n.
Children with social communication impairments are a heterogeneous group and encompass both clinical and non-clinical groups. Clinical groups include the categories of ‘Language Impairment’ (also commonly known as ‘Specific Language Impairment’ and, more recently, ‘Developmental Language Disorder’), ‘Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder’ and ‘Autism Spectrum Disorders’ as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V; ). ICD 10  as well as listing a number of pervasive developmental disorders (autism, Asperger’s and other pervasive developmental disorders) also describes a number of developmental disorders of language. Children experiencing difficulties with social communication are not limited to those covered by these DSM-V and ICD 10 diagnoses, however. Social communication and pragmatic language difficulties have also been shown to be associated with other clinical populations, notably those with ADHD  or conduct disorder [10, 11] and non-clinical groups such as shy children [12, 13]. There are also indications that social communication disorders are severely under-diagnosed, particularly in children of low socio-economic status [10, 14].
Research concerning children identified as having pragmatic language difficulties demonstrates that effects are far-reaching. Recent studies have shown associations between pragmatic language difficulties and behavioural problems , especially of the disruptive, externalising kind. Healthcare costs (excluding education costs) have been shown to be 36% higher for 4-year-old children with language disorders than for typically developing children . A number of studies have shown long-term negative effects: children with social communication impairments experience problematic peer relationships  and are commonly rejected and victimised by peers at school [18, 19]. Individuals diagnosed with pragmatic language impairments as children were found to experience continuing problems with establishing social relationships (such as friendships) later in adulthood .
A particularly important skill for successful adult functioning, to which social communication is central, is the ability to collaborate with others. Collaborative and team-building skills are recognised as vital to future adult employment and participation in society . A number of collaborative activities between children (such as collaborative learning, cooperative learning or peer tutoring) now commonly take place in classrooms and have generally been judged to be beneficial in terms of improved learning (e.g., [22, 23, 24]). Collaborative working has also been shown to improve peer relations and facilitate children’s feelings of belonging [25, 26]. However, group and dyadic work is not invariably beneficial, only collaborations where children are actively engaged and that are characterised by high-quality questioning, explanation, clarification of ideas, discussion and generally positive affect have been found to be productive .
Given their difficulties, it is to be expected that children with social communication impairments will struggle with collaborative group working and recent studies do indeed bear this out. By comparison to typically developing children in collaborative contexts, they can be aggressive or withdrawn , show more irrelevant behaviours and share less , ignore others’ questions and requests and give poorer directions .
Interventions to support pragmatic language and collaborative working are limited. The use of technology and gaming has been highlighted as a positive tool for facilitating communication and collaboration with peers in children with communication difficulties (e.g. [30, 31]). The application of computer technology for collaborative games to support children’s communication has a number of unique advantages over non-technological approaches. Children with social communication impairments are frequently overwhelmed by the complexity and unpredictability of social interaction. Computer games designed for two or more children to play together can be formatted so 