hese guidelines give detailed information about the structure, content and implementation of social stories.

The information on this page is based on Carol Gray's social story guidelines, published in The new social story book (1994), and can also be found on The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding website.

Picture the goal

Consider the social story's purpose. For example, the goal may be to teach a child to cover their mouth when coughing. Now think about what the child needs to understand to achieve this goal. For example, they need to understand why covering their mouth when coughing is important, ie it stops germs from being spread which may make other people sick.

Gather information
The next stage is to gather information about the person including their age, interests, attention span, level of ability and understanding. As well as this, collect information about the situation you want to describe in your social story. For example: where does the situation occur, who is it with, how does it begin and end, how long does it last, what actually happens in the situation and why?

Tailor the text

A social story is made up of several different types of sentences that are presented in a particular combination. Sentence types are described in the Figure 1 below:

Figure 1
Sentence type Descriptive What is it? Answers the 'wh' questions where does the situation occur, who is it with, what happens and why? Descriptive sentences need to present information from an accurate and objective perspective. Refers to the opinions, feelings, ideas, beliefs or physical/mental Examples

Christmas Day is 25 December. Most children go to school. Sometimes I get sick.

Perspective

My Mum and Dad know when it is time for me to go to bed.

well being of others.

Teachers like it when students raise their hand to ask a question in the classroom. Some children believe in Santa Claus.

Directive

Gently offers a response or range of responses for behaviour in a particular situation. It is important that these sentences have a positive focus and are constructed in ways which allow flexibility (ie avoid statements like I must or I have to).

I will try to cover my mouth when I cough. I might like to play outside during lunchtime. When I am angry, I can:

take three deep breaths go for a walk jump on the trampoline.

Affirmative

Statements that enhance the meaning of the previous sentence (which may be a descriptive, perspective or directive sentence) and can be used to emphasise the importance of the message or to provide reassurance to the person. Sentences which identify how others may be of assistance to the person(developed by Dr Demetrious Haracopos in Denmark).

(I will try to hold an adults hand when crossing the road). This is

very important. ok.

(Thunder can be very loud).This is

Co-operative

Mum and Dad can help me wash my hands. An adult will help me when I cross the road. My teacher will help me to try to stay calm in class.

Control

Statements written by the person with autism to provide personal meaning to a particular situation and to assist them to recall and apply information. Incomplete sentences, which allow the person to guess the

My body needs food several times per day; just like a steam train needs coal to stay running.

My name is ___________

Partial

next step in a situation, and may be used with descriptive, perspective, directive, affirmative, co-operative and control sentences.

(descriptive sentence)

Mum and Dad will feel ____________ if I finish all my dinner (perspective sentence)

The sentence types described in the above table need to be put together in a particular combination to make a social story (referred to as the social story ratio). In each story, there should be no more than one directive or control sentence and at least two (but no more than five) of the remaining sentence types. The following is an example social story from My social stories book (2002, p.76), which illustrates the use of a variety of sentence types (indicated in brackets) using the social story ratio.

What are unexpected noises? There are many noises (descriptive). Sometimes noises surprise me (descriptive). They are unexpected (descriptive). Some unexpected noises are; telephones, doorbells, barking dogs, breaking glass, vacuum cleaners, slamming doors, honking horns, and thunder (descriptive). These sounds are okay (affirmative). I will try to stay calm when I hear unexpected noises (directive). Adults can tell me when the noise will stop (co-operative).

Additional points to consider:

social stories need to have an introduction, body and conclusion and should use positive language (ie where possible, describe what should happen, rather than what should not) stories need to be as accurate as possible and should include words like sometimes and usually for situations where a particular outcome is not guaranteed stories should appeal to the interests of the person for whom they are written. Avoid using words that may cause the person anxiety or distress the content and presentation of social stories should be appropriate to the person's age and level of understanding.

The following are some pointers for tailoring social stories for people of different ages and abilities.

