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The Most Common Links Between Social Language Impairment & Bullying

Bullying and social language disorders can go hand-in-hand. Here are the most common links between the two and how you can help if a child is being bullied.

What is a pragmatic language impairment?

In order to understand the role pragmatics plays in bullying, we must first clearly understand the role pragmatics plays in social interaction. Pragmatic language includes a variety of skills and abilities. These include, but are not limited to the ability to talk to use language in different ways (inform, persuade, etc.), the ability to adjust to various audiences about different topics, and compliance with conversational rules (such as eye contact, facial expressions, etc.).  Children who struggle in these areas often have difficulty interacting with their peers. They can misunderstand social cues, make inappropriate or off topic comments, and have difficult making and maintaining friendships. Unfortunately, these children are also often the targets of bullies.

Recognizing the signs of bullying:

While some students will come forward and confide in adults, students with pragmatic language impairments may be less likely to do so for a variety of reasons. Due to this reason, the adults in these children’s lives must be especially vigilant for signs of bullying. Some signs may include sudden refusal or aversion to school, changes in mood or tantrums, or a sudden decrease in academic performance.

How to help a child that is being bullied:

Making the adults in the child’s life aware of the situation is absolutely vital to its resolution. This means contacting teachers, aids, playground monitors, etc. If goals regarding pragmatics need to be added to the child’s IEP, this step should also be taken. The use of a buddy system or bully prevention education can also help to resolve the problem. Teaching the child to advocate for him or herself can be a huge step in both resolving the problem and preventing future bullying. It is vital that the child knows that the bullying is not his or her fault. Parents and other adults should work to provide emotional support any child that is experiencing bullying.
Kaylee Kapalko, Speech-Language Pathology Intern

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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