Social Stories™ are used by parents, siblings, professionals and para-educators of all shapes and sizes in school, home and community settings. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the cup runneth over for Social Stories™. Social Stories™ have been copied, modified, and sometimes re-configured to such an extent that one must carefully scrutinize whether what one claims to be a Social Story™ actually meets Carol’s specifically delineated specifications for structure and implementation. One of the most flagrant violations is when Social Stories™ are used primarily to correct behavior rather than enhance social understanding. Carol is so clear about this issue because she cares so much about the developing self-esteem of a person with developmental challenges. Of course, individualized support with a focus on building social understanding is a hallmark of Social Stories™.
Some practitioners think of Social Stories™ as simple. To the contrary, they are a strategy that is incredibly elegant when precisely formulated according to Carol’s criteria. Social Stories™ have proven to be effective in educational practice and validated in research as an essential support for persons with developmental challenges and differences of all ages and a wide range of developmental abilities. In fact, in this latest revision, Carol has added two chapters of Stories for preschoolers (an entire one devoted to using the toilet), as well as expanding each chapter and adding a collection of Social Articles for adults.
Yes, Social Stories™ may be described as an effective and meaningful approach to support social understanding, but the ultimate and deeper goal is to empower children and older people by enhancing their understanding of social situations and social encounters in their lives, and thereby supporting their ability to be active participants in life’s routines and activities. The effective use of Social Stories™ goes even further—it allows practitioners and parents to build trusting relationships through their support. Ultimately, the overarching goal of Social Stories™ is this: to help people to be self-determined, confident and competent individuals.
So now, dig in, enjoy and show the people you are teaching and supporting how much you love and care about them through your use of Social Stories™. Your efforts will help them thrive and live happily in this crazy world of ours.
BARRY M. PRIZANT, PH.D., CCC-SLP
Adjunct Professor
Artists and Scientists as Partners Group
Brown University
Director, Childhood Communication Services
Cranston, RI
Co-Developer, the SCERTS® Model Author: Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism
I wrote this collection of Social Stories™ with you and the child or adolescent in your care (I refer to them as the “Audience” of your Stories) continually in mind. You may use the Stories in a variety of ways. They may be used directly from the book, or as a pattern to develop Stories of your own. This brief introduction will acquaint you with the resources in this book, specifically the Stories, the companion CD, and the Social Story™ 10.2 Tutorials.
This book contains 185 Social Stories™ that I wrote either for students I was working with directly, or for fellow parents and educators. The Stories are divided into chapters according to their subject matter: Learning with Stories, Change, Mistakes, Me and My Feelings, Celebrations and Gifts, People Skills and Friendship, Bullying, Understanding Adults, Home and Community, School, and Planet Earth. Whereas some chapters focus on specific contexts, others focus on some of the most challenging issues facing children with autism spectrum disorders. I did my best to include the Stories most requested by parents and educators, and ones that I felt, from my personal experience, had helped children the most.
Some of the Stories in this book are designed to be used in groups, in sequence. As examples, the Fort Able Stories (#56-59) describe an imaginary comfort zone (Come to Fort Able=ComFortAble). Each Fort Able Story describes a “room” in a “fort.” The bullying Stories (#95-102) are intended to be read/completed chronologically as well. You will discover other sets of sequenced Stories and related activities throughout the book.
One of the most exciting attributes of this revised edition is the companion CD. All of the Stories are in Adobe PDF format, exactly as the Stories appear in this book. You can print Stories for individual use in the home, or include a Story in a classroom presentation to teach a skill to a group of students— and those are only a couple of examples. (Copyright permissions/restrictions are explained in detail on the CD.)
Conversely, be aware that some students’ reactions to the imagery can negatively impact their understanding of a social situation or skill. They may think that the Story applies to the child in the picture, but not to them. So if your child or student thinks very concretely, and has difficulty generalizing the skills, you may want to edit the story, customized with his or her experiences, and use the pre-illustrated Stories from the book for your reference only.
Note that Stories are editable in Adobe Acrobat if you own the full version of this program. If you have the free or Reader version of Adobe Acrobat, you will not be able to edit using this system. You may copy the story you want to edit, and paste it in Microsoft Word. Then you can edit the story to your liking. While most of the Stories can potentially be used as they are written, there are some Stories in this book that have to be revised before they are shared with your Audience. These are the Stories for a fictional character (e.g., Trevor, Mason, Fletcher) that include sample descriptions of past events. You will need to review those Stories for ideas, and then edit the corresponding file on the CD, replacing existing details with your Audience’s experiences. The individualized Story will make the most sense to your Audience if it is written from a first-person perspective, as though Audience is talking.
Many of the Stories in this book are intentionally “over-written.” They include more text or longer sentences than I typically use when writing for students on my caseload. I did this to provide you with as many ideas and phrasing options as possible, while still maintaining sound Story structure. You, in turn, may review a Story and determine that it’s ready to use with the person you are caring for. Or you may decide to revise it, in which case you should have enough text to shorten and/or personalize the Story as you see fit.
Stories may be easily shortened for younger or more severely challenged Audiences. In some cases, it may be possible to use the first sentence of each paragraph and delete the others. Other options to simplify a Story include omitting commas to create two separate sentences, or splitting one Story into two or more Stories.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced author of Social Stories™, this book is designed to support your continued learning. The Social Story™ 10.2 Tutorials teach the art and science of developing a Social Story™. The tutorial section is your personal Social Story™ workshop to complete at your own pace. It includes an introduction to the tutorials, detailed descriptions of the 10.2 Social Story™ Criteria, and a practice activity for each criterion. Once you’ve completed the tutorials,, they are a handy reference to support your efforts in the months to come. I also encourage you to attend an official Social Stories™ training, where you can refine your Story writing and practice your skills with others.
The Internet is a wonderful resource. Unfortunately, much of the Social Story information online is outdated and inaccurate. Use caution. Many sites use the term Social Story without regard for its definition and emphasis on safety. They may use my name without my permission, making it seem as though I am in support of their information.