If writing for a child, write from the first person perspective (I will try to wait until it is daytime before I get up in the morning). Pair age-appropriate photographs, picture symbols or drawings with text to help people who have difficulty reading or for younger children, as in Figure 2 at the bottom of this page. For more information on where to find and how to use picture symbols, see Visual supports. When writing for young people or adults, use the third person perspective (they, he, she) and adjust language and presentation accordingly. You could use a smaller font size, or present the story in columns as in a newspaper article.

Teach with the title

Select a title which accurately reflects the overall meaning of the story. Titles can be a question (What is lightning?) or a statement (Lightning), but need to communicate the most important concept of the story. Figure 2: How to wash my hands People usually wash their hands using soap and water. There are five steps I will try to follow when washing my hands. An adult can help me learn these steps.

Social stories are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. Social stories have a huge range of applications, including:

to develop self-care skills (eg how to clean teeth, wash hands or get dressed), social skills (eg sharing, asking for help, saying thank you, interrupting) and academic abilities to help a person with autism to understand how others might behave or respond in a particular situation, and therefore how they might be expected to behave to help others understand the perspective of a person with autism and why they may respond or behave in a particular way to help a person to cope with changes to routine and unexpected or distressing events (eg absence of teacher, moving house, thunderstorms) to provide positive feedback to a person about an area of strength or achievement in order to develop self-esteem as a behavioural strategy (eg what to do when angry, how to cope with obsessions).

The following is an example of a social story to help a child's understanding of nightmares from Carol Gray's The new social stories book (1994).

Nightmares Sometimes I may have a nightmare when I am sleeping. Nightmares are the same as a dream, but more scary. Events in nightmares do not really happen. They are like pictures in my mind. It is all right if I am scared. I may try telling myself it is all in my mind. It is only a dream. Adults can help children with nightmares, too. It is okay to ask an adult for help with nightmares. When I wake up, I will see that I am all right.

How do social stories help people with autism?

If you're writing a social story for a person with autism, you'll need to think about how they perceive different situations. This in turn can increase your understanding and empathy (Gray, 1994). Many people with autism are good at visual learning, and like social stories because they're written down. Social stories can also be illustrated. Social stories present information in a literal, 'concrete' way, which may improve a person's understanding of a previously difficult or ambiguous situation or activity.

Social stories can help with sequencing (what comes next in a series of activities) and 'executive functioning' (planning and organising) - difficulties experienced by many people with autism. By providing information about what might happen in a particular situation and some guidelines for behaviour, you can increase structure in a person's life and thereby reduce anxiety.

Who can benefit from social stories?

Originally designed for children at the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum, social stories can also be helpful for young people and adults (Gray, 1994). In addition there is research to suggest that people with autism who experience greater difficulties and associated learning disabilities may benefit from the use of social stories (Swaggart et al, 1995). The presentation and content of social stories can be adapted to meet different people's needs, as discussed in the chapters below.

SOCIAL STORIES
by Barry K. Morris B.ScWk Children with autism experience difficulties with social interaction. The theory of mind describes the problems they face in seeing the perspective of another person. A common strategy for dealing with this is using social stories to help individuals on the autism spectrum to read and understand social situations. Appropriate social behaviors are explained in the form of a story. It was developed by Carol Gray and seeks to include answers to questions that autistic persons may need to know to interact appropriately with others (for example, answers to who, what, when, where, and why in social situations). A social story is designed for the specific child and may include things the child values and is interested in. For example, if a child likes dinosaurs, you could include dinosaurs as characters in a story about going to school, etc. Children with autism are often visual learners, so the story can include drawings, pictures, and even real objects.

how a social story is put together

Carol Gray recommends a specific pattern to a social story. The pattern includes several descriptive and perspective sentences.

