Pragmatics (Social Skills)
If a child has impairments in his/her pragmatic skills, this affect his/her ability to follow social norms, use appropriate conversational skills, and tell stories in an organized way. In addition, your child may say inappropriate or unrelated things during conversations. Pragmatic disorders often coexist with other language problems. Here are some ways you can help your child with his/her pragmatics at home:
Think of a topic to talk about. Practice taking turns having a conversation about the topic. Gently remind your child to stay on topic.
Teach your child ways to share. If your child doesn’t always want to share, help them come up with a solution, like giving an alternative. For example, “I’m playing with the green dinosaur right now, but here’s the orange dinosaur you can use and we can play together.”
Use toys that encourage sharing such as puzzles, balls, and blocks.