What is the best way to teach social stories?

robyn oldfield — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:27:30 +0000

Hi Cheryl,My son has high functioning autism and he has difficulty with verbal tasks so i would always convert the verbal instruction into a visual either by a social story or a picture sequence. When he can read i look forward to using “check lists” where i can write just a key word like “homework” maybe and any other items ,list them , laminate them into a book mark size and tie it to his school bag handle. For pre readers put a simple sketch next to the key word. I did this to help my son get the sequence right for getting dressed and stuck it on his wardrobe door and another for toileting which i stuck on the bathroom mirror and i have plans for many more eg. on his swimming bag for when school swimmimg starts. Ive also done my own social stories just using an A4 page divided into 6 squares (first draw hoizontal line across middle of page parralel to longest side then 3 equal vertical lines to divide into 6 squares) this is your story grid. think out your story into 6 key phrases and write them one per square sequentially across the page ,left to right, like a comic strip, and do a simple drawing illustrating each phrase to show your son 1) ask teacher for homework 2)put it in school bag. 3) give it to mum. 4) do homework before bedtime. 5)put it into school bag. 6)Give it to teacher next school day. Or whatever is what you want him to do ,that was just an example!!I did lots of these style story pages to deal with any task my son could not complete if it was said verbally. it certainly helped me to not repeat myself 100 times and helped him gain independence.Keep it short and keep it visual unless he is good reader then change format to a checklist style maybe. Just ideas !Nothing to lose!

What is the best way to teach social stories?

robyn oldfield — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:48:22 +0000

There are a list of social stories called “Success Stories” at http://www.sandbox-learning.com that you can subscribe to for a yr for a minimal fee that allows you to download as many copies as you like, plus customise them to your child by entering their name or teachers name, friends names, siblings etc into the pre written text. You can then print it out in colour or as a diagram for your child to colour in and its ready to go. Its great for saving time once you set it up you can zip out copies for home, school, family etc so everyone can use the same scripted responses to the desired behaviour for a particular social situation thus increasing the likelihood of learning for the child thru repetition and saves you wringing your brain to come up with a story, text and pictures! When i print mine out i put the pages in those clear plastic sleeves and tie them together to form a book that is durable. Excellent for reading thru with your child BEFORE you get somewhere or some place where you might come across that social situation where these social behaviours can be required, or better yet, engineer a situation that will require these behaviours and read the story first, role play it taking turns then practice it in real life.

What is the best way to teach social stories?

cheryl — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:48:00 +0000

My 10 year old has problems trying to remember to put homework in his schoolbag and to pass in his homework or to bring home letters or notes from school regarding activities or teachers requests. Would a social story help to improve his memory in these tasks?

What is the best way to teach social stories?

RONNIE — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:00:31 +0000

Social stories work quite well we used these when my 13 year old was in grade school to help him with handing in work, making freinds and what was expected of him.

What is the best way to teach social stories?

Mary — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:49:54 +0000

My son is in 5th grade, and we have used social stories for the past three years. It is a great way to reinforce “good decisions” and a great tool to teach the ramifications of “bad decisions”. My son has shown marked progress in school, and we know that social stories, and rewarding the “good” are both part of his success.

What is the best way to teach social stories?

Cindy — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:10:52 +0000

Thank you, Dave, for these insightful and very helpful articles! Keep ‘em coming!