What is the best way to teach social stories?
Hi and welcome to the first Aspergers blog post of 2009; and here it is …
Question
Social Stories: what is the best way to teach social stories, by parents, a therapist, or in a peer group setting? Are there good resources for the homeschooler?
Answer
Social stories can be effectively used to teach appropriate behaviour in a variety of settings. Social stories may be used by parents, therapists, or in peer group settings. Homeschooling parents often use social stories effectively. Social stories are used to address the following psychological and social symptoms:
- Feelings of isolation from others;
- A lack of imagination in play or expression;
- Consistent shyness, anxiety, and unhappiness;
- Depression during the years of adolescence and early adulthood;
- Obsessions, including irrational fears and anxieties;
- Timidity;
- Difficulty in relationships with others.
The Importance of Social Stories
Social Stories are a teaching device for children. The stories are used to teach everyday social skills to children who have a diagnosis of autism or a related disability. The stories contain accurate and useful information for someone encountering situations that they may find difficult or confusing. The stories approach a topic by describing it in explicit detail and focus on teachable skills needed within the story. A typical social story will discuss a given situation, how someone is expected to react in that situation, and why the reactions are appropriate.
Deciding on an Appropriate Social Story
Social stories are individualized in that each child is seen as an individual whose problems accompany a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome or high-functioning autism (AS/HFA).
An appropriate social story captures the areas of the child’s life that are challenging. The child’s behaviour is evaluated by parents and teachers at home, in public, and at school. Parents, teachers, and therapists look at the child’s tantrums, withdrawal, social, and escape behaviours. They target these behaviors, and use a social story that addresses the behaviors.
Here is a sample Social Story obtained from: http://www.polyxo.com/socialstories/introduction.html
Lining Up
At school, we sometimes line up.
We line up to go to the gym, to go to the library, and to go out to recess.
Sometimes my friends and I get excited when we line up, because we’re going someplace fun, like out to recess.
It is okay to get excited, but it is important to try to walk to the line. Running can cause accidents, and my friends or I could get hurt.
I will try to walk to the line. (The behavioural goal for the Aspie.)
As you can see, Social Stories are short and to the point. They are structured to describe social situations, explicitly describing what the child with Asperger’s can expect from the situation, and what society expects of the child.
The Benefits of Social Stories
Social Stories are beneficial in that they focus on “theory of mind” impairments (i.e.; mindblindness), which are inabilities to understand the feelings and behaviours of other people. In addition, social stories not only provide information about social situations, but help the Aspie learn how to handle them.
Socially relevant information (like Social Stories) with illustrations and text, have been shown to be effective with Aspies. In conclusion, Social Stories provide the opportunity for the child to practice needed skills and can be used by parents, teachers, and therapists.
You should consider using Dr. Carol Gray’s Social Stories, recommended by Dr. Tony Attwood, a world renowned expert on Asperger’s Syndrome. You can read about it at … Social Stories
Thanks
Dave Angel
PS – The new website continues to grow daily and I have to say I think it’s a really exciting project that you are really going to enjoy. Yesterday I spent a few hours adding all the back-dated copies of the monthly Autism/Aspergers newsletter to the site. I was surprised that there have already been 25 copies; and there are some real gems of information in there (and to be honest I had forgotten writing half of it!) As ever I’ll keep updating you - but I am Really hoping to have it all done by February.













