Pragmatic Language Disorder

Pragmatics are the rules that govern the use of language in various social situations (i.e., the social skills of language). Pragmatics includes: the ability to use language for a variety of reasons, including greetings and requesting; the ability to change language to meet the needs of the situation or listener (e.g., talking differently to different people, knowing how to use appropriate detail, etc.); and following conversational rules (e.g., appropriate turn-taking, topic maintenance, use of gestures and body language, etc.) These rules may vary depending upon cultural norms.

Symptoms  of a pragmatic language disorder include: Difficulty with conversational exchanges, difficulty telling a story, difficulty responding to indirect requests (e.g., “Wouldn’t it be nice if I had a toy?” as opposed to “Get me a toy,” as a form of politeness), difficulty with topic initiation, difficulty with conversational repair strategies (e.g., asking “What did you say?” or “Can you explain?”), and demonstrating little variety in language use.

Pragmatic skills are important for social, educational, and career success. A pragmatic language disorder may negatively influence social relationships and social acceptance by others.

Treatment for a pragmatic language disorder involves teaching appropriate strategies for social awareness. Therapy can focus on using language for different purposes, changing language based on a given audience, and practicing conversation/storytelling.