Social Stories: An Introduction
I remember using "social stories" when my kids were little. Of course, none of us called them social stories back then - it was just good parenting. "Charity, we are going to the doctor's office tomorrow. He will give you a shot so you do not catch a disease. The shot will hurt. I will be there and I will hold you if you want me to. The nurse will probably give you a sucker when we are done." I know it doesn't fit Carol Gray's structured approach to a social story but it prepares the child for an uncertain event, shares important information, and gives her a strategy to deal with it.
Carol Gray defines a social story in this way: "A social story is a short story that describes a situation in terms of relevant social cues and common responses, providing a student with accurate and specific information regarding what occurs in a situation, and why." (Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations, Social Stories UnlimitedTM, 1997, page 1).
Social stories work especially well for children with autism because often they lack the ability to see situations from the perspective of others (Theory of Mind), may miss important social cues ("tunnel vision", Stimulus Overselectivity, and social interaction deficits), they tend to dislike surprises, and tend to respond well to repetition. A social story is designed for the specific child and may include things the child values and is interested in. For example, if a child likes dinosaurs, you could include dinosaurs as characters in a story about going to school, etc. Children with autism are often visual learners, so the story can include drawings, pictures, and even real objects.
Carol Gray recommends a specific pattern to a social story (see the links below and/or attend one of her presentations). The pattern includes several descriptive and perspective sentences. Descriptive sentences clearly define where a situation occurs, who is involved, what they are doing, and why. They are used to describe a social setting, step-by-step directions for completing an activity, etc. Example of a descriptive sentence: "Sometimes at school, the fire alarm goes off. The fire alarm is a loud bell that rings when there is a real fire or when we are practicing getting out of the building. The teachers, janitors, and principal all help us to line up and go outside quickly. The fire alarm is loud so that everyone can hear it. Sometimes I think it is too loud."
Perspective sentences describe the internal states of people, their thoughts, feelings, and mood. Perspective sentences present others' reactions to a situation so that the individual can learn how others perceive various events. Example of a perspective sentence: "The fire alarm does not bother all people. The teachers, janitors, and principal may not understand how much the fire alarm bothers me. Sometimes they get mad if I do not move quickly or get confused. Their job is to get me outside quickly so I am safe in case there is a real fire."
Two other types of sentences are sometime used: directive and control sentences. These sentences may not be used at all and if they are, Carol Gray recommends using them in the ration of 0 - 1 directive or control sentence(s) for every 2 - 5 descriptive and/or perspective sentences. Too many directive and/or control sentences turn a social story into an "anti-social story" of demands and commands. As Carol Gray would say, "Try the decaf!"
Directive sentences are always stated in positive terms and are individualized statements of desired responses. Directive sentences often follow descriptive sentences, sharing information about what is expected as a response to a given cue or situation. Directive sentences often begin with "I can try..." "I will try..." or "I will work on...." Example of a directive sentence: "I will work on staying calm when the fire alarm rings."
Control sentences identify strategies the person can use to remember and apply the social story. A control sentence should be written or inspired by the child. Example of a control sentence: "When the fire alarm rings, will think about a the dinosaurs following each other out of the forest to escape the burning meteors."
When the story is put together, you may include pictures that mean something to the child and will help them remember the story. The story can be used as a bed-time story, a story for story time, etc. It may be read daily by the child or read to the child at various times during the week. Carol Gray reports fantastic results with her stories.
Social stories are not just for children. I have used a modified version of the stories to prepare an adult with autism and mental retardation for a visit to his physician (who planned a very invasive procedure). The result was absolutely perfect and the man was a perfect gentleman with his physician. To learn more about social stories, visit the following web sites:
Internet References on Social Stories
Sample Social Stories - From Carol Gray and the Gray Center.
Social Stories - Excellent social stories from the Flemington-Raritan Autism Program.
Social / Self-Help - Some good "social stories" and ideas for teaching many topics. Stories include: menstruation and deodorant use.
Polyxco.com: Social Stories - The Polyxco.com - Teaching Children with Autism web site is a recent find. This page has many examples of real social stories and a very nice Introduction to Social Stories.
Social Stories by Meredyth Goldberg Edelson, PhD - Center for the Study of Autism summary on Social Stories. Provides a good summary of the structure of a social story, a link to The Morning News, and Carol Gray's address.
Social Story Books and Videos by Carol Gray (and others) - Order Carol Gray's latest books, videos, and other stuff from Carol Gray's web site.
Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations - From the Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support (O.A.S.I.S.) web site. Includes links to Carol Gray videos, books, and newsletter.
Examples of Social Stories - Three short social stories.
Sumlin Stories - Richard Saffran provides an excellent list of many social sentences or "Sumlin stories" (not technically Social Stories - but close) on a variety of topics. Includes some good notes on Applied behavior Analysis (ABA) strategies.
Social Stories.com - A description of several prepared books with "social stories" on a variety of topics. Titles include: "Going to the Dentist," "Going to the Doctor," and "Going to the Grocery Store." Each title costs \\$14.95. I have not reviewed the books nor have any experience with the author. Interesting pictures and ideas though.
Success Stories - Personalizable, illustrated stories from Sandbox Learning.
DISCLAIMER: This site is intended to provide basic information resources on Autistic Disorder. It is not intended to, nor does it, constitute medical or other advice. The author of the web site is not a medical doctor. Readers are warned not to take any action with regard to medical treatment or otherwise based on the information on this web site or links without first consulting a physician. This web site does not necessarily endorse any of the information obtained from any of the links on this page or links that other pages may lead you to. Neither does this web site promote or recommend any treatment, therapy, institution or health care plan. The information contained in this site is intended to be for your general education and information only and not for use in pursuing any treatment or course of action. Ultimately, the course of action in treating a given patient must be individualized after a thorough discussion with the patient's physician(s) and family.