The social (pragmatic) communication disorder: Terminology, diagnostic methods and problems

Abstract

The social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD) is a developmental disorder on the borderland of the autistic spectrum disorder and specific language impairment. Its main symptom is inadequate use of the language in context in spite of relatively intact cognitive abilities. SPCD is a new diagnostic category created in 2013, but it was first described in the 1980's. There has been a thirty-year debate about the strict boundaries of SPCD, its etiology, and its connection to other developmental disorders. Specific formal assessments and rating scales for SPCD are lacking in Hungarian diagnostic protocol and intervention, and the diagnostic category is not well known. The aim of this study is to give an overview of international methods, practice and differential diagnosis.