#spcd

You clicked on the thing, didn’t you? Well, welcome to class! This is being taught by a VERY inexperienced teacher who has neither a teaching nor psychology degree. Still, I have gathered the utmost basic of basics that are needed to explain SPCD.

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Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SPCD) is basically one part of what happened to Asperger’s syndrome.

Yes. You read that right. The thing everyone says turned into Autism? Well, there’s always an exception.

Hi, I’m one of those exceptions!

Okay, the more nuanced and complicated part is in the further reading. What’s important here is that with the dissolution of Asperger’s syndrome and other autism-like syndromes my psychiatrist couldn’t place me in the Asperger’s category (which I fit full criteria for) nor the Autism category (which I’m 1 away from). Here’s basically what I mean as an image:

It’s very very simplified and a lot more was involved but this is what’s important for understanding what I mean.

Everyone who was previously diagnosed with Asperger’s now has Autism, but going forward they stick to the current criteria.

This is one of my issues with broadening the autism category, it makes the people like me feel alienated. I’m a stickler for only saying I (personally) have something if I have a diagnosis. Why? Well, it could be so many other things. I don’t tell others they have to do that though, I’m just big on doing it myself, y’know, to keep it very transparent.

I’m going to utilise a tumblr-ification one of the further reading things really quickly so you get an idea of what’s going on:

>Constantly struggling to:

->Talk to people in a way that says greets someone or explains something with the correct communication for the context (ex: most people don’t want to have a full breakdown of SPCD every time I talk about it, but they still may want a simpler one. It goes the other way too)

->Change tone and formality level. They specifically say “avoiding the use of overly formal language” and I think that sums this one up perfectly

->”[Follow] rules for conversation and storytelling, such as taking turns in conversation, rephrasing when misunderstood, and knowing how to use verbal and nonverbal signals.” I didn’t even know there were rules for that. Basically: Struggles to not yap at you like you’re a brick wall and doesn’t realise it’s the wording that’s tripping you up. Oh, and the verbal+nonverbal signals, I’m gonna put eye rolling as an example. I had no clue it wasn’t around the eye but a short look up. My life makes so much more sense now

->Understand vague statements like when the person is not being literal (your fly is down) and/or when a sentence can mean multiple things depending on ✨context✨

>These limit communication and social skills, causing it to be a disorder

>Symptoms started early in life. This can be overlooked easily as the kid just “being smarter” or “knowing more words” when really the other kids are just better at not doing these things. (Ex: I still call a rhombus a parallelogram, and I have for my entire life. Except when I couldn’t read and called it a diamond because of cards but that ended in kindergarten with a shape card that said parallelogram.)

>The person doesn’t have a different disorder that also explains these. Basically: There are not kids with autism or language disorders that already explain these, thanks!

(Further reading: IACC)

Questions I think will come up:

So what even is this disorder anyway?

It’s the people on the edges of autism that have one category of Autism but not the other. As an example, I qualify for the social aspect of Autsim but am 1 part away from the behavioural aspect. The name sort of says it and the pragmatic is typically in parentheses. Social Communication Disorder, where social skills don’t work right. It’s extremely similar to autism because of this, but still isn’t autism. It’s a new autism-like disorder.

Why do I need to know?

Well, it’s nice to know these things and I have it, and I’m talking about it. You clicked the link and it sent you here!

Am I open for discussing this?

Completely and fully. I want to learn as much about my own disorder as I can, and who knows, maybe I got part of this wrong! I could quite easily be giving an example that isn’t SPCD but rather a different disorder! Do remember though, I’m gonna wanna see the sources, ‘cause then I can read them and link them!

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Further reading:

What is social communication disorder?

Social communication disorder (SCD) is characterized by persistent difficulties with the use of verbal and nonverbal language for social purposes. Primary difficulties may be in social interaction, social understanding, pragmatics, language processing, or any combination of the above.

What is the difference between SCD and autism?

Some overlap exists between autism and SCD. Both conditions involve difficulties initiating and responding to social cues, making it hard for individuals to engage in typical social interactions. However, they differ greatly in many other ways. “One way to distinguish between SCD and ASD is to consider the severity of the individual's difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication. Individuals with ASD typically have more severe difficulties with both verbal and nonverbal communication than individuals with SCD. Another way to distinguish between SCD and ASD is to consider the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. Individuals with ASD typically exhibit restricted and repetitive behaviors, while individuals with SCD do not." Also, notably, autism has an onset in very early childhood and is a developmental disorder, while SCD has an onset in late childhood or early adolescence, and is a communication disorder, not a developmental one.

