Social Skills and Pragmatics: Developing Social Communication
Social skills and the pragmatics of language are the necessary competencies for effective communication in society: knowing what to say, how, when, and to whom. Often deficient in ASD, ADHD, and language disorders, these skills can be explicitly worked on. This guide presents the different social skills and strategies to develop them.
📋 In this article
What is pragmatics?
Pragmatics is the branch of linguistics that studies the use of language in social context. While phonology focuses on sounds, syntax on sentence structure, and semantics on word meaning, pragmatics focuses on how we use language to communicate effectively with others.
Pragmatic skills allow one to:
- Adapt one's speech to the interlocutor and context
- Respect conversation rules (turn-taking, topic...)
- Understand the implicit, humor, irony
- Use non-verbal language (eye contact, gestures, expressions)
- Interpret others' intentions
Major Social Skills
👋 Initiate and maintain a conversation
Knowing how to make contact (greet, introduce oneself), introduce a topic, ask questions, respond to what the other person says, and conclude appropriately. This is a complex skill that requires coordinating several abilities.
🔄 Respect turn-taking
Knowing how to wait for one's turn to speak, not interrupt, recognize signals that indicate the other has finished (pause, eye contact). This skill is often difficult in ADHD and ASD.
🎯 Stay on topic
Staying on the theme of the conversation, making relevant comments, avoiding digressions or abrupt topic changes. Knowing how to change the subject appropriately as well.
👀 Use and interpret non-verbal cues
Eye contact, facial expressions, distance, and gestures are integral parts of communication. Knowing how to use and decode them is essential.
🎭 Understand emotions and intentions
Identifying emotions in oneself and others, understanding the intentions behind behaviors (theory of mind), and adapting one's response accordingly.
📖 Understand the implicit and figurative
Understanding what is not said explicitly: implications, irony, metaphors, idiomatic expressions, humor. This can be difficult for individuals with ASD who may take language literally.
Signs of Pragmatic Difficulties
| Domain | Observed Difficulties |
|---|---|
| Conversation | Monologue, does not answer questions, changes topic without warning, does not share the interlocutor's interests |
| Turn-taking | Interrupts, does not allow the other to express themselves, or conversely never intervenes |
| Non-verbal | Avoids eye contact, inappropriate distance (too close/far), limited or inappropriate facial expressions |
| Adaptation | Speaks the same way to a child as to an adult, does not adapt to formal/informal context |
| Comprehension | Takes everything literally, does not understand humor, implications, irony |
| Emotions | Difficulty identifying emotions in others, inappropriate emotional reactions |
Affected Populations
- ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder): pragmatic difficulties at the core of the disorder
- ADHD: impulsivity impacting turn-taking, listening difficulties
- SLI (Specific Language Impairment): often associated pragmatic difficulties
- Social Communication Disorder (Pragmatic): pragmatic difficulties without the other characteristics of ASD
- Intellectual Disability: delay in acquiring social skills
Assessment of Pragmatic Skills
Assessment is conducted by the speech therapist and/or the psychologist. It includes:
- Observation in natural communication situations
- Questionnaires filled out by parents/teachers
- Specific tests: understanding emotions, social situations, metaphors
- Conversation analysis: video, transcription
Intervention Strategies
Explicit Teaching
Individuals with pragmatic difficulties do not naturally learn social rules through observation. They need to be taught explicitly: break down skills, explain rules, provide concrete examples.
Social Scenarios (Carol Gray Method)
Short texts describing a social situation, the expected behaviors, and their justification. Personalized for the child, read regularly before the relevant situation.
Role-Playing and Video Modeling
Staging social situations for practice. Watching videos showing appropriate behaviors. Analyzing clips from movies.
Social Skills Groups
Sessions in small groups with peers, supervised by a professional. Allow practicing in a safe environment with immediate feedback.
Visual Supports
Pictograms, comic strips, cards help understand and memorize abstract social rules. Thought bubbles to visualize what others are thinking.
Our Downloadable Tools
📖 Social Scenarios
Short illustrated stories describing common social situations and the expected behaviors. To prepare for difficult situations.
Download💬 Conversation Cards
Cards with conversation starters, topics, questions to ask. To practice initiating and maintaining a discussion.
Download😊 Emotions and Faces
Emotion cards with photos of real faces. To learn to recognize facial expressions and their meanings.
Download💭 Thought Bubbles
Support to visualize what characters are thinking in different situations. Works on theory of mind.
DownloadFrequently Asked Questions
Yes, social skills can be taught and learned, even if they do not come naturally. Teaching must be explicit, concrete, and repeated. Progress is possible at any age, although early intervention is preferable. However, it often remains more cognitively costly for these individuals than for those for whom it is natural.
This is typical of a pragmatic disorder. The child masters formal language (vocabulary, grammar) but not its social use. They may have a rich vocabulary and speak like an adult while struggling to have a genuine reciprocal conversation or understand implicit social codes.
Studies show the effectiveness of structured social skills groups, especially when they include parents to generalize the learning. Improvement is often observed during sessions; transfer to real-life situations requires specific generalization work.
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Discover all tools →Article written by the DYNSEO team in collaboration with speech therapists. Last updated: December 2024.
