Pragmatic language
The social use of language — turn-taking, staying on topic, reading tone, knowing how much background a listener needs. A child can have a large vocabulary and perfect grammar and still find every conversation hard.
Why pragmatic language matters.
This is the area most often missed in a bright, talkative child, because the surface looks fine. The difficulty appears in the playground rather than in class, and it shows up as loneliness rather than as low marks.
Worth being careful here. The goal is being understood and having friendships that work, not performing a neurotypical script. Teaching a child to mask discomfort convincingly is not the same as teaching them to communicate, and the adults they become tend to be clear about the difference.
Questions that get a real answer
- What specifically is hard — starting, staying on topic, repair?
- Is this being taught in real situations or in a room?
- What is the goal: friendships that work, or appearing typical?
Ask these of anyone, including us. What you are listening for is not the right answer — it is whether the answer is specific enough to be wrong.
Terms that usually turn up alongside it.
Prompt dependence
When a child will only perform a skill once an adult signals. The skill is present; what is missing is
GlossaryReceptive language
What a child understands, as distinct from what they can say. Usually ahead of expression, sometimes well
GlossarySelf-regulation
Managing your own attention, emotion and arousal well enough to do what a situation asks. Built gradually
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