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Deficits in Social Communication and Social Interaction

Author: Capella Partnered with CARD

what's covered
This lesson will explore ASD-related deficits in social communication and social interaction by defining and discussing the following:
  1. Deficits in Social-Emotional Reciprocity
  2. Deficits in Non-Verbal Communicative Behaviors Used for Social Interaction
  3. Deficits in Developing and Maintaining Relationships Appropriate to Developmental Level

1. Deficits in Social-Emotional Reciprocity

before you start
It is important to note that to qualify for an ASD (299.00) diagnosis, the individual must meet the criteria for all three social communication and social interaction deficits described in this lesson.

The first criterion is persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts. These deficits may include abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; and failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.

These deficits often become apparent when an individual does the following

  1. Does not reciprocate social exchanges (e.g., greetings).
  2. Does not understand the emotions of others (e.g., keeps playing and shows no reaction when peer falls down and cries).
  3. Does not empathize with others (e.g., does not appear to feel sad when a peer or family member is sad).

EXAMPLE

Nadia does not smile back when her mom smiles at her in the playroom.

EXAMPLE

Brady keeps playing and shows no reaction when his friend gets hurt on the playground, falls down, and starts to cry.

Video Transcript


2. Deficits in Non-Verbal Communicative Behaviors Used for Social Interaction

These deficits include poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication, abnormalities in eye contact and body language (e.g., avoids eye contact with others), difficulty understanding and using gestures, and lack of understanding and use of appropriate facial expressions (e.g., does not react to peer’s angry facial expression). Individuals displaying these deficits

  1. May have poor eye contact.
  2. May not use gestures to communicate.
  3. May not use or understand facial expressions and/or body language.

EXAMPLE

Jason does not look at his friends when talking to them. He does not recognize when his friend looks confused and shrugs his shoulders about what Jason is saying to him, so he continues talking. He does not understand why his friend eventually walks away.

Video Transcript


3. Deficits in Developing and Maintaining Relationships Appropriate to Developmental Level

Deficits in this area include difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts, difficulties in sharing imaginative play or making friends, and an absence of interest in peers. Deficits of this nature may be exhibited when an individual does not develop friendships appropriate to a developmental level beyond those with caregivers (e.g., spends no time with peers outside of times prescribed by teachers).

Individuals may also have great difficulty maintaining any existing peer relationships. This type of deficit may also be displayed by an individual who only plays with those of a much younger age and does not have relationships with peers of the same age.

Regarding peer relationships, individuals displaying deficits of this nature:

  1. May not have any friendships with peers.
  2. May not have any friendships with peers of the same age.
  3. May not be able to sustain peer relationships.

EXAMPLE

Christian rarely interacts with any classmates on the playground and does not respond to their invitations to play. He spends most of the class free time collecting leaves on the ground.

Video Transcript

hint
Remember, the individual must have all three of these deficits in social communication and social interaction to qualify for an ASD (299.00) diagnosis.

summary
In this lesson, you learned that in order for an individual to qualify for an ASD (299.00) diagnosis, they must meet the criteria for all three of the following social communication and social interaction deficits: deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, which refers to persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts; deficits in non-verbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, such as poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication, abnormalities in eye contact and body language; and deficits in developing and maintaining relationships appropriate to developmental level, marked by difficulty developing and sustaining peer relationships.