Sunshine and Superhereos: Social Stories part 1

As we head into the holiday season many families are excited about all of the parties, get-togethers, and travelling they will be doing. For families with autism, we know all too well that the holidays bring with them a whole slew of extra stressors. How we prepare our children and family for the holidays can really make or break the season. Many people have come to depend on social stories for all sorts of experiences, especially big events like holiday happenings. That got me curious as to how and where social stories began, so I thought I’d share what I found.

Carol Gray is a teacher in Michigan who, back in 1991, developed and trademarked the Social Story. A few minor tweaks have happened since Ms. Gray first started, resulting in the basic outline that millions follow to write their own versions of Social Stories. The specific guidelines can be purchased at www.carolgraysocialstories.com (this website is under construction, so you may have to wait a bit for access).  The premise of the Social Story is to expand a person’s understanding of social expectations, so that they may make more informed decisions about their response to a given situation. The stories are not intended to change behavior, they are to share information only, but in sharing the information one’s behavior is often affected in a more socially acceptable way. A good portion of the story (at least half) should have examples of what the person already does well so that they can recognize their successes and build upon those.  The wording needs to be positive, accurate, and concise. Many of us have a tendency to get too wordy, and then we lose our audience and defeat the purpose of the story altogether!

An interesting side note…the Stories were originally started as a tool to use when working with young students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and have since been implemented across multiple abilities and age groups.

So how are the stories used these days? That will be the topic for next time…