Ongoing difficulties in the use of verbal and nonverbal communication for social purposes with:

• Challenges in using communication for social purposes
• Limitations in the ability to adapt communication style to match the context or the communication partner
• Difficulties following conversational rules (e.g., turn taking)
• Difficulties understanding what is not explicitly stated (e.g., reading between the lines)

Present from early childhood, these communication difficulties cause limitations across social, academic and occupational areas of functioning (either individually or in combination). In addition, these challenges may cause significant anxiety and may limit social inclusion and/or participation.

Link: DSM-V Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder Fact Sheet

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013.