The Power of Social Stories

social storiesSocial stories can be highly effective in teaching children new skills. Although they are typically used for children with autism, the truth is that they can be beneficial for explaining changes to any child.

Social stories are visual or written explanations in short and simple stories that are used to explain to a child what to expect in the future, to decrease anxiety, teach rules or even demonstrate social cues. For example, if you anticipate your child will encounter a big change soon, a social story might help explain this change, why it is happening and what your child can do to seek help.

There are several components to creating an effective social story.

  1. Social Story Structure. When writing a social story, four types of sentences should be used: descriptive, control, perspective and directive.
    • Descriptive sentences describe who is involved and why, where the situation will occur and the steps needed.
    • Perspective sentences tell your child how others may be affected.
    • Directive sentences explain how your child should react to a situation.
    • Control sentences, while not always used, provide an opportunity for the child to write their own sentences to summarize the social story. In addition, social stories should be told in the first person perspective and use pictures.
  2. Keep it simple. When writing social stories, be sure to use simple language in a way that your child is able to understand. Focus on one set of skills and be specific. If you are stating multiple events, state them in the order in which they will occur. Give your child reasons as to why the events will by occurring as well. Lastly, be sure to describe how your child should respond to what will occur.

Social stories can be effective for many children and help in a variety of situations, especially if you are sure they understand the social story as you explain it. The more you can get your child to participate in the story, by reading it or discussing it, the more likely the tool will be effective.

Resources:

For great examples of social stories for various scenarios, click here.

And if you have plenty of spare time  to create your own (ha!), check out these apps.

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