A child with a delay in pragmatics likely struggles with which of the following?

A child with a delay in pragmatics is likely to struggle with understanding the functional use of language. Pragmatics refers to the social aspects of communication, including how language is used in context, the knowledge of conversational rules, and the ability to interpret meaning based on social situations. A child with pragmatic difficulties may have trouble understanding how to use language to achieve specific outcomes, such as making requests, providing appropriate responses, or engaging in back-and-forth conversations.

While reading comprehension, recognizing sounds in language, and memorizing vocabulary are important language skills, they are more closely related to other aspects of language development such as semantics (meaning), phonology (sounds), and vocabulary acquisition. In contrast, the functional use of language is specifically tied to pragmatics, making this option the most relevant to the child's difficulties. Understanding how to navigate social interactions and effectively communicate within those contexts is essential for overall language development and successful interactions with peers and adults.