Children who are experiencing social problems may appear to have Autistic  Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but some of these children fit the criteria for Social (pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SCD). Children with either ASD or SCD often have a corresponding Developmental Language Disorder, which also needs to be considered during the diagnosis and treatment process.

The most clearly defining factor between ASD and SCD is that those children who receive the Autistic Spectrum diagnosis show or have a history of restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors, activities or interests. These might include having difficulty with transitions, lining up toys, extreme focus on a specific topics, etc. Children with SCD have social interaction and language difficulties that are similar to those that kids in the spectrum have without the restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior.

The approach to treatment can be similar and should support the social communication challenges of the children in varied situations. It is important to include peer opportunities and teach the peers how to initiate and maintain interaction with children who have social communication difficulties. This provides an opportunity to understand the strengths of friends with ASD and SCD and appreciate them.

(For more information see the article in the ASHA Leader magazine date April 2018)

Emotional regulation refers to the response to ongoing demands of experience with a range of emotions that is socially acceptable and flexible. Emotional regulation is a complex process and something many of our students work on daily in the Rock Brook School Community. When our students are more emotionally regulated, they are better able to engage with other people and are more available for learning. Sometimes they are tired and hungry or not feeling well which we can take care of. Other times they are upset about something they can or cannot express and we try to figure it out and talk about it. Sometimes it is due to internal responses that result from their own neurological make-up with no clear antecedent.

We work on emotional regulation and working through situations at school in a variety of ways, and three main approaches include: 1) Provide processing time; 2) Use simplified language; and 3) Provide visuals. Here are some specific strategies that are in no specific order:

1) Model what is expected as it decreases anxiety and increases predictability.

2) Use the phrase “First…then….. (“First finish writing three sentences…then take a break”).

3) Give a choice “Now or one minute…” (Usually the kids pick one minute…)

4) Show how many (egg, math problems to complete”) or how long (“Work for five more minutes”) and use a timer

5) Use the phrase “I start…you finish…”

6) Verbalize the rule for the situation.

7) Use Video modeling.

8) Simple tasks : give the child something to do when they are upset to calm them down that is an easy task such as sorting objects, squeezing play dough etc.

9) Use Incentive/Token Charts

10) Visual Schedules and Social stories. We find some strategies work better with specific students and then we have to switch them around and try something new. We have learned what works and what doesn’t and when we have to make changes and we keep trying!

Parental involvement in children’s academics has proven to be very beneficial to their success in school. Children’s early reading experiences with their parents prepare them for formal instruction in literacy. Being involved in your child’s reading directly influences their language and literacy skills. Specifically, positive impacts on their compression and expressive language skills have been reported. Parental involvement in children’s reading is more impactful to their literacy development than is family background, social class, and parental education. Although the most beneficial joint reading starts when your child is young, it can be beneficial at any age, such as elementary and high school. It’s never too late to engage your child in literacy practice. During joint reading, parents and children take turns reading from the pages with whatever language skills and imaginary skills are available to them. Usually parents take the lead in reading the story, pausing for their child to fill in an idea, and encourage them to take over the story whenever they wish to. Often times, the parents allow the child to take the lead and scaffold as needed.

Here are some examples/ideas to help promote joint reading with your child:

• Ask your child questions. For example, for a beginner reader, ask simple “wh”- questions (e.g., what, where, when, why). For a more advanced reader, ask your child to make predictions, ask how the characters feel, and ask what your child has learned.
• Identify and discuss new vocabulary words.
• Choose themed books to elaborate on words from a particular category.
• Play games with words, such as a synonym or antonym game.
• Make a word web by writing or use picture symbols (whatever is applicable).
• Hone in on prepositions and play a “Simon Says” game and have your child work on following directions (e.g., Simon says put the ball under your chair) and link these ideas to the book.
• Have your child retell the story (using the pictures to help if needed). Story retelling is a very beneficial skill which helps your child demonstrate comprehension, fosters imagination, and helps make connections to their world.