Descriptive sentences
Descriptive sentences describe what people do in particular social situations, and clearly define where a situation occurs, who is involved, what they are doing, and why. An example of a descriptive sentence is Sometimes at school, the fire alarm goes off. The fire alarm is a loud bell that rings when there is a real fire or when we are practicing getting out of the building. The teachers, janitors, and principal all help us to line up and go outside quickly. The fire alarm is loud so that everyone can hear it. Sometimes I think it is too loud.

Perspective sentences
This type of sentence presents others reactions to a situation so that the individual can learn how others perceive various events. These describe the internal states of people, their thoughts, feelings, and mood. Perspective sentences present others reactions to a situation so that the individual can learn how others perceive various events. Example of a perspective sentence: The fire alarm does not bother all people. The teachers, janitors, and principal may not understand how much the fire alarm bothers me. Sometimes they get mad if I do not move quickly or get confused. Their job is to get me outside quickly so I am safe in case there is a real fire.

Directive sentences
Directive sentences direct a person to an appropriate desired response. They state, in positive terms, what the desired behavior is. Given the nature of the directive sentence, care needs to be taken to use them correctly and not to limit the individuals choice. The greater the number of descriptive statements, the more opportunity for the individual to supply his/her own responses to the social situation. The greater the number of directive statements, the more specific the cues for how the individual should respond. These are always stated in positive terms and are individualized statements of desired responses. Directive sentences often follow descriptive sentences, sharing information about what is expected as a response to a given cue or situation. Directive sentences often begin with I can try I will try or I will work on. Example of a directive sentence: I will work on staying calm when the fire alarm rings. Care should be taken not to have too many directive and/or control sentences turn asocial story into an anti-social story of demands and commands.

Control sentences
These sentences identify strategies the person can use to facilitate memory and comprehension of the social story. They are usually added by the individual after reviewing the social story. A control sentence should be written or inspired by the child. Example of a control sentence: When the fire alarm rings, will think about a the dinosaurs following each other out of the forest to escape the burning meteors.

When the story is put together, you may include pictures that mean something to the child and will help them remember the story. The story can be used as a bed-time story, a story for story time, etc. It may be read daily by the child or read to the child at various times during the week. Carol Gray reports fantastic results with her stories.

Dont have too many directive and control sentences

Two other types of sentences are sometime used: directive and control sentences. These sentences may not be used at all and if they are, Carol Gray recommends using them in the ration of 0 1 directive or control sentence(s) for every 2 5 descriptive and/or perspective sentences. Carol Gray developed the social story ratio which defines the proportion of directive or control sentences to descriptive and/or perspective sentences. She suggests that for every one directive or control sentence, there should be two to five descriptive and/or perspective sentences. Directive or control sentences may be omitted entirely depending on the person and his/her needs.

How to use social stories

If the individual with autism can read, the parent can introduce the story be reading it twice. The person then reads it once a day independently. When the individual with autism cannot read, the parent can read the story on a videotape or audio tape with cues for the person to turn the page while reading. These cues could be a bell or verbal statement when it is time to turn the page. The person listens and reads along with the story once a day. When individual with autism develops the skills displayed in the social story, the story can be faded. This can be done by reducing the number of times the story is read a week and only reviewing the story once a month or as necessary. Another way of fading is to rewrite the story, gradually removing directive sentences from the story.

social stories can be used for many purposes

Social stories can be used for more than learning how to interact in social situations. They can be used to learn new routines, activities, and how to respond appropriately to feelings like anger and frustration. While studies are currently assessing the effectiveness of social stories, they appear to be a promising method for improving the socialbehaviors of autistic individuals.

What does research say about social stories?

Research to date indicates that social stories may be effective in improving adaptive behavior or reducing problem behavior, especially if used with applied behavior analysis methods. However, children on the autism spectrum will only benefit from this approach if they are able to communicate in sentences that connect different ideas to each other.

