Social Communication Disorder

Rebecca Cottrell

A social communication disorder (SCD) is a neurodevelopmental communication disorder affecting verbal & nonverbal communication. It includes speech style, perspective taking, communication rules, & language use to accomplish goals. People with SCD present deficits in social communication appropriate for social contexts, modification of language for the context or needs of the listener, understanding of abstract, figurative, or ambiguous language, and understanding of what isn't stated.

Social communication norms are determined by environment. As we get older, our social skills improve. When you're in middle school, you aren't socially prepared or equipped to handle the professionalism a job interview for a top New York law firm would require. People with SCD have "difficulty participating in social settings, developing peer relationships, achieving academic success, and (with) employment performance", (Owens, 2024 p. 50) Identifying SCD can be difficult due to some of the disorder's characteristics matching that of other language/communication disorders, the validity of the criteria for the disorder, and the inconsistent definition of SCD across the medical and educational fields. Gabbatore, Guerrini, and Bosco (2023) found that the lack of specialized instruments to differentiate communication disorders also makes it difficult to diagnose SCD. SCD behavior is most commonly mistaken as ASD. However, SCD doesn't present as restricted and repetitive interests and behaviors like ASD but will present with social communication and pragmatic difficulties like ASD. Overlap can occur where a client will exhibit both disorders, but SLPs can only diagnose SCD.

Gabbatore, I., Marchetti Guerrini, A., & Bosco, F. M. (2023). The fuzzy boundaries of the social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD): Why the picture is still so confusing?. Heliyon, 9(8), e19062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19062

Owens, R.E. (2024). Language Disorders: A Functional Approach to Assessment and Intervention in Children, (7th edition). San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing

Risk Factors and Protective Factors for Children with Language Disorders

Shiri Leitman

Harrison and Mcleod (2010) investigate several risk factors and protective factors for children with language disorders. A few protective factors mentioned for children were being breast-fed for greater than 9 months and having a more persistent temperament, while family protective factors were having more years of parental education, higher levels of maternal psychological well-being, and a higher income (Harrison & Mcleod 2010). Of the predictors or risk factors for language disorders in children, being male, having continuous ear infections or hearing problems, and having older siblings are shown to have a higher risk factor for acquiring a language disorder (Harrison & Mcleod 2010). Hupp et al. (2011) examines the complex relationship between parental education on language production on a deeper level, illustrating that older children with mothers who have higher education have greater language production skills than children with less educated mothers, also noting that children with stay-at-home mother’s may have additional benefits on their language development, while there were mixed results on a children’s language development with working mothers. When it comes to the fathers’ education level, there was no great effect on a child’s language production, indicating that maternal characteristics may have a larger effect on children than paternal characteristics (Hupp et al., 2011). Children with homogeneous levels of parental education (both parents have a degree, or both do not have a degree) did in fact score lower on language production skills than children with heterogeneous parental education (only one parent with has a four-year degree) indicating that the differences in parental education could positively impact the child’s environment of learning at home (Hupp et al., 2011). Ultimately, the prevalence rate for language disorders in children is 10% of the children entering school, while 26% of the children with speech or language disorders come from low-income households (Owens, 2024).

Harrison, Linda J., and Sharynne McLeod. "Risk and protective factors associated with speech and language impairment in a nationally representative sample of 4- to 5-year-old children." Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, vol. 53, no. 2, Apr. 2010, pp. 508+. Gale Academic OneFile, dx.doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2009/08-0086). Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.

Hupp, J. M., Munala, L., Kaffenberger, J. A., & Wessell, M. B. H. (2011). The interactive effect of parental education on language production. Current Psychology, 30(4), 312+.

Owens, R.E. (2024). Language Disorders: A Functional Approach to Assessment and Intervention in Children, (7th edition). San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing

Understanding Developmental Language Disorders: Chapter 2

Author: Karley Clinton

Language development is a critical component of early childhood growth, yet approximately 10% of children entering school exhibit language disorders. These disorders are especially prevalent in children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, where the prevalence rises to 26%. Major risk factors for language disorders include low SES, male gender, family history, low IQ, reactive temperament, and poor early communication skills. These factors highlight the importance of early identification and intervention to support language development.

