Social Stories

Help Develop a Child's Learning, Understanding Of Social Situations And Replace Problem Behaviours

Social stories are a tool or strategy used to teach a desired social behaviour for both children and adults with social communication delays, such as Autism. Although there is no guarantee that they will necessarily fix the problem. A social story gives a person information about social situations that they may find difficult or confusing.

Example of a short
Social Story

Lining Up

At school, we sometimes line up.
We line up to go to assembly, to go to the dining hall, and to go out to play. Sometimes, my friends and I get excited when we line up, because we're going somewhere fun, like out to play.
It is okay to get excited, but it is important to try to walk to the line. Sometimes I will want to run.
Running can cause accidents, and my friends or I could get hurt. I will try to walk to the line.

Characteristics of Social Stories

Social Stories are short, straightforward descriptions of social situations which provide details of what a person might expect from a situation, and describes what may be expected of the person.

Characteristics of Social Communication Delay & Autism

One of the major symptom categories of autism is social skills deficits, considered by many to be the defining characteristic of this disorder. Examples can range from lack of engagement to unusual patterns of interacting with others, and trouble understanding facial expressions. There is also an inability to understand that others have feelings.

Lack of social skills & interaction can add to problem behaviours for many children. Especially those with autism. Behaviour is a way to get people to do something when you don't know a better way. This can be true for children with learning or cognitive disabilities, and for children whose social or cultural background has not supported these skills.

Why Being Social Is Difficult

There is a suspected "theory of mind" deficiency in autism, such as a lack of understanding that other people have their own thoughts, feelings, etc., an inability to assume what other people are thinking, often cannot interpret social cues, and trouble understanding facial expressions and body language.

Social Skills Deficits

There are three general areas of social skills deficits:
Social avoidance - child is hypersensitive and seeks to avoid social situations i.e. objects to loud noises or crowded areas
Social indifference - child does not actively seek out social interaction i.e., is content to play alone without the need for friends
Social awkwardness - child is typically higher functioning, but has difficulty with reciprocal interaction in conversation or interests. Speech may be very stilted & adult, not in content but in expression.

History of Social Stories

Social Stories were developed by Carol Gray for persons with autism in early 1991, and written for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders by students at Jenison High School in Jenison, MI.
Gray's program described positive outcomes for hundreds of autistic students. Many parents, family members, educators, therapists across the world usually describe the use of social stories as being effective.

Formal research on the effectiveness of autism social stories is just beginning to come out.

Social Stories Overview

Provide personal scenarios for difficult situations

Create a script for appropriate behaviour

Use areas of strength: - Reading skills
- Interest in repeatedly hearing/reading story, and interest in routines
- Gives concrete, detailed explanations

Assists in understanding the perspectives of others

Designed to encourage appropriate behaviour

Social Story Guidelines

Write a social story from the perspective of the focus person. Create a word picture - what they would see and experience i.e., use clip art or photographs

Use a combination of different types of sentences, following the recommended ratio: Descriptive, Perspective, Directive

May be supplemented with additional, optional types of sentences: Affirmative, Control, Cooperative

The language must be at an appropriate level to match the understanding.

What are Descriptive sentences?

Descriptive sentences provide information about specific social settings or situations, i.e. give cues to what the person sees, who is involved, and what happens. For example:

At school, most people go to the cafeteria for lunch.
When it is lunchtime, most students eat lunch.
I go to the cafeteria for lunch.

What are Perspective sentences?

Perspective sentences describe the internal states of other people. These types of sentences provide information about thoughts, feelings, and/or moods of other people. Describing the situation from another's perspective, many children with autism do not know about. For example:

Many students like to eat their lunch with others.
Everyone likes it best when each student only touches their own food.

What are Directive sentences?

This is where you guide the child to the behaviour you want to develop.

Directive sentences provide information about what the student should do to be successful in the target situation. For example:

When I eat, I will only touch my own food.
I drink my own drink.

Recommended formula for writing Social Stories

The recommended formula for writing social stories based on Carol Gray's opinion is two to five Descriptive sentences for each Directive sentence, which may include Perspective sentences. Research shows that many stories which follow the ratio, do work. Studies have not found any high numbers or shown that stories which did not follow the ratio do not work.

