Social stories are not a new concept for those of us in the special education world, whether you are a parent or a professional. Social stories are used by parents and teachers to describe a concept or skill in the format of a story using words and pictures. According to Carol Gray, the founder of social stories, there are 10 criteria that can be used to determine whether something is considered a social story or not. Click here for the criteria list.
While there are many social stories out there, social stories can and should be created by parents or professionals working with children with autism. Social stories can be personalized to the child and any situation they are going through or a skill they are trying to learn. Some social stories even include actual pictures of the child engaging in the desired skill! Social stores can be used to help children understand safety, tragedies (personal or worldly), discovery of self and others, self-care and independent living skills, and even advanced concepts. They are arranged in a sequential order and the words are written according to the level of difficulty. There really are no limits to what a social story can be used to teach a child.
The benefit of using social stories for children with autism, is that they are broken down into definitions, steps, with visuals and words that the child is able to understand. Sometimes, the story might have to be read or referred to repeatedly to ensure understanding and mastery of the skill or concept. Social stories are great for teaching social skills, too. Social stories help children with autism relate to others and the things happening in their world. While the idea of social stories implies that it must be in storybook format, social stories can actually be visual lists, videos, or comic strips. They can be created in any format that will be helpful to the child, as long as it meets the criteria mentioned above.
Check out the list below of social stories resources to help you get started implementing social stories in your classroom or with your child:
How to Write a Social Story – link here
Philosophy of Social Stories – link here
Teaching Missing Skills - Social Stories – link here
How Social Stories Help Autism and Anxiety – link here
Speech-Therapy Social Stories – link here
Free Social Stories – link here
Behavior Social Stories – link here
Stories About Socal Behaviors – link here
Printable Social Stories – link here
Social Story Templates – link here
Social Stories for Behavior Management – link here
Social Stories and Videos – link here
More Free Social Stories – link here
Social Stories for Autism – link here
Pre-pared Social Stories - link here
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