Developmental Trajectories of Language Disorders

Language disorders manifest in various developmental trajectories: resolving, persisting, and emerging. Resolving trajectories involve early language difficulties that improve over time, although adolescents may face challenges due to increasing language demands. In contrast, persisting trajectories require ongoing support, as children experience continued communicative and literacy difficulties that impact academic achievement. Lastly, emerging trajectories typically appear later, often in children with a family history of dyslexia, characterized by reading difficulties and subtle early warning signs.

The Role of Brain and Cognitive Processes

Neuro-imaging has revealed regional anomalies in the brain's language processing centers, including the arcuate fasciculus, which links speech and language areas. Information processing plays a pivotal role in language development. Key components include attention, discrimination, organization, and memory/retrieval. For example, the "filing cabinet analogy" emphasizes the importance of categorizing information and strengthening connections for efficient retrieval. Additionally, working memory and executive functioning are crucial, as they integrate cognitive systems, facilitate problem-solving, and manage distractions.

Characteristics of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

Children with DLD face challenges across multiple language domains. In pragmatics, they struggle with initiating conversations, understanding emotions, and social interactions. In semantics, early vocabulary acquisition and word-learning are delayed, with difficulties in lexical competition and fast mapping. In syntax and morphology, complex sentence formation and morphological inflections are problematic, often tied to working memory limitations.

Impact on Academic and Social Development

Language disorders significantly affect academic performance and social relationships. Poor language skills hinder literacy, comprehension, and peer interactions, leading to long-term implications in educational and social settings. Understanding these impacts is critical for creating effective intervention strategies.

Legal Framework and Support

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975) ensures Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for children with language disorders. Schools must implement Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) and adhere to qualification criteria, emphasizing the need for interventions tailored to educational impacts.

Addressing developmental language disorders requires a multidisciplinary approach, integrating early identification, targeted interventions, and legal advocacy to support children throughout their development.

Chen, J., Justice, L. M., Rhoad-Drogalis, A., Lin, T.-J., & Sawyer, B. (2020). Social networks of children

with developmental language disorder in inclusive preschool programs. Child Development, 91(2), 471–487.

Delage, H., & Frauenfelder, U. H. (2020). Relationship between working memory and complex syntax

in children with developmental language disorder. Journal of Child Language, 47(3), 600–632.

Rine, K. (2025). Chapter 2, Lecture 1: Developmental language disorders. Faulkner University, Spring

2025.

Language Disorders Associated With IDD

Video by: Benay Rose

Owens, R. (2024). Language disorders: A functional approach to assessment and intervention in children (7th ed.). Plural Publishing, Inc.

Boat, T. F. (2015, October 28). Committee to evaluate the Supplemental Security Income Disability Program for children with mental disorders. Mental Disorders and Disabilities Among Low-Income Children. https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK332889/

Memory with Language Impairment

By Skylar Stringer

Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) often present with deficits in functional memory, specifically in short-term and working memory (Ghandour, et. al., 2018). Short term memory tasks that are specifically affected include those that require verbal storage, such as serial recall of numbers or words, and nonword repetition. About 75% of children with SLI demonstrate deficits in working memory (Ghandour, et. al., 2018). Working memory issues are often observed with storing and processing verbal information, while visuo-spatial working memory remains intact. Declarative memory also usually remains intact, including facial recognition and recognizing abstract stimuli. Those with SLI tend to have a lower performance in tasks that require procedural learning, though there is some evidence that contradicts with that information. Verbal declarative memory impairments may be present in those with SLI secondary to working memory, rather than being a core issue (Ghandour, et. al., 2018).

This information is coroborated by Leonard et. al. (2007), who found that children with working memory deficits frequently experience significant problems with working memory. Children with SLI have displayed poor performance on nonword repetition tasks and recalling verbal sequences. This information matches the information provided by Ghandour, et. al. (2018).

References:

Ghandour, H., Eldin, S., Sallam, Y., & Mahmoud, S. (2018). Associated comorbidities of specific language impairment. Benha Medical Journal, 35(2), 115-121.

Leonard, L. B., Weismer, S. E., Miller, C. A., Francis, D. J., Tomblin, J. B., & Kail, R. V. (2007). Speed of processing, working memory, and language impairment in children.

