Carol Gray introduced the concept of the Social Story in 1991 [My Social Stories Book] for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Social use of language, rules and conventions vary enormously and are especially perplexing for children with ASD.
What Does a Social Story Do?
It provides a visual prompt to explain what happens in a given situation:
- What the situations is (or where the place is)
- Who the people are
- What happens
- What the people say/do, what they are thinking/feeling and why
- What the child him or herself is expected to say/do in this situation
A Social Story is a short, pictorial sequence, rather like a comic strip. It is a particularly useful tool for explaining what goes on at school (classroom, assemblies, playground etc.) and preparing children for other significant events, for example, what to expect from a visit to the dentist or the cinema.
Children with ASD find it difficult to generalise their knowledge from one context to another. They are, therefore, likely to need support in learning how to behave in an array of commonplace (as well as out-of-the-ordinary) situations. Parents and teachers may find themselves writing a story for every occasion, from playing at a friend’s house to using the bathroom.
How Do You Write a Social Story?
Write simple sentences, in the present tense, using names rather than pronouns. Aim for succinctness and clarity, avoiding idioms and clichés such as “it’s raining cats and dogs” or “too good to be true”. A Social Story is effectively an instruction manual: it needs to tell the reader how to recognise a situation and what to do, in a very literal way. Vocabulary and story length will vary according to the needs of the individual child.
School assemblies can cause anxiety for children with ASD because of the crowds, close proximity of other people and volume of noise from clapping or singing. This would be a good focus for a Social Story, to prepare the child and provide a clear coping (response) strategy. Such a story might be written as follows (the practice of lining-up could, itself, be the subject of a Social Story):
- Assembly is at 10.15am, in the hall.
- (Child’s name) walks in the line, behind the other children.
- There are lots of people in the hall. They walk into the hall slowly and sensibly.
- (Child’s name) sits down on the floor, in the line, and crosses his legs.
- The teacher wants the children to be very quiet so they can hear what the teacher says. (Child’s name) listens and sits very still (no wriggling).
- Sometimes, the teacher tells a story and sometimes the children sing a song. The singing makes a loud noise but everyone is happy.
- After the singing, the children say a prayer in quiet voices.
- When the assembly has finished, the children walk back to the classroom, in their lines, slowly and quietly.
Visual Cues
Images are a powerful reinforcer for children with ASD. They catch the eye and provide an enduring view of reality which can be re-visited. Repetition of this nature is reassuring and also helps to consolidate the child’s learning. It is, therefore, important to include visual cues with the text – simple line drawings (with “stick” people), clipart or digital photographs can all be effective. Relevance, meaning and impact are the important factors, not necessarily sophisticated illustrations.
Social Stories are a highly effective and flexible tool which can easily be adapted to suit different situations and the needs of the individual child. They are an invaluable resource in the classroom and at home, and can be used in conjunction with other strategies such as visual timetables.
