Intervention Strategies for Social and Pragmatic Impairments

Intervention Strategies for Social and Pragmatic Impairments

Overview

  • Focuses on functional or naturalistic/ecological-based, child-centered approaches.

  • Avoids directive, clinician-centered models.

Essential Components

  1. Social Context

    • Intervention occurs in natural and realistic settings.

    • Should be meaningful to the child.

    • Familiar people and materials are essential.

  2. Integration into Daily Life

    • Apply speech and language goals in various settings (e.g., home, class).

  3. Involving Caregivers

    • Include parents, siblings, grandparents, and teachers.

    • Common programs: It Takes Two to Talk, More Than Words, Floortime, Relationship Development Intervention.

    • Caregivers serve as facilitators and models, not as trainers.

Goals of Naturalistic Programs

  1. Establish Interactional Functions

    • Focus on turn-taking as essential for communication.

    • Use routines to reinforce communicative behavior.

  2. Intentional Signaling System

    • Respond to observed behaviors as intentional to teach communication.

  3. Conventionalized Signals

    • Shape intentional behaviors with gestures and words.

  4. Increase Variety and Frequency of Communicative Intentions

    • Provide communicative temptations to encourage active participation.