Several studies with small groups of school age children on the autism spectrum have reported benefits from using social stories (Mirenda 2001). Social stories are seen as effective as long as they are suited to the childs communication skills (Richards 2000). As with many interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorders, more empirical research with larger numbers of children involved is needed to fully qualify social stories as an evidence-based intervention.

Examples of social sentences

Not listening
Its important to look at people and stop what Im doing when they have something to tell me. Sometimes grown-ups tell me very important things that I need to know. If I dont look & listen I might miss something important and make the grown-ups angry. I know its wrong to keep doing what Im doing when grown-ups want me to listen. I will listen to grown-ups when they talk to me.

Tuning into people

I only think about what people are saying or doing. When I remember to do this, I make friends and I know whats going on. If I think about other things I can get distracted, I might even get stuck. People will think Im weird and they wont want to play with me. I will always think about what people are saying and doing.

Interrupting
I cant interrupt when others are having a conversation or are busy with something. Its not polite If its extremely important, I can tap the person on the shoulder and say excuse me, otherwise I must be patient and wait until theyre finished. Interrupting makes people angry because you stop them from talking and they might forget what they were talking about. Everyone deserves to talk without being interrupted. Grown-ups like polite children Theyre especially proud of children who do not interrupt. Sometimes I might think its important and the grown-up will tell me its not. If that happens, I need to wait patiently.

Personal space
When I talk to people I need to give them their space and stay away from their faces. When people come too close it makes other people uncomfortable. Everybody needs space. When I make people uncomfortable, they want to get away from me. They might not want to ever talk to me again.

When I give people enough space, I get to play with and talk to people, I make friends and have fun.

Time out
Sometimes grown-ups send me to a timeout when I dont listen. What are you supposed to do in a timeout? What do grown-ups think if you dont listen? A: They think I dont know how to listen. I can control myself so I dont get timeouts I can listen to grown-ups.

No answer from others

Sometimes people dont answer when you talk to them Maybe they didnt hear you. Maybe they werent paying attention. Maybe they were busy. Maybe they just didnt want to talk to you. Its not my job to make people answer me. I can just forget about it, maybe theyll talk to me later.

Asking questions you know the answer to

Its not good to ask questions that I know the answer to. Its boring to others. People might think I cant remember the answers. People might think Im dumb. People might think Im testing them & that will make them feel angry. If I want to talk to someone I can ask a question that I dont know the answer to.

Circle time
In circle time I listen to the teacher. If I talk to the other kids, the teacher will be upset because Im not paying attention to her. The other kids might think Im a bad boy who doesnt listen to rules. When I listen to the teacher, I learn. Learning is fun; I can remember to listen to the teacher.

Leaving activity
I talk to the kids that Im playing with. Its important not to talk to kids playing with other kids If I talk to kids playing other games, my friends will be sad, theyll think Im ignoring them. They might not want to play with me next time. If I only talk to my friends we have fun together Next time theyll play with me again.

Calling out
Whenever I want to talk to someone, I need to walk over and speak to them. Thats the polite thing to do. When people call out, they disrupt the whole room; everyone gets distracted. If I call out, people might think I dont understand the way to do things. Ill be able to walk over to people when I want to talk to them.

Leaving objects when an adult calls me

When a grown-up calls me I need to immediately stop what Im doing and go to them. They might have something to tell me that I need to know right away. If I dont go right away I wont hear what I need to know. Grown-ups dont like children who dont listen. I will listen to grown-ups.

When I feel I must talk

Sometimes I want to say things very badly, it feels like I have to say it right that second. Its important to wait until the other person is finished talking. Even though it feels important, it can wait. They will listen to me better if I wait patiently. When I interrupt, it just angers people. People wonder, whats wrong with him?, why cant he wait? If I can wait, I can tell them later.
This autism fact sheet is under the copyright provisions of the GNU Free Documentation.