Language Disorders and Social Interaction

By Alexis Tavakoli

Children with Language Disorders (LD) are at risk for exhibiting social withdrawal, increased aggression, and difficulty navigating social conflicts (Lloyd-Esenkaya, et. al., 2021). According to the study done by Lloyd-Esenkaya, et. al., (2021) these difficulties can be explained by three themes; social knowledge, coping strategies, and emotional competence. These themes correspond to adaptive strategies that are used by children with LDs. For example, children with LDs may exhibit social withdrawal or difficulty navigating social conflicts because they may have difficulties with regulating their emotions, and difficulty understanding the social situations due to a lack of social knowledge (Lloyd-Esenkaya, et. al., 2021).

Children with LDs also develop coping strategies in order to navigate the challenges they face due to their LD. Lloyd-Esenkaya, et. al., (2021) describes that children with LDs may impose structure on their social interactions in order to combat any uncertainty that they may face when socializing, but these interactions may be impacted by this structure. Additionally, these children may use social withdrawal as a strategy in order to process information (Lloyd-Esenkaya, et. al., 2021). The implications of this study highlight the need to find the connection between language skills and how they contribute to emotional understanding to understand why they have difficulties with social interaction.

According to Arts et al. (2022) in order to promote social interactions for children with LDs it is recommended that interventions focused on improving social emotional functioning in order to teach the linguistic, pragmatic, and cognitive components that underly social-emotional functioning. These strategies, in addition to direct instruction of social-communicative and pragmatic skills, as well analyzing video-clips can be helpful in facilitating social interaction for children with LDs (Arts et al., 2022).

Lloyd-Esenkaya, V., Forrest, C. L., Jordan, A., Russell, A. J., & Clair, M. C. S. (2021). What is the nature of peer interactions in children with language disorders? A qualitative study of parent and practitioner views. Autism & developmental language impairments, 6, 23969415211005307. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415211005307

Arts, E., De Castro, B. O., Luteijn, E., Elsendoorn, B., & Vissers, C. T. W. M. (2022). Improving social emotional functioning in adolescents with Developmental Language Disorders: A mini review and recommendations. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.966008

Academics and Social Relationships: Tendencies of Children with Language Disorders

Goretti Morales Alvarez

Janik Blaskova, L., & Gibson, J. L. (2021). Reviewing the link between language abilities and peer relations in children with developmental language disorder: The importance of children’s own perspectives. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 6. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415211021515

Le, H.N.D., Mensah, F., Eadie, P., McKean, C., Sciberras, E., Bavin, E.L., Reilly, S. and Gold, L. (2021), Health-related quality of life of children with low language from early childhood to adolescence: results from an Australian longitudinal population-based study. J Child Psychol Psychiatr, 62: 349-356. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13277

Difficulties Observed in Children with DLD

Shelby Alexander

Despite the prevalence of child language disorders, they are frequently undiagnosed, especially in females. Children with language disorders who do not receive intervention experience more academic difficulties, as well as social, emotional, and behavior problems than their peers without the disorder. Deficits in syntax/morphology are the most significant subdivisions of language affected in children with developmental language disorders (DLD) which results in grammatical errors with verbs, articles, pronouns, and prepositions. Developmental language disorders also affect children’s ability to expand their vocabulary, and oftentimes they do not understand the words that they do use.

Cognitive deficits including working memory and short-term memory affect their ability to learn, remember, and understand words and their contextual relationships. Deficits in theory of mind and executive functioning are present, which are important for social-emotional functioning, especially during the early childhood years. Language is not the only domain that is affected. Children with DLD typically have lower non-verbal IQ than children without DLD. Low non-verbal IQ combined with deficits in literacy and verbal language is associated with lower scores in math and science. Early intervention and therapy is integral to improve academic performance and quality of life for children diagnosed with DLD.

References:

Owens, R. (2024). Language disorders: A functional approach to assessment and intervention in children (7th ed.). Plural Publishing, Inc.

Yaşa, İ. C., & Çiyiltepe, M. M. (2024). Early indicators of learning disabilities in children with developmental language disorder compared to their typically developing peers. SAGE Open, 14(3), 21582440241271924.

