How do you make a tissue dance?

If you know the answer, you also know this is the start of a groan-worthy joke that will make most kids giggle.

If you are Jen Amos, Lower School Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP), this is a lesson in social pragmatics.

What is social pragmatics?

Social pragmatics is a lens of social communication that goes beyond language; it’s being mindful of who you’re talking to, considering words, face, tone of voice, and body language, and then integrating all of the pieces together. A good social communicator connects with other people to engage, to play, to tell a story, or to share a joke.

What does this look like for Carroll kids?

Integrating a lot of language-based information can be a challenge for our students. It requires executive function skills, language skills, keeping track of a lot of things happening quickly, considering group dynamics, filtering many people talking simultaneously, and waiting your turn. That’s a lot of things for children to keep track of at once, especially for students who have dyslexia or ADHD.

How do you address this in your SLP practice at Carroll?

What I appreciate about teaching at Carroll is that I’m most often in the classroom working closely with teachers, doing diagnostic observations of students, modifying content, and applying skill building tactics, right in the moment. This is so important for practicing social pragmatics. When we’re working on a skill such as taking turns, it is most beneficial to practice in real time. In a pull-out model—teaching the skill outside the classroom in a controlled environment—it’s difficult to find that zone of proximal development. It’s in the meaningful moments when skills are developed.

Why jokes?

TThere is a lot of social pragmatics in telling jokes. First knowing what other people are going to think is funny. Many times jokes rely on puns or multiple meaning words—higher level language skills. Timing and tone can make or break a joke. Then there’s consideration of the situation—is telling a joke while my teacher is giving directions a great time or is recess a better time for that?

How does your role help Carroll meet its mission?

I got into this work to help smart, capable kids obtain the communication skills they need to access what’s happening in the classroom. Language should never be a barrier to education.

Arriving at Carroll, our son faced challenges with social and executive functioning skills. Without these in place, he could not fully access his learning. This is exactly the kind of skill-building and support that Carroll’s SLPs provide to students. This partnership has been invaluable to us and to our son.

Jessica Turco 6th Grade Parent and Carroll Trustee

The SLP Role at Carroll

Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) support students who are struggling with different aspects of speech and language such as comprehension, ability to express their thinking, social communication, executive functioning, and self-advocacy skills.

At Carroll, SLPs can be found: 

1. Collaborating with teachers and tutors to understand a student’s profile
2. Reviewing data and performing diagnostic observations
3. Providing skill-building tactics with students
4. Fine-tuning curriculum based on students’ literacy, learning, and language needs
5. Working closely with families to ensure a complete understanding of a student’s profile and progress over time

Joke answer: Put a little boogie in it.