Sample Social Story for Lining Up at School Sometimes at school we line up. We line up to go to the gym, to go to the library, and to go out to recess. Sometimes my friends and I get ex cited when we line up, because were going someplace fun, like

out to recess. It is okay to get excited, but it is important to try to walk to the line. Running can cause accidents, and my friends or I could get hurt. I will try my best to walk in the line.

Sometimes our class sits on the carpet. (Descriptive) We sit on the carpet to listen to stories and for group lessons. (Descriptive) My friends are trying to listen so they can enjoy the story. (Perspective) It may be hard for them to listen if so meone is not sitting still. (Descriptive) I will try to sit still during our ti me on the carpet. (Directive) If I am having lots of trouble sitting still, I can a sk my teacher for a quick mo ve break, so I can get out my extra energy. (Directive to teach replacement skill of requesting movement) If I show my teacher my move br eak card, she will know I want to take a move break. (showing the card can be a Control device) Then she will let me take a move break. (Descriptive sentence)

Using Social Stories

Prepared By Michelle Lockwood, Positive Behavior Support Specialist, NJCIE

What are Social Stories? Social Stories are tools, originated by Carol Gr ay, for teaching social skills to children with autism and other disabilities. Social stories provi de an individual with accu rate information about those situations that s/he may find difficult or conf using. 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 si tuation, the actions and r eactions that might be expec ted of him, and why. The goal of the story is to increase the individual s understanding of, make hi m more comfortable in, and possibly suggest some appropriate respons es for the situation in question. Social Stories are relatively shor t, straightforward descriptions of social situations, specifically detailing what an individual might ex pect from the situation and what may be expected of him. Carol Gray, the developer of Social Stories, has edited several books on Social Stories. Sample Social Story fo r Lining Up at School Benefits of Social Stories Social Stories also attempt to address the "th eory of mind" impairment by giving individuals some perspective on the thoughts, emotions, and behavio rs of others. They help the individual better predict the actions and assumptions of others. Social stories present information on social situations in a structured and consistent m anner, a particularly appropriate appr oach for individuals with autism, especially when dealing with skills and behaviors which are as fluid as those involved in social interactions. Social Stories can also be helpful in teaching individuals functionally-equivalent replacements to inappropriate behaviors. For inst ance, if an individual uses ina ppropriate comments repeated from a favorite TV program to make peers laugh ( function of the comments is to make peers laugh), then a Social Story describing additional ways to ma ke peers laugh may be helpful in expanding the individuals repertoire. The Soci al Story may also include in fo rmation about where and when it is appropriate to make peers laugh. Sometimes at school we line up. We line up to go to the gym, to go to the library, and to go out to recess.

Sometimes my friends and I get ex cited when we line up, because were going someplace fun, like out to recess. It is okay to get excited, but it is important to try to walk to the line. Running can cause accidents, and my friends or I could get hurt. I will try my best to walk in the line. 2 Social Stories give individuals direct contact with social information th rough pictures and text, as opposed to speech or observation, notable areas of weakness for many individuals with autism and other disabilities. Fi nally, Social Stories provide a li ttle distance between teaching and the possible stresses of the social situation itself; they give the individual a chance to practice the skills often and on his terms. Writing Social StoriesIden tifying the Situation/Needs Before beginning to writing a Social Story, dete rmine exactly which skill or situation to focus upon. Careful observation is needed to identify exac tly what the underlying causes of the difficult situation may be. Situations from which an individual withdraws, from which s/he attempts to escape, or in which s/he tantrums, cries, or becomes frightened may be appropriate targets for a Social Story. Ideally, anyone who works with the individual at school or at home should be consulted prior to the writing of a story. Each may have some unique insight into the situation. A Social Story is intended to be written from t he perspective of the individual, so it is paramount that the author is able to obtain that persons unique perspective. Some individuals may be able to assist in the writing of the story, discussing those areas where they are having difficulty and helping the educator or parent to write from t hat perspective. Others may require more careful observation on the part of the author. The focus of the story should be the motivati on or function of the current behaviors and not necessarily to the behaviors themselves. For example, if a child begins to tantrum or cry when his assistant leaves the classroom, your first instinct

