Now What!?

Now What? Seems to be a constant state-of-affairs for those who have pragmatic language issues. It is very easy to confuse different language demands for different listeners or situations. Who teaches all those rules for conversations and how do you know the joke is funny?

Today we are looking at how pragmatic language difficulties can impact a student and some of the various skill areas that may need remediation and support.

Language is the - what, how and when to say it, verbally or physically so to relate to people, with equal participation and get the desired outcome. It includes what is meant in using a complex expression, the whole versus parts, interpretations, promises, predictions, questions, contextual or situational language or differences

A student may use words and grammar clearly in long complex sentences and still have a significant communication problem if they have not mastered the pragmatic and semantic rules for social language.

Semantics is understanding the meanings of words phrases and sentences and using words appropriately including abstract words, feelings, emotions, idioms, slang expressions, or literal interpretations.

Pragmatics is the use of language in a social context.

1.  Using Language for different outcomes

•  Demanding
•  Greeting
•  Informing
•  Promising
•  Requesting

2.  Changing Language based on a situation or listener

•  Adult/Baby
•  Background information needed
•  Environmentally specific

(classroom vs at a game)

3.  Following Rules

•  Communication repair (misunderstood)
•  Eye gaze/contact
•  Facial expression
•  Giving signals (verbal and nonverbal)
•  On topic
•  Topic introduction
•  Turn taking
•  Organized story telling
•  Usage of a variety of language 

SEMANTICS – PRAGMATICS DISTINCTIONS

When someone is speaking within a narrow context it is semantics whereas when someone speaks in a broad context it is pragmatics.

Distinctions Include:

•  Type vs. Token
•  Sentence vs Utterance
•  Meaning vs Use
•  Context-invariant vs Context sensitive meaning
•  Linguistic vs Speaker’s meaning
•  Literal vs Non-literal use
•  Saying vs implying
•  Content vs Force
•  Phenomena: ambiguities, implications, presuppositions
•  Anomalies: paradoxes, contradictions, nonsense
•  Meanings: contents, interpretations, implied knowledge, explanations

PRAGMATIC LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES MAY INCLUDE DIFFICULTY:

•  Being on topic (off topic or one sided)
•  Identifying key points (lost in the details)
•  Explaining or describing
•  Reading comprehension
•  Making and maintaining friendships
•  Making decisions
•  Making inferences
•  Understanding contextual cues
•  Understanding jokes or sarcasm
•  Understanding nonverbal communication
•  Understanding Questions
•  Using verb tenses and pronouns

TOPIC SELECTION AND MAINTENANCE

•  Introduces topic clearly
•  Maintains topic across turns
•  Changes/shifts topic appropriately
•  Chooses appropriate topic for context
•  Responds with information on topic
•  Right topic
•  Right amount of time (too little or much)
•  Know what is wrong topic

TURN TAKING

•  Waits for a turn to speak
•  Uses pauses when speaking
•  Uses an appropriate amount and type of verbiage MLU
•  Checks for listener understanding
•  Uses responses when listening
•  Restates what speaker said
•  Asks questions when listening

SPEECH FUNCTIONS

Responds and communicates to achieve an outcome.

•  Communicate information without anger
•  Offers and supports own opinions
•  Relays pertinent information in a sequential way
•  Communicates efficiently - gets to the point

VERBAL PLEASANTRIES

•  Uses greetings , farewells, address, or call someone
•  Uses thank-you’s and apologies
•  Asks permission (asks not tells)
•  Asks for help – self advocates
•  Receives and gives compliments
•  Uses phone skills appropriately

PEER LANGUAGE SKILLS

•  Asks and joins in to play appropriately
•  Expresses feelings
•  Compromises / negotiates
•  Uses cooperative / associative play
•  Uses appropriate slang and tone with peers

SPEECH STYLE

•  Uses appropriate volume
•  Uses appropriate prosody
•  Uses formal or informal context
•  Comprehends and uses humor / sarcasm
•  Uses appropriate response time

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AUTHORS

Marie Lewis is an author, consultant, and national speaker on best practices in education advocacy. She is a parent of 3 children and a Disability Case Manager, Board Certified Education Advocate, and Behavior Specialist Consultant. She has assisted in the development of thousands of IEPs nationally and consults on developing appropriately individualized IEPs that are outcome-based vs legally sufficient. She brings a great depth of expertise, practical experience, and compassion to her work as well as expert insight, vision, and systemic thinking. She is passionate and funny and she always inspires and informs.

MJ Gore has an MEd in counseling and a degree in elementary education and natural sciences. She worked as a life-skills and learning support teacher She has been honored with the receipt of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. She is the Director and on the faculty at the National Special Education Advocacy Institute. Her passion is social justice, especially in the area of education. She is a Board Certified Education Advocate who teaches professional advocates, educators, and clinicians the best practices in education advocacy.