Social Communication
What is Social Communication?
Social communication refers to the way that we use language to interact with other people. This is also referred to as ‘pragmatic language’.
Social communication involves more than just spoken words, it includes gestures, messages sent with our eyes, voice tone or pitch, changes to facial expression, and using the body to communicate.
All groups of people have ‘unspoken rules’ for social communication. Some of these are the same across cultures and social groups, such as waving to say hello, but others are specific to certain groups and will vary depending on the people, location and situation.
For effective communication, we need to learn about another person or group’s communication preferences to understand their meaning. For example, for some people, eye contact indicates that a person is interested and actively listening, but for other people, this can be seen as uncomfortable or offensive.
Why is Social Communication important?
Social communication sets the foundation for building relationships with others.
By demonstrating appropriate social communication skills for the context, we show other people that we are interested in them.
When these ‘unspoken rules’ are not followed, this can lead to a communication breakdown, which sometimes makes people feel confused, uncomfortable or isolated.
How do Autism and ADHD affect social communication?
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism Spectrum Disorder, often referred to as just ‘Autism’, is a neurodevelopmental condition* associated with differences in social communication, and restricted or repetitive behaviours, interests and activities.
Autism can make it difficult for people to communicate effectively with others, often impacting their ability to form friendships and relationships.
Autism is diagnosed by a psychologist, paediatrician (for children), or psychiatrist (for adults), according to criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). Speech pathologists often contribute to this diagnostic process by providing an assessment of a person’s social interactions (this is sometimes called a ‘pragmatic language assessment’).
It is important to acknowledge the ‘spectrum’ element of Autism, in that there is a wide range of variation in the extent that Autistic people are affected by communication challenges. Some people have significant difficulty on a day-to-day basis, whereas other Autistic people require less support to get through their day. Often, this depends on the environment and who the person needs to interact with.
Asperger’s Syndrome refers to a certain type of Autistic profile that used to be listed under a separate category in the DSM. Since 2013, Asperger’s has been included under the ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ category and is no longer a separate diagnosis, however some people still like to use this term to describe themselves.
It is common for Autistic people to also be diagnosed with other conditions, such as ADHD, Intellectual Disability, and speech or language difficulties.
*There is a growing movement towards ‘neurodiversity-affirming practice’, which acknowledges that Autistic brains are different, but this is not a deficit. We encourage you to read our Neurodiversity-affirming Position Statement for more information about this area.
How does Autism affect communication?
Autism can impact people in different ways. Differences in the way Autistic people use and respond to social cues compared to neurotypical people can often be misinterpreted, leading to conversation breakdown. This might include:
- Differences in facial expression and body language, which might make others think that they are not listening to the conversation or interested in interacting
- Finding it hard to acknowledge another person’s perspective
- Preferences to only discuss or interact with certain topics or interests
- Difficulty understanding non-literal language such as idioms or colloquial phrases
- Difficulty interpreting others’ intentions through voice tone or non-direct language. For example, some Autistic people might find it challenging to know if a person is being sarcastic or making a joke.
These communication challenges, and associated relationship breakdowns, can often have significant negative impacts on Autistic people’s mental health.
Learn more about how we approach neurodiversity-affirming practice here.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with inattention, hyperactivity and/or impulsiveness. People with ADHD might have mostly hyperactive symptoms, mostly inattentive symptoms, or a combination of hyperactive and inattentive symptoms.
ADHD can make it difficult for children or adults to do daily tasks in the same way as a person without ADHD. It is diagnosed by a paediatrician, psychologist or psychiatrist.
ADHD can impact people in different ways. Common challenges that impact communication include:
- Finding it hard to stay focused on a conversation
- Difficulty listening to instructions
- Having trouble telling a story in the right order
- Difficulty maintaining focus when reading or writing, particularly in an academic setting
These communication challenges can affect a person’s learning, social interactions, or ability to regulate their emotions.
While speech pathologists do not diagnose or treat ADHD, they have lots of good strategies to support people with their learning or speech goals while acknowledging the additional challenges that someone with ADHD might experience.
Speech pathologists can also identify any associated speech or language difficulties that may be present and provide treatment or strategies to help improve communication.
How do speech pathologists support people with social communication skills?
Speech pathologists might:
- Provide strategies to help people to communicate their wants, needs, and thoughts, through spoken or nonverbal language.
- Give communication partners (people who regularly communicate with the person) strategies to engage with their neurodivergent family members or interpret their communication
- Support people to understand how different communication styles or language choices might affect their connections or relationships
- Help to facilitate back-and-forth communication through play
- Use visual supports to help make some social communication concepts more tangible
- Promote flexible thinking and developing a shared understanding for all people within a communication exchange
At Box Hill Speech Pathology, we believe in offering a range of evidence-based therapy options for both children and adults.
Please head to our contact page for more information or call 9899 5494 to book an initial consultation.