Therapeutic Considerations for Children with DLD

Hannah Kemp

The importance of the information processing system is highlighted in chapter 2 regarding children with developmental language disorders (DLD). The four steps of information processing: attention, discrimination, organization, memory/retrieval are critical in the development of language skills. Research has shown that children with language disorders likely have a disconnect somewhere in this process making it difficult for them to fully process information. Therefore, it is likely that these children benefit from an individualized approach to information sharing that is better fit to their working memory profile and attention skills. Smolak et. al highlight that the likeliness of a child having an executive functioning deficit, specifically related to sustained attention, is increased for children with DLD. This study also demonstrates the importance of incorporating therapeutic interventions that enhance student language skills as well as their executive functioning skills. Tasks that support sustained attention in addition to their language skills have the potential to be more effective and provide comprehensive support that encompasses all deficits in most efficient manner. Clinicians should keep this in mind when treating children with DLD so that they are able to provide therapy that is functional and comprehensively beneficial in the student's daily life. Gray et. al highlight the importance of knowing a student’s working memory abilities in relation to their diagnosis. Knowing this information, clinicians are able to better prepare and individualize their treatment to increase improvement. This study revealed that not all children with DLD and other developmental disabilities have co-occuring executive functioning deficits, specifically working memory deficits. These two studies demonstrate different characteristics of children with DLD, however, both illustrate the importance of individualized service. Considering the distinctive needs of each client, like knowing whether they have these executive function deficits, can play a big role in the efficacy of treatment. These studies signify the importance of considering clients in the most well-rounded manner in order to provide the most suitable treatment.

Smolak, E., McGregor, K. K., Arbisi-Kelm, T., & Eden, N. (2020). Sustained attention in developmental language disorder and its relation to working memory and language. Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 63(12), 4096–4108. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00265

Gray, S., Fox, A. B., Green, S., Alt, M., Hogan, T. P., Petscher, Y., & Cowan, N. (2019). Working memory profiles of children with dyslexia, developmental language disorder, or both. Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 62(6), 1839–1858. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-L-18-0148

Special Education Legal Framework 101

By: Laura Beth Leddy

SCD and Selective Mutism

Frances Jue

The pragmatic aspect of language development can be impacted by a variety of language and cognitive disorders. Two such disorders that directly affect this domain include social communication disorder (SCD) and selective mutism. At first blush, selective mutism may seem to be a subtype within the broader category of SCD, however they are two distinct diagnoses with separate causes, presentations and treatments.

Determining the cause for any given case of SCD presents some challenges, as it can co-occur with a number of different neurological and cognitive disorders (Owens, 2024). Owens further elaborates that causes for SCD in the absence of any other disorder are largely unknown (2024). However, it is an important distinction that SCD is primarily a language disorder. This means that the difficulty is primarily with the person's understanding and/or execution of a system of symbols and rules that create a form of communication. In contrast, selective mutism is primarily a psychiatric condition, which manifests in situation and audience specific silence (Selective Mutism, n.d.). The underlying problem is not with understanding or execution of symbols and rules but rather dealing with extreme levels of anxiety. With this diagnosis, there is no impairment of language comprehension or articulation – these patients exhibit understanding and execution of their native language when in relaxed and familiar environments (Selective Mutism, n.d.).

Typical presentations in cases with SCD include inappropriate greetings, inability to adapt communication style for the listener, difficulty with narratives, difficulty with figurative language and poor repair of communication breakdowns (Owens, 2024). These difficulties manifest regardless of the situation or conversation partner. In cases of selective mutism, presentations are audience and situation specific, with the inability to utilize any mode of communication when the patient perceives an expectation to speak or communicate. Individuals with this diagnosis exhibit appropriate understanding and execution of language with familiar conversation partners and in relaxed environments (Selective Mutism, n.d.). In addition, selective mutism includes physical symptoms of distress such as rigidity, blank expression and lack of eye contact that are not situation specific in those with SCD (Selective Mutism, n.d.).

Treatment for SCD includes working with a speech therapist to practice different types of appropriate social interactions. Treatment for selective mutism also includes speech therapy services and incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy, social communication anxiety treatment and the use of augmentative and alternative communication devices. Medication is also helpful to decrease anxiety for some individuals (Selective Mutism, n.d.).

While SCD and selective mutism both impact a person’s pragmatic language abilities, the differing causes, presentations and treatments highlight the necessity of careful assessment and diagnosis to provide the best treatment and communication outcomes for these populations.

References

Owens, R. (2024). Language disorders: A functional approach to assessment and intervention in children (7th ed.).Plural Publishing, Inc.

