# Pragmatic Language Impairment: A Scientometric Review
## 1 Introduction
### The Scope of Pragmatic Language Impairment  
Pragmatics was primarily studied within the disciplines of linguistics, anthropology, and literature. As the scientific field developed and the need to understand the multitude of disorders, their causes and deviations from the norm arose, experts in other areas began examining pragmatics. Philosophy, sociolinguistics, psychology, special education, rehabilitation, and speech-language pathology explored pragmatics based on their respective foci. For example, speech-language pathologists investigated pragmatics in relation to communication; sociologists considered pragmatics with respect to social roles; anthropologists studied pragmatics in terms of culture; and psychologists explored pragmatics regarding developmental disorders. Skills associated with pragmatic competence are diverse, encompassing turn-taking, nonverbal behaviours, topic and theme management, cohesive ties, and prespositions [15].  
As mentioned earlier, this disorder is currently known as SPCD. The main symptoms include impaired social use of verbal and nonverbal communication [16]. Impaired social use of verbal and nonverbal communication refers to difficulties in using language and gestures in social interactions. It is not about the ability to speak, understand, or recognise gestures, but rather about using these tools appropriately in various social situations. For example, verbal communication involves not just speaking, but also using the right tone, volume, and pace suitable for the situation. A person with an impairment might speak too loudly in a quiet setting or use a formal tone in a casual conversation. Nonverbal communication includes gestures, facial expressions, and body language. An individual with this impairment might not make eye contact when speaking or might not understand the meaning behind certain facial expressions or gestures. They might stand too close to someone, not respecting personal space, or fail to use appropriate gestures that typically accompany speech, leading to awkward or misunderstood social interactions [1; 2; 3; 4; 5].  
A previous version of this definition was given by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [7] and [PERSON] and [PERSON] [8]. [PERSON] and [PERSON] introduced the following symptoms when defining the term Semantic Pragmatic Syndrome: (1) comprehension deficits of connected discourse, (2) verboseness, (3) word-finding deficits as evidenced by circumlocutions, semantic paraphasias, and lack of semantic specificity, (4) stereotyped conversational responses, (5) literal interpretations, (6) responses to one or two words, (7) impairment in the ability to take turns and to maintain a topic in discourse, and (8) unimpaired syntax and articulation [17].  
Children with Pragmatic Language Impairment have a problem with the use of language in social situations, understanding of the context and discourse of language [10; 18], and difficulties following rules for conversation and storytelling, such as taking turns in conversation (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) [6]. The main reason for this is that they share very little information, so it is difficult for the listener to understand what happened because there are not enough vital descriptions from which to compose a story [6]. According to the American Psychiatric Association, these children have problems in the ability to change communication to match the context or the needs of the listener (whether it is a child, a job interview, or a woman working in a store) [6]. Contrary to previous assertions--recently debunked--that posited children with pragmatic language impairment largely remain undiagnosed until school age [19], contemporary research has convincingly refuted this claim. The current consensus attributes the delayed diagnosis to these children's capacity to exhibit language fluency and utilise conventional syntax [20; 21; 22]. Such abilities can effectively obscure the presence of the impairment, thereby leading to a delay in the recognition and diagnosis of their condition.