{"id":31448,"date":"2025-03-13T12:40:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T12:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/?page_id=31448"},"modified":"2026-01-21T10:12:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T10:12:16","slug":"social-communication","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/ordinarily-available-inclusive-provision\/targeted\/communication-and-interaction-needs\/social-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"Social communication"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"content-heading-quote clearfix \" id=\"block_acf-block-6970a67cdda5a\"><div class=\"hq-outer\"><h2><span class=\"hq-heading\">What is social communication?<\/span><span class=\"hq-icon\"><\/span><\/h2><div class=\"hq-intro\"><p>Social communication is the use of verbal and non-verbal language to interact with others, including body language, tone of voice, conversational skills, social conventions and emotional intelligence.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"content-boxes clearfix\" id=\"block_acf-block-6970a67cddad7\"><ul class=\"grid-x grid-margin-x small-up-1 medium-up-1 large-up-1\"><li class=\"cell box-contents\"><div class=\"box-contents-inner has-svg\"><div class=\"box-icon\"><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"Layer_1\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\"><defs><style>.cls-1{fill:#222959;stroke-width:0}<\/style><\/defs><g id=\"Group_7793\"><path id=\"Path_2\" fill=\"#f0d85d\" stroke-width=\"0\" d=\"M17.57 2.73h24.27l16.17 16.5v23.01L41.84 60H18.41L1.48 42.24V19.23l16.09-16.5Z\"><\/path><g id=\"question-octagon\"><g id=\"Group_7792\"><path id=\"Path_6596\" d=\"M17.02.55c.35-.35.83-.55 1.32-.55h23.3c.5 0 .97.2 1.32.55l16.48 16.48c.35.35.55.83.55 1.32v23.3c0 .5-.2.97-.55 1.32L42.96 59.45c-.35.35-.83.55-1.32.55h-23.3c-.5 0-.97-.2-1.32-.55L.55 42.97A1.88 1.88 0 0 1 0 41.65v-23.3c0-.5.2-.97.55-1.32L17.02.55Zm2.1 3.2L3.75 19.12v21.75l15.38 15.38h21.75l15.38-15.38V19.12L40.88 3.74H19.13Z\" class=\"cls-1\"><\/path><path id=\"Path_6597\" d=\"M19.57 21.78c-.01.24.08.48.26.65.18.17.41.27.66.26h3.14c.52-.01.95-.41 1.01-.93.34-2.43 2.05-4.21 5.1-4.21 2.61 0 5 1.27 5 4.33 0 2.36-1.42 3.44-3.67 5.09-2.56 1.81-4.58 3.93-4.44 7.37v.8c.03.51.45.92.96.91h3.08c.52 0 .94-.41.95-.93v-.39c0-2.66 1.04-3.44 3.84-5.51 2.32-1.72 4.73-3.62 4.73-7.63 0-5.6-4.85-8.31-10.16-8.31-4.82 0-10.09 2.19-10.45 8.48Zm5.92 21.38c.05 1.96 1.68 3.5 3.64 3.45.07 0 .14 0 .2-.01 2.32 0 3.91-1.46 3.91-3.44s-1.6-3.49-3.91-3.49a3.534 3.534 0 0 0-3.82 3.23c0 .09-.01.17-.01.26Z\" class=\"cls-1\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg> <\/div><h3><strong>Identification<\/strong> &#8211; what you may see in the child or young person<\/h3><div class=\"box-content list-col-1\"><ul>\n<li>Communicates in different ways, other than talking, for example noises, echolalia, gestures, facial expressions and hand flapping.<\/li>\n<li>May not use reciprocal conversation, including asking questions, giving opinions, discussing feelings or ideas, negotiating.<\/li>\n<li>Has a literal understanding of and use of language.<\/li>\n<li>Talks frequently about topics they are interested in.<\/li>\n<li>Sees events from their own perspective and find others\u2019 points of view difficult to understand.<\/li>\n<li>May find it hard to communicate feelings to others and\/or recognise and understand the needs and feelings of others.<\/li>\n<li>Demonstrates difficulty with interpreting facial expressions and\/or using facial expressions effectively in the right context.<\/li>\n<li>Demonstrates differences in using and interpreting tone of voice and intonation.<\/li>\n<li>May seek time alone during unstructured times, appearing to avoid social interactions. Younger children may prefer to play alone or with objects.<\/li>\n<li>Finds the dynamics of group conversation difficult.<\/li>\n<li>May not predict or may misunderstand the consequences of their actions on others.<\/li>\n<li>May avoid eye contact.<\/li>\n<li>Might be very direct with their comments or observations.<\/li>\n<li>May be socially vulnerable (for example overshares personal information, doesn\u2019t recognise online threats).