Social Stories...

by Reva Schafer, M.Ed.

A Social Story assists the child in coping with:

• new situations;
  
• transitions and changes in daily routines;
  
• any situations that may cause anxiety;
  
• social interactions; and
  
• academic, cognitive (attention, memory, etc.), and meta-cognitive (learning strategies) tasks.

The Social Story should be based on the child's specific needs as they relate to the particular concern. The Social Story prepares the child by providing the child with information re people, setting, and actual behavioural responses which he/she will need in order to cope.

The author of the Social Story must place him/herself "in the child's shoes". Through observing the child in the situation, one can try to determine what aspects of the situation are causing the problem, i.e. noise, number of people, space, etc. In writing the Social Story, it is necessary to: 1) remember the purpose of the story; 2) name the people involved; 3) describe the setting; 4) state what happens in the sequence that it occurs; 5) give the reason(s) why things are happening; 6) give the responses required in the situation; And 7) note personal feelings and others' reactions.

To be effective, the Social Story must:

1. be specific and give clear directions to lead the child and help him feel safe and secure;
   
2. be written in the present to walk the child through the situation or written in the future if it is of an anticipated situation;
   
3. be written at the child's level of understanding (vocabulary, sentence structure, print);
   
4. be read with the child several times and by those who share the situation with him/her.

    

    

Example 1: Fire Drills

WHAT DO I DO WHEN THERE IS A FIRE DRILL?

 

Sometimes at school, we have a fire drill.

We practise what we should do if there is a real fire.

First we hear a loud, long bell.

I don't like the noise but I don't cover my ears.

I think to myself that the bell will be over soon.

When we are told, we get into line.

We walk quickly and quietly down the hall, through the door and outside.

We wait quietly until the drill is over and we are told we can go back to class

Example 2: School Bus

I Am Riding The School Bus

Some children ride to school on a bus.

I ride to school on a bus.

The school bus is yellow and has a lot of seats.

The school bus picks me up at 8:05 in the morning.

Sometimes the bus is late because there is traffic or the weather is bad. But that is okay!

The school bus stops at my house.

The bus driver opens the door.

I go up the stairs and sit down at my seat.

It is fun riding on the bus. I can look out the window. I can say "hello" to the other children.

I can talk to the other children.

When I get to school, I say "Thank you" to the driver and get off the bus. I go to the schoolyard and to the side door.

At the end of the school day, the bus picks me up at the front door of the school and takes me home.

Sometimes I don't ride on the bus. My Mom and Dad tell me when I don't take the bus. My teacher reminds me when I am not taking the bus.