These kinds of difficulties in social communication lead the child to having problems participating in a social manner with others, communicating effectively with others, and can even affect academic performance. This disorder is most commonly diagnosed by the age of 5, since most children possess adequate speech and language abilities (American Psychological Association, 2013). By the age of 5 identification of deficits in social communication should be evident. However, there are milder forms of SCD that may not become…show more content… An individual with SCD must have impaired ability to change communication to match the situation of the listener (e.g., speaking differently in a classroom than when playing with friends and speaking differently to an adult than to a child). Individuals with SCD must have difficulties with following rules during storytelling and conversations. They may have problems rephrasing a statement when misunderstood, and difficulty knowing how to use verbal and nonverbal gestures to manage interactions with others. Individuals with SCD must have difficulties grasping what is not explicitly stated. SCD deficits must result in functional limitations in social participation, effective communication, academic achievement, social relationships, or occupational performance. These deficits may occur individually or in combination with each other. The onset of symptoms for SCD occurs in the early developmental period and the symptoms are not attributable to another medical or neurological condition. The symptoms must not be derived from low abilities in the area of grammar and word structure, are not
