Social Communication Disorder or Autism?
Understanding the complexities of social communication disorder is important because some of its symptoms mimic autism. One of the distinct differences, however, is that the signs of autism can be missed when someone is a child. For a diagnosis of social communication disorder, a child must have shown symptoms from an early age.Social communication disorder is a relatively new diagnosis; previously, children were misdiagnosed as having autism.How to know if it is autism or social communication disorderWhile autism spectrum disorder may include some difficulties with communication, it also includes repetitive patterns. Social communication disorder is marked more by the inability to understand nuanced forms of communication and storytelling.While a diagnosis of SCD must be made by a trained speech and language therapist, autism spectrum disorder must be ruled out first. A child must see a psychologist to ensure the symptoms they are showing are not part of a spectrum disorder.Autism spectrum disorder characteristics differ depending on the person. Some common ones include:Communicating differently than others.Being exceptionally good at problem-solving or finding solutions that others miss.A tendency to grasp structured systems-related understanding easily – such as computers or the mathematical patterns in music.Challenges with adaptation to change.On the other hand, social communication disorder is primarily characterized by struggles with verbal and nonverbal communication.Someone with SCD may find it difficult:To understand gestures in social contexts.To understand implied meanings that are not explicitly stated.To recognize nonverbal communication or tone in a social setting.To work in a group, especially if the instructions are not clearly communicated verbally or leave some room for interpretation.To tell stories or follow along as someone else tells a story.To share what they know with others.To greet someone appropriately for the social context.To make friends and relate with peers.How do treatments for social communication disorder differ from autism?Therapy for SCD [...]