Selective mutism. (n.d.) https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/selective-mutism/?srsltid=AfmBOoqe2iT0wS0yjP-vhTWP_HjZC7mKB309gE3N8P8qArm6EyAmNo7#collapse_1

Being an Speech Language Pathologist in a Public School: Making an Impact

Written by: Hannah Thornton

As a speech therapist in a public school the expectation is that there will be unmanageable caseloads, only group sessions, a growing list of evaluations, and constant IEP meetings. Therefore, it is understandable why there is a high burnout rate and a constant revolving door of speech therapists in public schools. A constant change in speech therapists is not beneficial, especially for children with language disorders coming from low SES families. The combination of a less than satisfactory environment at home and a school environment lacking necessary resources makes these children more susceptible to lifelong language difficulties. I believe there are three things as speech therapists that we can do to begin to offer an environment that will help students succeed past their circumstances. As speech therapists in public schools, we must address our personal bias, advocate, and have an abundance of compassion.

Everyone has some level of personal bias, and we must assess our own regularly. In a public school system, you are met with a variety of backgrounds and personalities in both students and faculty. Our past experiences can influence the level of care we offer our students. To be the best clinician, we need to ask ourselves what things make us frustrated, uncomfortable, or judgmental. We must then remove any pre-conceived notions or expectations we have set to ensure that we offer the same respect and dignity to anyone we work with. Once we accomplish this, we can become the advocate our students need.

Unmanageable caseloads may feel like they are not in our control, but as clinicians we have the right to speak up. At the beginning of the school year, it is our responsibility to set realistic expectations with our faculty. Be prepared to offer solutions when the case load inevitably grows, like hiring a part-time SLPA. IEP meetings, another chance to advocate, are our opportunities to tailor each student’s school environment to support their language development. We engage with caregivers by encouraging them and providing them with resources to empower their success at home. Speaking up at IEP meetings doesn't always mean adding lists of accommodations or modifications, but rather we can speak to the student’s character and keep the focus on the betterment of the child not the burden of yet another meeting in our schedule. We must operate with compassion.

Compassion should be the foundation of everything to create a caring environment. By creating a safe space to grow and process the world around them, we give our students a better chance at surpassing the odds. On the contrary, acclimating to a new clinician every year will not benefit our students, so through our compassion, we need to correct our biases and advocate for our students. Together we can change the stigma and become the SLP that our communities need.

Dong, Y., Wu, S., Dong, Y., & Tang, W.-Y. (2020). Why Low Socioeconomic Status Negatively Impacts Language Development The Process of Normal Language Development Conclusion Defining Socioeconomic Status (SES). https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1855&context=acadfest

Perkins, S. C., Finegood, E. D., & Swain, J. E. (2013). Poverty and Language Development: Roles of Parenting and Stress. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 10(4), 10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3659033/

Information Processing Theory

Ashley McBride

The information processing theory is based off of the framework from several different cognitive scientists pertaining to the way an individual percieve and analyze information as well as manipulate and use information. It is based on the idea that as we develope our skills to do these tasks continuously grow as the brain maturalizes.

Attention plays a crucial role in the ability to understand and process information. From age six on we see a significant improvement in selective attention (i.e. the ability to ignore environmental factors and focus on a task). Sustained attention is equally important as it is the ability to spend long periods focused on a single task.

Memory intertwines with attention as we must be able to attend to a task to be able to begin to process the information. Cognitive development heavily relies on memories to assist in personal development, decision making, reactions, and learning. As we develop we use our cognitive skills for encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.

Organization of information is completed by the implementation of categories and relationships into our information processing system. As an individual gets older and acquires more experiences, more categories are created and more relationships are connecting similar experiences together. This assist in the ability of quick thinking and self regulating thoughts as we retrieve the information from the knowledge of past experiences and apply it into new scenarios.

Metacognition is the ability to regulate cognitive processes and use the knowledge we have regarding our own abilities to complete tasks. After this is developed we are able to determine how difficult a task is and how well we are performing. As an individual gets older the strategies adapt to focus more on significant issues rather than every detail. This ties into the awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses.

References

Owens, R. (2024). Language disorders: A functional approach to assessment and intervention in children (7th ed.).Plural Publishing, Inc.

Child psychology. Lumen. (n.d.). https://courses.lumenlearning.com/child/chapter/information-processing-theory-2/

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