Success with Social Stories

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Success with Social Stories

• Using Social Stories To Help Students With
  Special Needs Navigate New Experiences
• By
• Rebecca Showalter

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What is a Social Story?

• In its most general meaning, a Social Story is a
  story written for a person with social skills
  deficits to help pave the way for a positive
  social interaction or behavior. Social Stories
  are written to prepare students for experiences
  as varied as tooth brushing, job interviews,
  trips to grandma's, and lining up for recess.
• Generic Social Stories are available to help
  students plan for transitions, ask appropriate
  questions, and even look others in the eye. Some
  contain images, including photos, to help make
  the story's content and purpose clearer.

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According to Social Story Creator and Therapist,
Carol Gray

• A Social Story describes a situation,
  skill, or concept in terms of relevant social
  cues, perspectives, and common responses in a
  specifically defined style and format. The goal
  of a Social Story is to share accurate social
  information in a patient and reassuring manner
  that is easily understood by its audience. Half
  of all Social Stories developed should affirm
  something that an individual does well. Although
  the goal of a Story should never be to change the
  individuals behavior, that individuals improved
  understanding of events and expectations may lead
  to more effective responses.

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How Do Social Stories Work?

• Social Stories provide an individual
  with accurate information about situations that
  may be difficult or confusing. The situation is
  described in detail and focus is given to a few
  key points the important social cues, the events
  and reactions the individual might expect to
  occur in the situation, the actions and reactions
  that might be expected of him, and why.

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How Else Do Social Stories Work?

• The goal of the story is to increase the
  individuals understanding of, make him more
  comfortable in, and possibly suggest some
  appropriate responses for the situation in
  question. Social Stories are relatively short,
  straightforward descriptions of social
  situations, specifically detailing what an
  individual might expect from the situation and
  what may be expected of him.

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What Are The Theories?

• Qualitative impairment in social interaction is a
  defining quality for a diagnosis of autism
  (DSM-IV, 1994) and is thought by some to be the
  defining characteristic of autism social
  dysfunction may be what makes autism something
  more than just a language delay.
• Recently, the notion that those with autism may
  lack a Theory of Mind has circulated among
  those who study social impairments in individuals
  with autism. This deficit is a lack of
  understanding that others have their own
  thoughts, feelings, and points of view resulting
  in difficulty understanding the expectations of
  others and an inability to predict what others
  will say or do in social situations. This Theory
  of Mind phenomenon appears to be largely
  independent of intelligence. Regardless of where
  an individual may fall within the spectrum of
  autism-like disorders they seem to exhibit this
  deficit.

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How Do Social Stories Help?

• Social Stories attempt to address the Theory Of
  Mind" impairment by giving individuals some
  perspective on the thoughts, emotions, and
  behaviors of others. They help the individual
  better predict the actions and assumptions of
  others. Social Stories also present information
  on social situations in a structured and
  consistent manner.
• Along that line, Social Stories also give
  individuals direct contact with social
  information, contact through pictures and text as
  opposed to speech or observation. Finally, Social
  Stories provide a little distance between
  teaching and the possible stresses of the social
  situation itself they give the student a chance
  to practice the skills often and on his terms.

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Before Writing A Social Story, Identify the
Students Needs

• There Are Three Broad Categories for Classifying
  Social Impairments
• Social Avoidance
• Social Indifference
• Social Awkwardness

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Social Avoidance

• Students who would fall into the category of
  socially avoidant might be those who tantrum, shy
  away from, or attempt to escape from social
  situations. Often, students who are this avoidant
  of social situations are doing so because they
  have some hypersensitivity to certain sensory
  stimuli. Consequently, those sensory needs must
  be addressed prior to attempts at teaching social
  skills. A student who is constantly overwhelmed
  by his environment is likely not going to be
  successful in many interventions. Social Stories
  may well prove to be useful tools with such
  children, but only after the sensory needs of
  those students have been met through sensory
  integration, vision therapy, or auditory
  integration.

