Online Therapy for Social Skills & Pragmatic Language in Children
Difficulty with pragmatic language can exist independently, in combination with other language problems, or as part of another diagnosis such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
What are social skills?
Social skills (also known as social pragmatics or pragmatic language) are the skills we use to interact and communicate with others. Social skills include spoken language and nonverbal communication such as gestures and facial expressions. It involves knowing how to behave in social situations and understand both written and implied rules when communicating with others. Sometimes a child has trouble understanding how to use pragmatic skills or social skills properly. The specific cause of a pragmatic language disorder is unknown.
How can I tell if my child has a problem with social skills or pragmatic language?
If a child has difficulties with social pragmatics, they might exhibit the following symptoms:
→ Have trouble maintaining eye contact
→ Have a problem taking turns during a conversation
→ Struggling to stay on topic during conversation
→ Find it challenging to communicate effectively with strangers
→ Have difficulty understanding social situations
→ Not understanding jokes and figurative language
→ Talk about a favorite topic without noticing that the listener isn’t interested
→ Have a hard time predicting or understanding others’ actions
→ Use an unusual monotone or sing-song tone of voice
If you notice any of these early signs, contact your child’s pediatrician and ask to make an appointment to assess for social communication disorder/pragmatic language disorders.
What type of therapy is recommended for social communication disorder and pragmatic language disorder?
If your child has difficulties with social skills and their pediatrician has examined them, speech therapy is often recommended to treat the problem. The speech-language pathologist can be a great coach to help the child improve pragmatic language skills and for the parent to facilitate pragmatic language across environments.
Our assessment involves questionnaires and interviews with the parents and learning more about the child’s storytelling, problem-solving, pragmatic language, social-emotional development, and executive functions. The treatment program will be based on your child’s needs and goals.
Online Evaluations & Treatment From the Comfort of Your Home
THOROUGH ASSESSMENT
After your child has been examined by a pediatrician to determine if speech-language therapy is recommended, we can meet virtually for an assessment. The assessment will include questionnaires and interviews with the parents as well as informal and formal assessment tools.
CUSTOMIZED GOAL & PLAN
Connected Speech Pathology’s speech pathologists are trained to provide the best therapy methods for social communication/pragmatic language disorder. We will create a treatment program tailor-made for your child’s needs.
EFFECTIVE TREATMENT
Speech therapy is often needed for the treatment of a pragmatic language disorder. The speech-language pathologist can be a great coach for pragmatic language skills.
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We have a variety of tools that we can use to identify your specific areas of need. They include standardized and informal tests. Our speech-language evaluations are comprehensive and culturally sensitive. They may consist of reviewing educational and medical history, clinical observation in the child’s natural setting, child observation in simulated social situations, and interviews with caregivers.
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Your child’s treatment goals will be set by your speech-language pathologist to create meaningful outcomes that achieve real-life improvement.
Since each client is unique and will respond to different therapy methods, we will create a treatment program tailor-made for your child’s needs. We will choose the right therapy technique for each child and adapt therapy when they do or do not respond to a specific plan.
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Our speech therapists at Connected Speech Pathology hold master’s degrees in communication sciences and have completed rigorous post-graduate training to provide the best therapy methods available. Our nationally certified team of speech-language pathologists are experts in pediatric communication and speech disorders.
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That’s a common question. We will strive to make every therapy session feel productive. The trajectory of speech therapy interventions is different for each family, and there is no exact amount of time that applies to everyone.
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If there are multiple areas of concern (i.e., beyond just social skills), then a multidisciplinary approach consisting of the child’s teachers, occupational therapist, or a psychologist may be beneficial.
Fees start at $75 per session, depending on each meeting’s length in 30, 45, or 60-minute increments. We are a private pay practice and do not accept insurance.
How do we meet?
Simple—we’ll meet online via our secure telehealth platform.
All that is needed to participate in social skills therapy is a computer or tablet and an internet connection. Our private video conferencing platform is free and easy to download. You will see your speech-language pathologist on the screen. The materials used for social skills therapy are web-based, and at the click of a button, shared electronically with you right on your computer screen.
Some of the benefits of using online speech therapy:
The proximity of the camera to the mouth for modeling techniques
Receiving speech therapy from home eliminates transportation concerns and travel time
It removes the hassle of going to in-person appointments and improves attendance
It helps those who live in rural areas get the treatment they need
Allows for straightforward generalization of goals into everyday life
It’s fun and engaging!
How To Get Started:
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Free Consultation
A short conversation to clarify your child’s speech therapy goals.
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Get Connected
We’ll match you with the right therapist to help your child achieve their communication goals.
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Get Started
Begin working with your speech therapist in convenient online sessions.