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"content-boxes clearfix\" id=\"block_acf-block-6970a67cddb1c\"><ul class=\"grid-x grid-margin-x small-up-1 medium-up-1 large-up-1\"><li class=\"cell box-contents\"><div class=\"box-contents-inner has-svg\"><div class=\"box-icon\"><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 65 60\"><g data-name=\"Group 1\"><path fill=\"#f0d85d\" d=\"M3 4h59v56H3z\" data-name=\"Rectangle 1619\"><\/path><path fill=\"#222959\" d=\"M4.434.004A4.59 4.59 0 0 0 0 4.736v50.528a4.59 4.59 0 0 0 4.434 4.74h56.132A4.59 4.59 0 0 0 65 55.264V4.736A4.59 4.59 0 0 0 60.566.004Zm1.476 6.31h53.18v47.372h-7.382v-3.155H38.41v3.155H5.91V6.314ZM32.5 18.947a4.748 4.748 0 1 0 4.432 4.738 4.592 4.592 0 0 0-4.432-4.738Zm-11.816 5.53a3.506 3.506 0 0 0 0 7 3.506 3.506 0 0 0 0-7Zm23.633 0a3.281 3.281 0 0 0-2.957 1.745 3.764 3.764 0 0 0 0 3.61 3.281 3.281 0 0 0 2.957 1.745 3.567 3.567 0 0 0 0-7.1ZM32.5 31.578a13.579 13.579 0 0 0-8.526 2.912 10.54 10.54 0 0 0-3.291-.544c-3.559 0-7.391 2.012-7.391 4.513v2.594h38.416v-2.594c0-2.5-3.832-4.513-7.391-4.513a10.548 10.548 0 0 0-3.291.544 13.579 13.579 0 0 0-8.526-2.912Z\" data-name=\"Path 6598\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg> <\/div><h3><strong>Planned<\/strong> provision in school<\/h3><div class=\"box-content list-col-1\"><p>Based on need, some of this provision will be effective.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Acknowledge all attempts at communication<\/strong>. Be curious about the meaning behind sounds, gestures, actions. Provide meaningful responses to all communication attempts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Give immediate and specific feedback<\/strong> on the appropriateness of the pupil\u2019s communication, for example \u201cThank you for waiting for your turn.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create opportunities for the child or young person to communicate<\/strong> &#8211; provide planned opportunities to bring learners together around shared interests, with planned scaffolding for communication. It may be helpful for the adult to model interactions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adults use consistent scripts and agreed vocabulary<\/strong> when communicating with the child or young person; avoid or explain figurative language and the use of idioms and sarcasm.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Model different ways of communication<\/strong> &#8211; adults take opportunities to model and draw children and young people&#8217;s attention to different ways of communicating, for example using \u2018thumbs up\u2019 or a smile to show agreement.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Planned use of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autism.org.uk\/advice-and-guidance\/topics\/communication\/communication-tools\/social-stories-and-comic-strip-coversations\" rel=\"noopener\">social stories and comic strip conversations<\/a><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.autism.org.uk\/advice-and-guidance\/topics\/communication\/communication-tools\/social-stories-and-comic-strip-coversations\" rel=\"noopener\">. <\/a>These can be used to reflect on social situations and support the learner to consider different viewpoints.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Planned, supported playground games<\/strong> with opportunities for pre-practise with a trusted adult.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Planned opportunities to develop social knowledge<\/strong> to support turn taking, conversational skills, identifying facial cues and inference using programmes such as <a href=\"https:\/\/devoneducationservices.co.uk\/events\/a3fb4a6b-12fd-4cd1-aa64-2c515c86199c\/LEGO-based-therapy-in-person\" rel=\"noopener\">Lego Therapy<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senbooks.co.uk\/language-for-behaviour-and-emotions\" rel=\"noopener\">Language for Behaviour and Emotions<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Explicit teaching of strategies to manage feelings of overwhelm<\/strong>. Supportive strategies are explicitly taught, practised and scaffolded into real-life situations. This might include tools such as <a href=\"https:\/\/nas.chorus.thirdlight.com\/file\/24\/fBWsR5cfBZzPbe5fBtNKfG-z1hg\/NAS_Know Yourself Series_A Guide to Energy Accounting.