What are social communication needs?
Social communication is the way we use language and non-verbal cues for picking up on unspoken social rules and to share thoughts, emotions, and experiences with others. It includes
Verbal (speech): tone, intonation, emphasis and volume.
Non-verbal (body language): using and understanding gestures, using and interpreting facial expressions, using eye contact, posture, touch and awareness of personal space. When someone has social communication needs, it means they experience ongoing challenges with using verbal and nonverbal communication in social situations. This can affect their ability to:
- Know how to respond appropriately in conversations, might not realise that it’s their turn to speak in a conversation or may interrupt frequently when to ask or answer questions
- Understand social cues, such as facial expressions, tone of voice, or body language.
- Use or sustain eye contact.
- Interpret non-literal language, like sarcasm, jokes, or idioms.
Examples of social communication challenges:
- Adapting to different social situations: a child may struggle to adjust how they speak when talking to a teacher versus a friend.
- Understanding unspoken social rules: they may have difficulty adapting to the topic and audience including appropriateness.
- Reading between the lines: they may take phrases literally (e.g. “pull your socks up” might be seen as a request to physically adjust their socks).
How do social communication needs impact daily life?
Social communication needs vary widely, but they can affect:
- Friendships and relationships: difficulty making or keeping friends due to misunderstandings or social anxiety.
- Education and learning: struggles with group work, classroom communication and expectations, or following instructions.
- Employment: challenges understanding workplace social norms or interpreting feedback.
Social communication needs and autism
For some people, social communication needs can lead to a social communication difficulties (SCD) diagnosis. This can occur on its own or alongside other neurodivergent conditions such as autism.
Autism
Autism is a lifelong neurological difference that you are born with. It can become noticeable at different stages of life. It is not an illness; there is no cure/medical treatment for autism but that does not mean support is not available. You may need to approach things differently and with the right support and adjustments, autistic individuals can thrive.
Autism is a spectrum condition, meaning each autistic person is unique. While there are shared characteristics, every individual has their own strengths, challenges, preferences just like everyone else. No two people are the same.
Autism (or autism spectrum disorder, ASD) affects how people:
- Think
- communicate
- experience and respond to sensory input
Some people may need a lot of support in certain areas, while others may need a little.
Common experiences for autistic individuals
These can vary widely, but often include:
- Struggling with small talk or reading unwritten social rules.
- Preferring routings, predictability, and deep interests.
- Difficulty adapting how they communicate depending on the situation or person.
- Being uncomfortable using or maintaining eye contact.
- Misunderstanding humour, sarcasm, or nonliteral language.
- Finding group conversations confusing or overwhelming
- Being very honest or direct which can be perceived as being rude or abrupt.
- Challenges making or keeping friends.
- Difficulty understanding what others are thinking or feeling (theory of mind).
- Struggles with classroom routines or peer cooperation.
- Blurting out or going off-topic during conversations.
- Using gestures or pointing to communicate.
- Difficulty with retelling stories or following plots.
- Lacking in confidence, self-esteem or assertiveness, especially in social settings.
- Difficulty identifying their own emotions (alexithymia)
Emotional regulation
- Struggling to manage emotions, especially when things don’t go as expected
- Needing more support to stay calm or recover from stress
Sensory processing differences
Autistic people may be over- or under-sensitive to things like:
- Sounds
- Lights
- Smells
- Textures
- Movement
- Taste
- Internal sensations (like hunger or pain)
Examples include:
- Feeling overwhelmed by too much sensory input, which can increase anxiety and reduce communication.
- Difficulty tuning out background noise.
Support and diagnosis
You do not need a diagnosis to access support.
However, to get a formal diagnosis, there must be clear differences in:
- Communication and social Interaction
- Repetitive behaviours or routines
- Sensory processing
Diagnosis is not about labelling. It's about understanding and unlocking the right tools, strategies, and support.
Find out more about diagnosis on the Autism diagnosis and diagnostic pathway page. [Link to the page once it’s in new section 3]
Read our Do you know …? guide for families with children and teenagers who have social communication differences including autism.
Autism and masking
There are cases where the individual with undiagnosed autism may be proficient at masking their differences and difficulties, in order to fit in and conform so it is hard to pick up need for diagnosis. Often key transition points become more difficult and indicators that autism may be an underlying cause emerge. Both boys and girls mask and their signs of autism can be very subtle particularly in school but in some cases the individual can experience shutting down or meltdowns when at home.
Helpful videos about Autism:
- Amazing Things Happen - by Alexander Amelines – YouTube
- Facts about Autism for Children - YouTube
- Animation to the voices of autistic children sharing some experiences - YouTube
- Why Autism is a difference, not a deficit - YouTube
- Autism explained through a cartoon (This is a third party pdf link and may not be accessible to screen reader software or mobile devices)