Does your child have difficulty making friends? Do they know how and when to join a group of people who are already talking? Are they able to interpret the facial expressions and body language of others so that they can ‘read’ a situation? Can they maintain a conversation using appropriate questions and comments?
Children of all ages can have difficulties with social skills. These can begin at a young age and take the form of difficulties taking turns, using eye contact, being aware of personal space, managing winning and losing or interacting with and responding to peers.
In older children social skill difficulties can make it harder for them to make friends, know what is appropriate to say to others, understand others’ perspectives (empathy), talk about a variety of topics, manage unpredictable comments or behaviours from others and understand sarcasm and idioms. Having difficulties with these can result in a child struggling to make and maintain strong friendships which may make them feel socially isolated.
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other communication difficulties may have challenges with social skills.
Speech Pathologists work to support children with social skills difficulties by teaching them appropriate social skills, encouraging use of these skills, role playing and working through different scenarios together. These can be general skills and scenarios or tailored to scenarios a child has experienced and needs support with.
If your child is experiencing any of these difficulties, give us a call on 8272 2862 as we may be able to help.
Lisa Mathers, Speech Pathologist