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">energy accounting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.5pointscale.com\/uploads\/7\/9\/4\/7\/7947067\/posterguide_9.25.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">scaling<\/a>\u00a0 or <a href=\"https:\/\/zonesofregulation.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Zones of Regulation<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"content-boxes clearfix\" id=\"block_acf-block-6970a67cde1d0\"><ul class=\"grid-x grid-margin-x small-up-1 medium-up-1 large-up-1\"><li class=\"cell box-contents\"><div class=\"box-contents-inner has-svg\"><div class=\"box-icon\"><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 76.617 60\"><g data-name=\"Group 1\"><path fill=\"#f0d85d\" d=\"M1.371 3h73v52h-73z\" data-name=\"Rectangle 1638\"><\/path><g fill=\"#222959\"><path d=\"M46.517 13.632h19.154v5.473H46.517Z\" data-name=\"Path 6599\"><\/path><path d=\"M46.517 27.264h19.154v5.473H46.517Z\" data-name=\"Path 6600\"><\/path><path d=\"M46.517 40.896h19.154v5.473H46.517Z\" data-name=\"Path 6601\"><\/path><path d=\"M10.945 13.632h19.154v5.473H10.945Z\" data-name=\"Path 6602\"><\/path><path d=\"M10.945 27.264h19.154v5.473H10.945Z\" data-name=\"Path 6603\"><\/path><path d=\"M10.945 40.896h19.154v5.473H10.945Z\" data-name=\"Path 6604\"><\/path><path d=\"M71.144 0H5.473A5.469 5.469 0 0 0 0 5.455v49.09A5.469 5.469 0 0 0 5.473 60h65.671a5.469 5.469 0 0 0 5.473-5.455V5.455A5.469 5.469 0 0 0 71.144 0ZM5.473 5.455h30.1v49.09h-30.1Zm35.572 49.09V5.455h30.1v49.09Z\" data-name=\"Path 6625\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/svg> <\/div><h3><strong>Resources<\/strong> for schools<\/h3><div class=\"box-content list-col-1\"><p><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Support services<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/childrenandfamilyhealthdevon.nhs.uk\/our-pathways\/speech-language-and-communication\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Speech, language and communication<\/a> (Children and Family Health Devon) &#8211; training, online learning and advice<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/send\/educational-psychology\/educational-psychology-service\/\">Devon&#8217;s Educational Psychology Service<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Further reading and information<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/childrenandfamilyhealthdevon.nhs.uk\/resources\/paying-attention-hints-tips\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Hints and tips to develop attention skills<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hacw.nhs.uk\/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n2284.pdf&amp;ver=4154\" rel=\"noopener\">5 ways to help children listen<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twinkl.co.uk\/teaching-wiki\/attention-autism\" rel=\"noopener\">What is Attention Autism?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Resources to share with parents<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/speechandlanguage.org.uk\/help-for-families\/ages-and-stages\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Ages and stages of language development<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.afasic.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1._Listening_1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">Helping your school age child to listen<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":981,"featured_media":0,"parent":31445,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-31448","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-11 19:32:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/981"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31448"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35418,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31448\/revisions\/35418"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}