Other guidelines for writing Social Stories

Social Story is usually written in the first-person

Social Story is usually written in present-tense

Provide more information about the social situation than you think the student needs

Prepare them to act appropriately

NOTE! Don't get too hung up over how many directive, perspective & descriptive sentences you've used. Have a good go and if it sounds right and addresses the issues, then it's probably fine. Use words such as 'usually' or 'sometimes' rather than 'always' because we can't guarantee that ALWAYS will Always happen.

Step One

What will this story be about?

What is the skill or behaviour you want to establish for the child?

What do you want them to be able to do?

Reasons to write a Social Story

Learn new routines

Provide missing information

Help children cope with and adjust to change

Help advance interpersonal understanding

To aid the development of appropriate behaviours

Provide insight into what other people are thinking and feeling

Sample topics for Social Stories

Asking a question

Following rules

Eating at the table

Sharing

Turn taking

Playing games to have fun, or "winning isn't everything"

Crossing the street

It's OK to look at girls

Personal issues

Why I should not shout

Step Two

Create a Profile

What is the child's ability to read and understand language?

Write to their ability to read and/or understand
Level of Understanding

Be Careful - we often over-estimate what children with autism actually understand

Type of language your child understands, i.e. their degree of real language, length of sentences

Write using the same type of use of language as appropriate i.e., if a child uses & understands the word 'grub' instead of 'food', then use 'grub'. You could also add a sentence to explain that most people call 'grub' food.

Step Three

Writing the Story

Do a Task Analysis, i.e. review the skill being taught, break it down into small specific steps the child needs to understand and perform the task, look at examples of social tasks that are broken down

Write the steps into the story - remember the ratio for number and type of sentences to use

Social Stories Design Factors

Text can be supplemented with pictures and icons. Pictures are especially effective for younger children - it makes it look like a picture book. Many people with autism have described themselves as "thinking in pictures." Digital technology, i.e. cameras, makes it pretty easy for many to personalise Social Stories for a specific student.

Skill-Streaming Examples

Following Instructions

Listen carefully to the instructions

Ask questions about anything you do not understand

Repeat the instructions to the person (or to yourself)

Follow the instructions

Introducing a Social Story

1. Find a quiet place with the least possible distractions.

2. Read the story to the child. Other rehearsal possibilities are: a) have your child read it out loud to you or others, and b) have others read it out loud to the person.

3. Develop a consistent time schedule to review the story. For example, daily before the situation occurs.

4. After the story is mastered, keep it visible and accessible for student reference.

5. Once a social story is part of a child's routine, continually monitor its effectiveness. If necessary, rewrite parts of story to improve the child's performance.

A Social Story may also help the child with everyday activities, i.e. brushing teeth, and taking a bath.

This is a social story I wrote for pre school staff recently. The staff used the text I gave them, as above, and put this into a booklet format showing photographs of Edward which matched the text. Within a week of the story being introduced, his behaviour in this area had significantly improved and is continuing to do so.

This can be adapted & modified to suit each situation. Add pictures & spread the text over several pages. Give copies to Mum too.

Edward's taking turns story (front cover)

My name is Edward. I am a good boy.

At pre school, there are lots of toys for me to play with.

There are lots of other children at pre school too & they also like to play with the toys.

Sometimes, I might want to use the computer. The computer gets used by lots of other children too.

Only one person can use the computer.

Usually, there is someone already using the computer.

Everyone must wait nicely for their turn on the computer.

I will try to wait nicely for my turn on the computer.

If I wait nicely, I will be able to have fun on the computer when it is my turn.

When I am on the computer, I will feel happy.

Mrs ************* & Mrs ************ & all the other children will be happy if I wait nicely for my turn. Mummy will be happy that I waited nicely too.

My name is Edward. I am a good boy.

END

As you can probably tell, this child had issues with waiting his turn for his favourite activity on the computer.

As we all know, the move to BIG school can be scary for any child. This is where social stories can come into their own.

Any change can be problematic for a child on the Austicic Spectrum, especially a huge change such as moving school.

So, prepare the child. Take photographs of the new school, teacher, classroom, entrance door, dining hall, library, IT Suite, the Head teacher, office staff, playground, etc, etc. Anything you know that will reassure the child, take a picture of it & write about it in the story.

Of course, stories around change can cover anything from a hospital visit or stay to a day out at a theme park.

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