Social communication is the use of language in social contexts. It encompasses social interaction, social cognition, pragmatics, and language processing.
An autism diagnosis includes both impairments in social communication and repetitive behaviors.
Social communication disorder is characterized by difficulties with the use of verbal and nonverbal language for social purposes. Primary difficulties are in social interaction, social cognition, and pragmatics. Specific deficits are evident in the individual’s ability to
- communicate for social purposes in ways that are appropriate for the particular social context;
- change communication to match the context or needs of the listener;
- follow rules for conversation and storytelling;
- understand nonliterate or ambiguous language; and
- understand what is not explicitly stated.
Although the Art of Autism does not embrace the pathology paradigm we realize many come to our website looking for explanations. We get a lot of search hits on Am I an Aspie or Am I Autistic.