might be to write a stor y about crying, when and where it might not be appropr iate, etc. However, a more effectiv e approach might be to write a Social Story about being scared or frustrated (if you have determined that fear or frustration are the underlying reason for the behavior), and what things might make him scared, and how he might go about dealing with that. It is also very important that the expected re sponse is clearly defined. To continue the above example, one may be tempted to def ine the expected response as "Kev in will reduce the number of incidences of crying each day," or something si milar. A better expectation might be "We will teach Kevin what he can do when hes scar ed or frustrated in order to help Kevin feel more comfortable when his assistant is out of the room." Writing Social StoriesUsing the Four Sentence Types Having determined those areas on which to focus, the writing of the Soci al Story can begin. Again, a Social Story is usually a first-person, present-tense story used to provide a student with as much information about a social situation as po ssible, so he is better prepared to face, and act appropriately in, that situation. There are four types of sentenc es used in a Social Story: 1. Descriptive Sentences --objectively address the wh questions: where the situation takes place, who is involved, what they are doing, and why they may be doing it. 2. Perspective Sentences --give a glimpse into the minds of thos e involved in the story; they provide details about the emoti ons and thoughts of others.

3. Directive Sentences --suggest desired responses tailored to the individual. 3 4. Control Sentences --used as something of a mnemonic device and often authored by the student himself. This can be a sentence to help him remember the story or deal with th e situation. Control sentences may not used in every story. They may be specifically paired with a visual cue to use to remind the individual of the focus of t he story (skill being taught or explained). Carol Gray recommends that a ratio of at leas t three to five descrip tive or perspective sentences for every directive sentence be used for each story. It is al so important to use developmentally-appropriate vocabul ary and appropriate type size for the individual. Try to make each story resemble as closely as possible the ot her literature the child may be encountering at home and school. Below is another sample social story. Each of the sentences in this story has been labeled to illustrate each of the types of sentences. Sample Social Story for Sitting on the Carpet Writing Social StoriesVariati ons in Story Presentation Style Keeping developmental appropriateness in mind, t here are a variety of presentation styles and options that can be used to meet t he needs of a variety of individuals. Several ideas about the visual presentation of the Soci al Story follow below. The individual (or parent/teacher) can hand-illu strate each page of the story with pictures representing various sentences of the story. Photographs can al so be used of the child and/or peers/others in the social situation. These pict ures can add interest and visual support for the

presented ideas. Be wary, though, of images that are too complex. Chil dren with autism do not Sometimes our class sits on the carpet. (Descriptive) We sit on the carpet to listen to stories and for group lessons. (Descriptive) My friends are trying to listen so they can enjoy the story. (Perspective) It may be hard for them to listen if so meone is not sitting still. (Descriptive) I will try to sit still during our ti me on the carpet. (Directive) If I am having lots of trouble sitting still, I can a sk my teacher for a quick mo ve break, so I can get out my extra energy. (Directive to teach replacement skill of requesting movement) If I show my teacher my move br eak card, she will know I want to take a move break. (showing the card can be a Control device) Then she will let me take a move break. (Descriptive sentence) 4 always focus on pictures as we woul d expect (they sometimes fail to focus on a prominent object in the foreground in favor of some other item in the background), so the pictures (photographs, especially) should be as visual uncluttered as possible. The text of the story can also be augmented with pictures/pictu re symbols representing various words or ideas. Symbols can be substitutes for wri tten words not yet mastered . Or a single, large symbol can represent a complete idea on a parti cular page. As noted above, symbols can also be used as cues to remind the individual of skills/strategies from the story. The Social Story can be written into a power point file, as one woul d create a power point presentation (from Microsoft office). The child can read his story by viewing the power point presentation on a computer. Som eone can read the story and record this into the presentation, so that the child can hear it. I-Movies can work si milarly in using technology to engage the child in the Social Story. A reading of a particular story can be recorded