Isn't SCD new?

SCD may be a novel diagnosis in the DSM-V, but children impaired in social uses of language have been recognized for a long time within the speech therapy literature. The first significant article discussing what would later be termed "Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder" (SCD) was published by Rapin and Allen in 1983, where they described a "semantic-pragmatic deficit syndrome" characterizing children with issues like excessive talking, poor comprehension of connected speech, unusual word choices, and inadequate conversational skills, often seen in individuals with autistic traits but not necessarily meeting full criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, terms used differed among authors and study centers with such children reported as displaying “semantic-pragmatic syndrome,” “semantic-pragmatic difficulties,” “conversational disability,” “pragmatic disability,” “semantic-pragmatic disorder,” and last and most recently “pragmatic language impairment (PLI).”

Why is SCD a diagnosis?

Earlier studies of autism have demonstrated that social impairments and repetitive-stereotypical behavioral and language problems correlated significantly and, therefore, should be clustered together. However, more recent studies showed that symptoms pertaining to social communication and RRBs did not correlate as highly as expected and that samples with clinically significant symptoms pertaining to a domain may not display symptoms from the other domain at a clinically significant level. Those results supported a distinction between a group of children displaying prominent RRBs and another group displaying social communication problems. The group with RRB symptoms was thought to belong to ASD, whereas the latter group was thought to be separate.

SCD also addressed concerns that some children previously diagnosed with PDD-NOS (or “atypical autism”) would lose their diagnosis and be without services. The category of PDD-NOS listed under PDD in DSM-IV denoted atypical clinical presentations with an incomplete presentation of autism but required clinical support and services. “The PDD-NOS diagnosis described patients with problems in reciprocal social interaction or had symptoms of RRB but did not fit with other diagnoses listed under the rubric of PDD. Because symptoms of RRB are sine qua non for ASD diagnosis under DSM-5, there were suggestions that a subgroup of patients with PDD-NOS (ie, those with social communication problems but without RRB symptoms) may be left without required medical and educational services.”

Hey, lovelies! 💕 Today, let’s chat about something close to my heart: Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder (SPCD). If you’re a parent, caregiver, or just someone who loves a kiddo with SPCD, you know how unique and wonderful these little humans are. But sometimes, they need a little extra support to navigate the social world. So, here are some super cute and practical ways to help them thrive at home! 🏡✨

1. Create a Communication-Friendly Zone 🗨️

Make your home a safe space for communication! Use visual aids like picture schedules, emotion charts, or even fun emoji cards to help them express themselves. Sometimes words are tricky, but a �🐶🐱 can say a lot!

2. Playtime = Learning Time 🎲

Turn play into a social skills adventure! Board games, role-playing, or even building with blocks can teach turn-taking, sharing, and problem-solving. Plus, it’s a great excuse to have a family game night! 🎉

3. Model, Model, Model! 👯

Kids learn by watching us, so be their social superhero! Show them how to start a conversation, take turns talking, or even how to handle tricky emotions. Narrate your actions like, “I’m feeling frustrated, so I’m going to take a deep breath. Want to try it with me?”

4. Celebrate the Small Wins 🎉

Did they make eye contact during a conversation? Say “please” or “thank you” without prompting? YAAAS, QUEEN/KING! 🎊 Celebrate those tiny victories—they’re HUGE for kids with SPCD. Sticker charts, high-fives, or a happy dance party are all great ways to show you’re proud.

5. Be Their Safe Space 💖

Sometimes the world can feel overwhelming for kids with SPCD. Let them know it’s okay to take breaks, ask for help, or just have a quiet moment. A cozy corner with pillows, books, or sensory toys can be their little sanctuary.

6. Read Together 📚

Books are magical for teaching social skills! Choose stories with relatable characters and talk about their feelings, actions, and how they solve problems. Bonus points for using silly voices—it’s all about making it fun!

7. Patience is Key ⏳

Progress might be slow, and that’s okay! Every child is different, and they’ll bloom in their own time. Your love, patience, and support mean the world to them. 💕