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Social Indifference

• Social indifference is the social impairment
  common to the majority of students with autism.
  Students who are socially indifferent are those
  who do not actively seek social interaction, but
  at the same time, do not aggressively avoid such
  interaction. Social Stories are often quite
  effective with socially indifferent students
  they can simplify and illustrate social
  interactions, with the hope that increased
  understanding of those situations will make them
  more attractive and reinforcing for the student.

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Social Awkwardness

• Socially awkward students are typically higher
  functioning kids who may try very hard to gain
  and keep friends, but are hindered by a lack of
  reciprocity in conversation and interest. They
  focus on their favorite topic or topics to the
  exclusion of most everything else, and have an
  inability to learn social skills and taboos by
  observing others. Social Stories are often very
  effective with these individuals as they teach
  explicitly those skills and taboos that these
  children do not just pick up from their
  environment. Social Stories provide them with a
  framework for successful social interaction
  perspective on the thoughts, emotions, and
  beliefs of others in their environment, and
  suggestions of appropriate behaviors.

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Writing A Social Story

• A Social Story is intended to be written from the
  perspective of the student, the author needs to
  be able to obtain that perspective. Higher
  functioning students can assist in the writing of
  the story, discussing those areas where they are
  having difficulty and helping the educator or
  parent to write from that perspective.
• With nonverbal or lower functioning students this
  task will require more careful observation on the
  part of the author. Focus of the story should
  typically be given to the motivation of current
  behaviors and not necessarily to the behaviors
  themselves. For example, if a student begins to
  tantrum or cry when his care-giver leaves the
  classroom, your first instinct might be to write
  a story about crying, when and where it might not
  be appropriate, etc. However, a more effective
  approach might be to write a Social Story about
  being scared or frustrated, if you have
  determined that fear or frustration are the
  underlying motivation for the behavior.

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Four Types Of Sentences Used To Present
Information In A Social Story

• Descriptive sentences
• Perspective sentences
• Directive sentences
• Control sentences

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Descriptive Sentences

• objectively address the wh questions where and
  when the situation takes place, who is involved,
  what they are doing, and why they may be doing
  it.

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Perspective Sentences

• give a peek into the minds of those involved in
  the story they provide details about the
  emotions and thoughts of others.

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Directive sentences

• suggest desired responses tailored to the
  individual.

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Control sentences

• are authored by the student himself as something
  of a mnemonic device -- a sentence to help him
  remember the story or deal with the situation.
  These are not used in every story and are
  typically used only with students who are fairly
  high functioning.

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An Example

• Sitting on the Carpet
• Sometimes our class sits on the carpet.
  (descriptive) We listen to stories. (descriptive)
  My friends are listening to the story.
  (perspective) It is hard for them to listen if I
  am noisy. (perspective) I will try to sit still
  and stay quiet when I am on the carpet.
  (directive) Sitting Is Terrific! (control)

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Implementation

• A consistent schedule for reviewing each story
  should be maintained. At first this is typically
  once a day, usually right before the targeted
  situation. However, for some students,
  especially during the first few readings of the
  story, the time just prior to the situation may
  be too exciting or busy to completely hold their
  attention for the story. For those students,
  consequently, it may be helpful to read the story
  early in the day and then simply review the
  highlights prior to the activity.

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Assessment

• The effectiveness of the story should be
  monitored consistently. If after a week or two of
  working with a particular story, there is little
  noticeable change, the story should be reworked.
  Elements that may be vague or confusing should be
  removed or rewritten. The motivation behind the
  behavior may need to be re-evaluated. Is the
  story truly addressing the reasons why the
  student may be confused or misreading a
  situation? Is the problem in the situation really
  one of cognition, or could something else be
  affecting the student?

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Fading

• As the student becomes more and more successful
  with the situations presented in a particular
  story, that story can begin to be faded out or
  changed to meet the new needs of the student. The
  number of review sessions can be reduced from
  once a day, to every other day, to once a week,
  to twice a month, and so on until they are no
  longer needed. Or the directive sentences in the
  story can be reduced or eliminated.
• As each story is mastered, it should be kept
  visible in the student's environment for review
  when needed. Because the stories are so
  personalized, so much about the student, they can
  often be favorites, something the student might
  want to look through on his own, even when not
  working on them specifically. A special basket or
  notebook of mastered stories is good to keep
  around.