Children and young people with social communication needs will have many strengths, but they may have differences, or difficulties, in one or more of the following areas:
Social communication: Difficulties using and understanding verbal and nonverbal language, such as gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice.
Social interaction: Difficulties in recognising and understanding other people’s feelings and their own feelings.
Social imagination: Difficulties with predicting other people’s intentions and behaviour, imagining situations outside their own routine, flexibility of thought.
Sensory differences: Some sensory oversensitivity (hypersensitivity), undersensitivity (hyposensitivity) or a combination of both, for example to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours.
These differences, or difficulties, can be associated with speech and language needs, learning difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and/or environmental factors such as early childhood trauma.
Difficulties with social communication, particularly if undetected or not supported adequately, can have negative outcomes for children’s emotional well-being. Early identification and early support are key. Staff should be aware of individual differences in learning and development and ensure that expectations are in line with the child’s age, developmental stage.
If a child or young person’s rate of progress is slower than others, this does not necessarily mean that they have SEN. Individuals learn and progress at different rates and times. If progress is much slower than other people, slower than previously or appears to case, then this should be immediately investigated and supported through an ‘assess, plan, do, review’ process.