There is a huge variety of signs and behaviours that school staff, including teachers and learning support assistants, may notice. For example, a child may find it hard to read social clues, interact with other people and may prefer their own company. 

You may find using this section helpful in identifying needs at an early stage. 

Every child is different but there are some key things to look out for if you think Children and Young People (CYP) might have social interaction difficulties. 

• Do they tend to avoid eye contact or only show affection on their terms?
• Do they struggle to share, find it hard to lose games or take part in group situations without getting upset?
• Do they seem to have extreme reactions at times? For example, getting upset by loud noises, if you run out of a particular food or they cannot do something that was planned?
• Do they come across as rude or unfeeling? They might take over conversations, interrupt others or comment on things in a way that causes upset.
• Are they fussy about certain things?
• Are they quite clumsy, or do they have unusual mannerisms? For example, flapping their hands when excited or upset?
• Do they seem to find it hard to understand what is said to them? Or struggle to remember what has been discussed?
• Are they very literal, taking what you say at face value?
• Do they enjoy slapstick humour but struggle to follow jokes?
• Are they able to repeat whole sequences from games, movies or books? But find it hard to tell you about their day or describe what has happened when upset?
• Do they have particular interests or become fixated on certain topics?
• Can they read really well but not follow what they have read, or find it hard to create written work?
• Are they keen to do the right thing and get very anxious?

If you have noticed a child or young person has one, or some of the above presenting needs, they may have difficulties with some of the following:

• Have difficulty making and keeping friends
• Rely on routine and find change difficult
• Have favourite topics of conversation
• Introduce unrelated topics of conversation into discussions or lessons
• Find it difficult to make inferences, predict or reason.
• Have difficulty using context to support their understanding.
• Have difficulty using and understanding facial expressions and non-verbal messages, including facial expressions.
• They may lack imaginative play.
• Have difficulty participating in conversations. They may find it difficult to start, finish and maintain them.
• Use an inappropriate style of talking. For example, talking to a teacher like a peer rather than using a more formal style.
• Find it difficult to understand humour, sarcasm and idioms as they understand language literally.
• Read fluently but not understand what has been read.

Children and young people may find social interaction difficult, which can impact their ability to do some of the following: 

• Start or hold a conversation.
• Understand non-verbal communication cues including body language and facial expressions, that gives context to what is being said.
• Make and maintain eye contact.
• Talk about something that is outside of their interest.
• Understand non-literal language such as sarcasm, idioms and metaphors.
• Understand when people use language to hide their feelings or words in a way that doesn’t make their meaning clear.
• See things that other people might not notice. For example, some people hyper-focus on minute details, hearing every leaf rustle in the wind or making connections that others don’t.
• Accept touch. They may find hand-shaking or big groups and crowds confronting.
• Filter out less important information such as background noise.
• See other's point of view.
• Alter interactions to suit environmental or social contexts. For example, changing behaviour when interacting with grandparents, compared to peers or work colleagues.