What do you notice about the child or young person?

Indicators that a child or young person may have social interaction needs.

Social Interaction

The child or young person may:

  • be socially isolated
  • become tense and anxious in social settings
  • be aware of peers having friendships, but lack strategies to make friends
  • have difficulty picking up on social cues
  • behave in a socially inappropriate way.

Social Communication

The child or young person may:

  • be slow to develop speech
  • have formal and pedantic language
  • have a monotonous voice
  • have difficulty in interpreting non-verbal communication-body language, facial expression and gesture
  • interpret language literally and may fail to grasp implied meanings.

Social Imagination

The child or young person may:

  • have difficulty with sequencing events
  • have difficulty with change in routines
  • have differences in creative thought & play
  • have difficulty with transferring skills
  • resist new experiences
  • have difficulty predicting and understanding others’ behaviour
  • have ‘special interests’.