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Pragmatic Language Tips

There are several ways parents and teachers can help children use language appropriately in social situations. Social language use is known as pragmatics.

Some general suggestions are provided to help children develop skills in three major pragmatic areas. These areas were discussed in a previous edition of Let's Talk (January, 1990). Although suggestions are geared primarily for preschool children, they can be modified for use with older children as well.

Circles Intervention

The following is based on concepts from the Circles and Circles Stop Abuse program developed by the James Stanfield Co. (PO Box 1995E, Santa Monica, CA 90406).

The "Circles" intervention features categorical boundaries for certain behaviors, and allows a discussion with the child that allows him to learn to be able to discriminate which behaviors are appropriate in given social situations. Categorical boundaries are graphically depicted as concentric circles. Each circle features a type of intimacy behavior, with the most intimate boundaries at the center, with boundaries becoming less intimate as the circles move outward from the center. Rules and parameters are given for each boundary level. The consultant works with the family to define who is included within each circular boundary. Examples of circles are given here:

Self Circle: This is the center-most circle, and includes the child himself (only). The child is taught that for the one person within this circle (which only includes himself) touching is allowed in the "bathing suit areas." "Bathing suit areas" are those areas on the body that are typically covered by a bathing suit. A drawing of a body can be used to show where this area is.

Building Communication Around Routines

The WHY of Communication
There are a number of reasons why a child might use communication. Two very important and also very different reasons are:

to regulate others and get needs met
to share attention and experiences with others

For children with autism, while both of these communication functions may be difficult to learn, the second one is the most difficult. Our goals for communication training for children with autism include helping them increase both the regulatory function of communication and also increase their motivation and understanding of using communication in more purely social ways. We hope to help them realize that they can share experiences with others, that it is fun to do so, and that communication is a part of this sharing of experiences.

Why Use Routines?
Routines are of high interest to children with autism. Learning and using routines are learning strengths. They like the predictability of routines and, left to their own devices, often establish their own rigid routines and become very upset if they are disrupted. By establishing a positive routine, and then disrupting it, we create an incentive for the child to communicate in order to re-establish the familiar routine.