Pragmatic impairment: a case study

Abstract

Introduction: Children with pragmatic language impairment have problems with appropriate use of language according to age and context. Assessment and intervention plans designed to be used with a pragmatically impaired child were discussed in this study. Materials and methods: The primary method of data collection adopted in this study was observation method. Accordingly, communicative partner profile and child’s pragmatic rating scale were completed. Based on the obtained data from these two tools, appropriate targets were then selected for intervention. Results: After treatment plan implementation and providing necessary consultations to parents for enhancing conversational skills and use of speech acts, a significant increase in child’s scores on pragmatic rating scale was evident. Moreover, the child’s ability in conversational skills increased by an average of 2-3 scores. Conclusion: Similar to the work of Richardson and klecan- Aker, selected targets in this study were focused on pragmatic skills. Pragmatics was assumed as a whole not as a part of treatment. As a result, appropriate diagnosis of the disorder is efficient in decision for making assessment and selection of proper treatment targets. Key words: Pragmatic language impairment, Speech acts, Conversational skills, Pragmatic rating scale, Communicative partner profile