Alex V. Speech Pathology assists children with their social communication skills in Brisbane and Ipswich by improving and encouraging them to use language skills in a social setting.
There’s nothing more important in life than social communication; it’s critical to express feelings of joy, sadness and even danger.
We can all understand the effects of impaired social communication skills for children. Education is typically hindered, as is the ability to develop social connections with other children. Whether it’s at school or home, the child usually tends to feel isolated, lonely and often at times frustrated. Looking into the problem long term, this often translates into reduced academic achievement, limited options in employment and a further decline in social mingling, often resulting in isolation.
The program that Alex V. Speech Pathology has to bolster social communication for children in Brisbane uses trained Speech Pathologists that are prepared to evaluate, recommend and treat a variety of communication impairments in children and even assist family members in learning how to work with the impairment all along the way. If you feel your child may benefit from a social communications program for children, contact Alex V. Speech Pathology and we will provide you and your child with an assessment.
What are Social Skills?
Social skills includes things like gestures, speech, facial expressions and body language, which all contribute to being able to communicate effectively with other people. If someone is lacking these social skills, they will have low knowledge of how to interact in social situations and how to understand both written and verbal rules. Often, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder will have difficulties with social skills, and we see great results with treatment.
When a child begins to develop social skills, we often see an immense improvement in their interactions, confidence and mood; a real positive flow-on effect into all areas of their life.
What is Social Skills Therapy?
Social Skills Therapy involves teaching children who struggle with social interactions; including knowing what to say and how to act. At Alex V. Speech Pathology, we use fun, engaging tactics to teach children vital social skills so that they can thrive in all areas of their life. We can assist with helping your child develop skills including:
- How to act according to different social situations
- Reading others’ body language
- Knowing what’s appropriate to say in different social situations
- How to share and play fairly with other children
- How and when to use basic manners
- The ability to see things from someone else’s perspective
- How to dress appropriately for different occasions
Using our evidence-based methods of practice, we will determine the root of your child’s social skills difficulties and work to improve this so that everything else can fall into place.
Why is Social Skills Therapy Important?
Thriving in society involves being able to use one’s social skills to communicate effectively with others to build relationships, learn, achieve our goals and make decisions. A person that struggles with social skills may find it difficult to do all these things, which can pose significant setbacks in their life. By undergoing social skills therapy, your child can begin to develop the fundamental social skills that will help them succeed in life, build meaningful relationships and have positive interactions with the world around them. Like any type of therapy, it’s important to bring your child in for a consultation as soon as you notice any discrepancies in their social skills development.
How do I Know if My Child Needs Social Skills Therapy?
If your child is young, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether or not they need social skills therapy, or if they’re just a late bloomer. More often than not, if you’re constantly noticing gaps in their social skills, it may be an indication that they would benefit from social skills therapy.
If you’re noticing any of these actions in your child, contact the team at Alex V. Speech Pathology and book in for a consultation.
In light of this, some important things to look out for include:
Uses fleeting eye contact
Struggles to take turns in games
Fails to use appropriate manners in conversation
Is unable to start and end conversations appropriately
Interrupts others frequently
Fails to understand jokes and sarcasm
Asks inappropriate questions
Talks “at you” as opposed to “with you”
Lack of imagination