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What are social stories?<\/h2>\nSocial stories<\/h1>\n\n\n\n\n\nSocial stories can help with developing develop greater social understanding<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat are social stories?<\/h2>\n
Social stories\u202fwere created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why.<\/p>\n
The terms ‘social story’ and ‘social stories’ are trademarks originated and owned by\u202fCarol\u00a0Gray<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhat are social stories\u00a0for?<\/h2>\n
Social stories\u00a0can be used\u00a0to:<\/p>\n
\n- develop self-care skills (for example,\u00a0how to clean teeth, wash hands or get dressed), social skills (for example,\u00a0sharing, asking for help, saying thank you, interrupting) and academic abilities<\/li>\n
- help someone to understand how others might behave or respond in a particular situation<\/li>\n
- help others understand the perspective of an autistic person and why they may respond or behave in a particular way<\/li>\n
- help a person to cope with changes to routine and unexpected or distressing events (for example,\u00a0absence of teacher, moving house, thunderstorms)<\/li>\n
- provide positive feedback to a person about an area of strength or achievement in order to develop self-esteem<\/li>\n
- as\u00a0a behavioural strategy (for example,\u00a0what to do when angry, how to cope with obsessions).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How do social stories help?<\/h2>\n
Social stories present information in a literal, ‘concrete’ way, which may improve a person’s understanding of a previously difficult or ambiguous situation or activity. The presentation and content\u202fcan be adapted to meet different people’s needs.<\/p>\n
They can help with sequencing (what comes next in a series of activities) and ‘executive functioning’ (planning and organising).<\/p>\n
By providing information about what might happen in a particular situation, and some guidelines for behaviour, you can increase structure in a person’s life and thereby reduce anxiety.<\/p>\n
Creating or using a social story can help you to understand how the autistic person perceives different situations.<\/p>\n
Example<\/h3>\n
My toys<\/p>\n
My toys belong to me. They are mine.<\/p>\n
Many of my toys\u00a0were given\u00a0to me<\/p>\n
Some of my toys have my name on them.<\/p>\n
I may play with my toys or share them with someone.<\/p>\n
I have toys that are mine.<\/p>\n
Carol\u00a0Gray’s\u00a0The\u00a0new social story book, 2015<\/p>\n
How to write a social story<\/h2>\n
Carol\u00a0Gray\u202fsays you will need to\u202fpicture the goal,\u202fgather information, and\u202ftailor the text<\/strong>.<\/p>\nPicture the goal<\/h3>\n
Consider the social story’s purpose. For example, the goal may be to teach a child to cover their mouth when coughing.<\/p>\n
Now think about what the child needs to understand to achieve this goal. For example, they need to understand why covering their mouth when coughing is important,\u00a0ie\u00a0it stops germs from\u00a0being spread\u00a0which may make other people sick.<\/p>\n
Gather information<\/h3>\n
Collect information about the situation you want to describe in your social story. Where does the situation occur? Who is it\u00a0with? How does it begin and end? How long does it last? What actually happens in the situation and why? If it is for a situation where a particular outcome is not guaranteed, use words like \u2018sometimes\u2019 and \u2018usually\u2019 in the story.<\/p>\n
Stories should appeal to the interests of the person\u00a0they are written for\u00a0and avoid using words that may cause the person anxiety or distress. The content and presentation of social stories should be appropriate to the person’s age and level of understanding. Use age-appropriate photographs, picture symbols or drawings with text to help people who have difficulty reading or for younger children.<\/p>\n
Gather\u00a0information about the person including their age, interests, attention span, level of ability and understanding.<\/p>\n
Tailor the text<\/h3>\n
A social story needs to have a title,\u202fintroduction, body and conclusion.<\/p>\n
It\u00a0should\u00a0use\u00a0gentle\u00a0and supportive language.<\/p>\n
It should answer six questions: where, when, who, what, how and why?<\/p>\n
It should be made up of descriptive sentences, and\u00a0may also\u00a0have coaching sentences. A descriptive sentence accurately describes the context, such as where the situation occurs, who is there, what happens and why, for example:<\/p>\n
\n- Christmas Day is 25 December.<\/li>\n
- Sometimes I get sick.<\/li>\n
- My body needs food several times per day; just like a\u00a0steam\u00a0train\u00a0needs coal to stay running.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A coaching sentence gently guides behaviour, for example:<\/p>\n
\n- I will try to hold an adult\u2019s hand when crossing the road.<\/li>\n
- It\u2019s\u00a0ok to ask an adult for help with nightmares.<\/li>\n
- When I am angry, I can take three deep breaths, go for a walk or jump on the trampoline.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Carol\u00a0Gray’s\u00a0The\u00a0new social story book<\/em>, 2015<\/p>\nHow to use social stories<\/h2>\n
Carol\u00a0Gray\u00a0has developed guidelines on how to use social stories effectively.<\/p>\n
\n- Think about ways to aid comprehension \u2013 would adding questions help, or replacing some text with blanks for the person to fill in?<\/li>\n
- Find ways to support the story,\u00a0eg\u00a0create poster with a key phrase from the story.<\/li>\n
- Plan how often, and where, the story\u00a0will be\u00a0shared\u00a0with the person.<\/li>\n
- Present the social story to the person at a time when everyone is feeling calm and relaxed, using a straightforward approach,\u00a0eg\u00a0I have written this story for you. It is about thunderstorms.\u00a0Let’s\u00a0read it together now.<\/li>\n
