Social Stories
Social stories are an excellent tool that can be used to help children understand difficult concepts. A social story uses literal language to present the information to the child in an absolute way.
The purpose of a social story is to aid in teaching ambiguous or complex situations in a comprehensive way. There is a vast array of situations and topics that help students grasp the concept, activity or expectations of the person reading (or writing) the social story.
However, social stories should follow a certain structure. The social story should think about the following criteria:
- making sure that the story focuses on one goal
- identify the skill that is desired
- they should have a title, introduction, explanation and conclusion
- be tailored to the student
- have a patient and supportive voice
- answer ‘wh’ questions (who, what, where, when, how, why);
- include descriptive and coaching sentences - there should always be more descriptive than coaching sentences.
Social stories are not a quick fix and implementing the story should always be done with consideration and care. It is best to understand the need for a social story in order for it to be most effective on the child. The lesson being taught should always be at the forefront of the story and be, somewhat, personal to the student.
Reading a social story can help in a range of different situations, below are some situations in which social stories may be helpful.
- help with sequencing (what comes next in a series of activities) and 'executive functioning' (planning and organising);
- develop self-care skills (e.g. how to clean teeth, wash hands or get dressed), social skills (e.g. sharing, asking for help, saying thank you, interrupting) and academic abilities;
- help someone to understand how others might behave or respond in a particular situation;
- help others understand the perspective of an autistic person and why they may respond or behave in a particular way;
- help a person cope with changes of routine and unexpected or distressing events (e.g. absence of teacher, moving house, thunderstorms);
- provide positive feedback to a person about an area of strength or achievement in order to develop self-esteem;
- as a behavioural strategy (e.g. what to do when angry, how to cope with obsessions).
Please contact your child's class teachers for further information.