Semantic Pragmatic Disorder

WHAT IS SEMANTIC PRAGMATIC DISORDER?

The term Semantic Pragmatic Disorder is sometimes used to describe children who have Autism or specific Speech and Language Disorder difficulties that cause complex communication problems. Some people see Semantic Pragmatic Disorder as part of Autism while others see it simply as a Speech and Language Disorder

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SEMANTIC PRAGMATIC DISORDER?

Semantic Pragmatic Disorder is a linguistic term which describes a set of abnormal language and communication developmental features. Children with semantic difficulties struggle to understand the meaning of sentences or words. Children with pragmatic difficulties struggle to use language socially.

Some children have both semantic and pragmatic difficulties. The following are some of the common characteristics of Semantic Pragmatic Disorder:

• Delayed language development
• Fluent speech but which lacks content and direction
• Inappropriate eye contact/facial expression
• Finding words which refer to abstract concepts such as feelings or status hard to understand
• Lack of attention and being easily distracted
• Echolalia (i.e. repeating things they have heard)
• Learning to talk by memorising phrases, instead of putting words together freely and repeating phrases out of context, especially snippets remembered from television programmes.
• Difficulty following ‘unwritten’ rules of conversation such as turn-taking and appropriateness
• Good mechanical reading skills but limited understanding
• Inability to follow changes of topic in discussion
• Misuse of tenses through weak concepts of time
• Difficulty understanding implied meaning and responding to questions

HOW IS SEMANTIC PRAGMATIC DISORDER TREATED OR MANAGED?

The best person to help a child with a Semantic Pragmatic Disorder is a Speech and Language Therapist.

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