ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts present in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes developmental areas associated with social competence and social communication. It provides evidence-based information to guide professionals working with children who have problems with social competence or social communication. The book includes the definition of social competence, social communication, and pragmatic language. It also outlines descriptions of theories associated with these skills. The book focuses on a review of evidence-based practices for assessment and treatment of social communication disorders. It explains the evidence-based assessment and intervention practices for children with social communication disorders. The book describes the neurological science associated with social processing, learning, and communication. It also focuses on social communication development including intersubjectivity, non-verbal communication, verbal communication, and pragmatic language. The book examines cognitive processes involved with social communication development discusses attention, social cognition, memory, and executive function development.
