Social Communication
The way we use language is called pragmatics. People use the social context of the situation to use words to mean different things. As my mother often said, "It's not what you say, but how you say it." If someone says, "Good morning," on the street they mean, "Hello." When another says, "Good morning," they may imply that their morning is excellent. When one says, "Good morning," sarcastically, despite the dictionary definition of the words, they mean that the morning is not good at all. Each use of the same phrase has a different pragmatic meaning. Typical developing children and adults become adept at using social cues including eye contact, tone of voice, distance from the speaker, etc. to decide each different meaning. Some individuals, such as those with autism, need to be explicitly taught these pragmatic skills.
According to the Audiology and Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), pragmatic skills involve three major communication skills:
- Using language
for different purposes, such as
- greeting (e.g., hello, goodbye)
- informing (e.g., I'm going to get a cookie)
- demanding (e.g., Give me a cookie)
- promising (e.g., I'm going to get you a cookie)
- requesting (e.g., I would like a cookie, please)
- Changing language
according to the needs of a listener or situation, such as
- talking differently to a baby than to an adult
- giving background information to an unfamiliar listener
- speaking differently in a classroom than on a playground
- Following rules
for conversations and storytelling, such as
- taking turns in conversation
- introducing topics of conversation
- staying on topic
- rephrasing when misunderstood
- how to use verbal and nonverbal signals
- how close to stand to someone when speaking
- how to use facial expressions and eye contact
Those who demonstrate difficulty with pragmatic skills may
- say inappropriate or unrelated things during conversations
- tell stories in a disorganized way
- have little variety in language use
For those who have seen the movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, the character Drax (pictured above), is a perfect example of an individual with a pragmatic disorder. Here is a quote from the movie.
[draws his finger across his throat in a cutthroat gesture]
Drax the Destroyer: ...Why would I want to put my finger on his throat?
Peter Quill: No, that's the symbol for slicing his throat.
Drax the Destroyer: I would not slice his throat, I would cut his head clean off.
From this small quote, you can see that despite a clear message from Peter, Drax does not understand the meaning because he only sees the literal meaning of the message. He is not able to understand the nonverbal signal or the verbal message because he is unable to see the double meanings in the way Peter uses the phrase.
Here's another great example from the movie:
Drax the Destroyer: NOTHING goes over my head!... My reflexes are too fast, I would catch it.
Drax is unable to understand that metaphors cannot literally go over his head and that Rocket Raccoon is implying that he doesn't understand figurative language. In fact, a tumblr user named merryweatherblue wrote a fantastic article about taking her brother who suffers from autism to see Guardians of the Galaxy and how he completely identified with Drax because her brother has many of the same troubles with language.
In addition to defining pragmatics, ASHA also has several ideas to help those with pragmatic difficulties understand social communication. Parents, siblings, caregivers, teachers, and friends can use some of these techniques to help those with pragmatic disorders utilize appropriate social language and understand when their communication partner uses it as well.
Using Language for Different Purposes
- Ask questions or make suggestions to use language for different purposes:
- Respond to the intended message rather than correcting the pronunciation or grammar. Be sure to provide an appropriate model in your own speech. For example, if an individual says, "That's how it doesn't go," respond, "You're right. That's not how it goes."
- Take advantage of naturally occurring situations. For example, practice greetings at the beginning of a day, or have the individual ask peers what they want to eat for dinner or request necessary materials to complete a project.
- Role-play conversations. Pretend to talk to different people in different situations. For example, set up a situation (or use one that occurs during the course of a day) in which the individual has to explain the same thing to different people, such as teaching the rules of a game, or how to make a cake. Model how the person should talk to a child versus an adult, or a family member versus a friend of the family.
- Encourage the use of persuasion. For example, ask the person what he or she would say to convince family members or loved ones to let him or her do something. Discuss different ways to present a message:
- Polite ("Please may I go to the party?") versus impolite ("You better let me go")
- Indirect ("That music is loud") versus direct ("Turn off the radio")
- Discuss why some requests would be more persuasive than others
Conversation and Storytelling Skills
- Comment on the topic of conversation before introducing a new topic. Add related information to encourage talking more about a particular topic.
- Provide visual cues such as pictures, objects, or a story outline to help tell a story in sequence.
- Encourage rephrasing or revising an unclear word or sentence. Provide an appropriate revision by asking, "Did you mean...?"
- Show how nonverbal signals are important to communication. For example, talk about what happens when a facial expression does not match the emotion expressed in a verbal message (e.g., using angry words while smiling).
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