- Monitor how well the story\u00a0is received\u00a0and whether it is working as intended.<\/li>\n
- Keep your stories organised in a\u00a0ringbinder\u00a0or computer folder. This makes them easier to find and review, and to develop with new information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Carol\u00a0Gray’s\u00a0The\u00a0new social story book<\/em>, 2015<\/p>\n\n
<\/h2>\n\n- Timmins,\u00a0Dr.\u00a0S.\u00a0(2017)\u00a0Successful Social Stories for School and College Students with Autism, Jessica Kingsley Publishers<\/li>\n
- Timmins,\u00a0Dr.\u00a0S. (2016)\u00a0Successful Social Stories for Young Children with Autism\u00a0Jessica\u00a0Kingsley Publishers<\/li>\n
- Gray, C. (2015)\u00a0The new Social Story book: 15th Anniversary Edition. Future Horizons Firm<\/li>\n
- Gray, C. (1994)\u00a0Comic strip conversations: illustrated interactions with students with autism and related disorders\u00a0\u00a0Carol\u00a0Gray\u00a0social story sampler<\/a><\/li>\n
- Gerhardt, P., Cohen, M. (2014)\u00a0Visual supports for people with autism: a guide for parents and professionals.\u00a0Woodbine House<\/li>\n
- Howley, M., Arnold, E. (2005)\u00a0Revealing the hidden social code. Jessica Kingsley Publishers<\/li>\n
- Aprendices\u00a0Visuales<\/a>\u202f\u2013 books with pictograms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What are social stories? Social stories Social stories can help with developing develop greater social understanding What are social stories? Social stories\u202fwere created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. The … Continue reading Social Stories<\/span>
Social stories can help with developing develop greater social understanding<\/strong><\/p>\n Social stories\u202fwere created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why.<\/p>\n The terms ‘social story’ and ‘social stories’ are trademarks originated and owned by\u202fCarol\u00a0Gray<\/a>.<\/p>\n Social stories\u00a0can be used\u00a0to:<\/p>\n Social stories present information in a literal, ‘concrete’ way, which may improve a person’s understanding of a previously difficult or ambiguous situation or activity. The presentation and content\u202fcan be adapted to meet different people’s needs.<\/p>\n They can help with sequencing (what comes next in a series of activities) and ‘executive functioning’ (planning and organising).<\/p>\n By providing information about what might happen in a particular situation, and some guidelines for behaviour, you can increase structure in a person’s life and thereby reduce anxiety.<\/p>\n Creating or using a social story can help you to understand how the autistic person perceives different situations.<\/p>\n My toys<\/p>\n My toys belong to me. They are mine.<\/p>\n Many of my toys\u00a0were given\u00a0to me<\/p>\n Some of my toys have my name on them.<\/p>\n I may play with my toys or share them with someone.<\/p>\n I have toys that are mine.<\/p>\n Carol\u00a0Gray’s\u00a0The\u00a0new social story book, 2015<\/p>\n Carol\u00a0Gray\u202fsays you will need to\u202fpicture the goal,\u202fgather information, and\u202ftailor the text<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Consider the social story’s purpose. For example, the goal may be to teach a child to cover their mouth when coughing.<\/p>\n Now think about what the child needs to understand to achieve this goal. For example, they need to understand why covering their mouth when coughing is important,\u00a0ie\u00a0it stops germs from\u00a0being spread\u00a0which may make other people sick.<\/p>\n Collect information about the situation you want to describe in your social story. Where does the situation occur? Who is it\u00a0with? How does it begin and end? How long does it last? What actually happens in the situation and why? If it is for a situation where a particular outcome is not guaranteed, use words like \u2018sometimes\u2019 and \u2018usually\u2019 in the story.<\/p>\n Stories should appeal to the interests of the person\u00a0they are written for\u00a0and avoid using words that may cause the person anxiety or distress. The content and presentation of social stories should be appropriate to the person’s age and level of understanding. Use age-appropriate photographs, picture symbols or drawings with text to help people who have difficulty reading or for younger children.<\/p>\n Gather\u00a0information about the person including their age, interests, attention span, level of ability and understanding.<\/p>\n A social story needs to have a title,\u202fintroduction, body and conclusion.<\/p>\n It\u00a0should\u00a0use\u00a0gentle\u00a0and supportive language.<\/p>\n It should answer six questions: where, when, who, what, how and why?<\/p>\n It should be made up of descriptive sentences, and\u00a0may also\u00a0have coaching sentences. A descriptive sentence accurately describes the context, such as where the situation occurs, who is there, what happens and why, for example:<\/p>\n A coaching sentence gently guides behaviour, for example:<\/p>\n Carol\u00a0Gray’s\u00a0The\u00a0new social story book<\/em>, 2015<\/p>\n Carol\u00a0Gray\u00a0has developed guidelines on how to use social stories effectively.<\/p>\n Carol\u00a0Gray’s\u00a0The\u00a0new social story book<\/em>, 2015<\/p>\n \n What are social stories? Social stories Social stories can help with developing develop greater social understanding What are social stories? Social stories\u202fwere created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. The … Continue reading Social Stories<\/span> What are social stories?<\/h2>\n
What are social stories\u00a0for?<\/h2>\n
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How do social stories help?<\/h2>\n
Example<\/h3>\n
How to write a social story<\/h2>\n
Picture the goal<\/h3>\n
Gather information<\/h3>\n
Tailor the text<\/h3>\n
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How to use social stories<\/h2>\n
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