Play / social skills

It can be a common source of confusion for families to be told your child needs speech therapy when they speak perfectly well! Often we see children who do speak well but may struggle to interact with or talk to others.

This may be due to a social skill difficulty, which is an area speech pathologists can assist with. Much of our communication happens non-verbally, that is, without words, but rather with facial expressions, eye contact, body language, gestures and more. 

We can also help children to develop play skills, in particular imaginative play skills, which are closely linked to language development and social skills.

When to seek help

You may need to seek help if your child:

• has trouble imitating or copying your actions early on

• finds it hard to share objects or attention with others

• prefers to play with objects rather than toys, or plays with toys, in the same way, every time

• does not respond as you might expect

• finds it hard to take turns

• prefers to play alone, or struggles to join others in play or conversations

• has difficulty making or keeping friends

• struggles to understand your thoughts and feelings

• has difficulty managing their feelings or emotions