Social Stories

Social protocols, the proper way to respond when interacting with others, are typically learned by example. People with autism sometimes need more explicit instructions. Social stories, an intervention developed by Carol Gray, are meant to provide just that. As the name implies, they are brief descriptive stories that provide accurate information regarding a social situation. Knowing what to expect can help people with autism act appropriately in a social setting. Parents, teachers and caretakers can use these simple stories as a tool to prepare the person with autism for a new situation, to address problem behaviors, or even to teach new skills. The following is an example of a social story explaining when it’s appropriate to run.

Running

• I like to run. It is fun to go fast.
• It’s okay to run when I am playing outside.
• I can run when I am on the playground.
• I can run during P.E.
• It is not okay to run when I am inside, especially at school.
• Running in the hallways is not safe.
• Teachers worry that someone may get hurt if I run into them
• When people are inside, they walk.
• I will try to walk in the hallways and only run when I am outside on the playground.

Writing a Social Story

Begin by observing the student in the situation you hope to address. Let the student’s perspective tell you which aspects of the situation should be the focus of the story. Include those things that usually occur in the social situation, but consider possible variations.

There are three types of sentences used in writing social stories:

1. 1. Descriptive sentences objectively define where a situation occurs, who is involved, what they are doing and why.
2. 2. Perspective sentences describe the reactions and feelings of others in a given situation.
3. 3. Directive sentences are positively stated, individualized statements of desired responses. They may begin “I can try...” or “I will work on...”. Try to avoid sentences starting with “Do not”. In the above example, the final sentence is the directive sentence.

A social story needs to have 3 to 5 Descriptive and Perspective sentences for each directive sentence. Avoid using too many directive sentences. They will be lost without adequate contextualization.

Presenting a Social Story

Tailor the language and the presentation to the person’s abilities. Small children and non-readers will need pictures to accompany the story. Be aware that the pictures need to be very simple and very specific. Leave out any extraneous details and backgrounds, as they can be distracting. They will also need bigger fonts and less information on each page. A storybook is a good idea. For older kids and readers, the story can be presented on one page. Alternatively, each sentence can be mounted on black construction paper and bound in book format.

Present the story in a calm, stress free environment. Present the story once a day. Be consistent. It may be useful to present it just before a related event. Once the idea is mastered and the person has incorporated it into their social repertoire, slowly decrease its use. It’s a good idea to keep it around for easy access and as a reminder of the person’s mastery.

Be careful not to present too many social stories at once, especially in the beginning. Start with one. Once the person is comfortable with the routine, it’s possible to have more than one going at a time.

For more information...

Gray, C.A., & Garand, J.D. (1993). Social stories: Improving responses of students with autism with accurate social information. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 8(1), 1-10.

The New Social Stories Book contains one hundred examples of social stories and a chapter on writing and implementing social stories and is the basis for this handout. To order a copy call 1-800-489-0727 or go to http://www.futurehorizons-autism.com/.

The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) has a copy of The New Social Stories Book in its resource library. To visit the library, please call ahead. CARD is also available to answer your questions about social stories.

800/754-5891 or 352/273-0581

• CARD Resource Library
• 1405 NW 13th Street
• Gainesville, FL 32601