Pragmatics involve three major communication skills:
Using language for different purposes, such as
greeting (e.g., hello, goodbye)
informing (e.g., I'm going to get a cookie)
demanding (e.g., Give me a cookie)
promising (e.g., I'm going to get you a cookie)
requesting (e.g., I would like a cookie, please)
Changing language according to the needs of a listener or situation, such as
talking differently to a baby than to an adult
giving background information to an unfamiliar listener
speaking differently in a classroom than on a playground
Following rules for conversations and storytelling, such as
taking turns in conversation
introducing topics of conversation
staying on topic
rephrasing when misunderstood
knowing how to understand and use verbal and
nonverbal signals
knowing how close to stand to someone when speaking
knowing how to understand and use facial expressions and
eye contact
These rules may vary across cultures and within cultures. It is important to understand the rules of your communication partner.
An individual with pragmatic problems may:
say inappropriate or unrelated things during conversations
tell stories in a disorganized way
have little variety in language use
be unable to relate to his or her speaker or understand the
subtle social cues in a conversation
have difficulty staying on topic of a conversation and may
constantly attempt to only talk about limited things that interest
him or her.
be unable to make appropriate eye contact or know how to
take conversational turns
be unable to understand the listener's perspective
It is not unusual for children to have pragmatic problems in only a few situations. However, if problems in social language use occur often and seem inappropriate considering the child's age, a pragmatic disorder may exist. Pragmatic disorders often coexist with other language problems such as vocabulary development or grammar. Pragmatic problems can lower social acceptance. Peers may avoid having conversations with an individual with a pragmatic disorder.