on audio tape with a tone or verbal cue for the child to turn the page. Also, a video could be made of the student and peer s acting out applicable scenes from the story. The text of the story should be edited in befo re the applicable scene, and the written story presented along with the video when it is presented to the child, with the hope of eventually fading the video and simp ly using the written text. Additionally, the individual and an adult can rol e play or act out scenes from the stories themselves or with small figures, rooms made of shoeboxes, etc. This too, can add interest and increase understanding of t he concepts for children w ho are not strong readers. Using Social StoriesImpl ementation and Monitoring Prior to the introduction of a story, the story s hould be shared with as many people who are involved in the child's program as possible. Accessing this variety of viewpoints can call attention to finer points that may have been overl ooked or misstated in the initial au thoring of a story. Before, or shortly after, the introduction of th e story to the child, those who ma y be involved in the situation or with the skill targeted s hould be presented with a c opy of the story. It is often helpful to actually have the child pres ent the story to these ot her students, staff, or family members, and then to have those people read back or discuss the story with the child. This can help the child understand that everyone is on the same page, oper ating with similar assumptions and expectations. Other students, staff, or fam ily members should be encouraged to refer to the story and use the visual cue from the story w hen appropriate (when the topic situati on arises). As an example, if a

child were currently working with a story about ra ising his hand to gain teacher attention before he speaks out at school, the classroom t eacher might want to refer back to that story prior to circle time and/or show him the cue for hand-raising from the story (without verbally addressing the behavior) if he begins to speak out. A consistent schedule for reviewing each story s hould be maintained. Typically, the story is reviewed at least once per day during the initial im plementation, usually right before the targeted situation (e.g. right before the bell di smissing the class to recess, if the story is about the need to take turns on the monkey bars). 5 For some individuals, especially duri ng the first few readings of the story, the time just prior to the situation may be too exciting or bu sy to completely hold their attenti on to focus on the story. In these situations, it may be helpful to read the story early in the day and then simply review the highlights and/or the visual cue prior to the activity. Social Stories should not be reviewed immediately after an inappropriate behavior as a response to the use of the inappropriate behavior, or the individual may begin to see reading the story as a punishment for bad behavior. The effectiveness of the story should be monitor ed consistently. If afte r two-three weeks of consistently reviewing a particula r story, there is li ttle/no noticeable change, the story should be reworked. Elements that may be vague or confusing should be removed or rewritten. The function/motivation behind the behavior may need to be re-evaluated. Is the story truly addressing the reasons why the child may be confused

or misreading a situation? As the child becomes more and more successful with the situations pres ented in a particular story, that story can begin to be faded out or changed to m eet the new needs of the child. The number of review sessions can be lessened 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 direct ive sentences in the story can be reduced or eliminated. It is also important not to conf using the individual by introducing several new Social Stories at the same time. One story per mo nth may be introduced. However, if the child is having trouble mastering the story within the first month, in addition to possibly rewo rking the original text, s/he may need more focused exposure to the first storys t opic. A second story should not be introduced until the child achieves some degree of success with the fi rst or a revised version of this first story. As each story is mastered, it should be kept vi sible in the child's environment for review when needed. Because the stories are so personalized, so much about the child, they can often be favorites, something the child mi ght want to look through on his own, even when not working on them specifically. A special basket or not ebook of mastered stor ies may be helpful. Writing Social StoriesCommon Mistakes Certain individuals may be pf t he opinion that Social Stories do not work. Usually this is because the story, itself, is flaw ed. It is extremely important to attempt to adher e to the above guidelines when writing a So cial Story. Be cautious to avoi d the following typical mistakes made when writing and implement ing Social Stories. Sometimes authors attempt to make the story too directive/uses

too many directive sentences in an effort to try to orde r the individual to change his/her behavior. Social Stories are not meant to compel individuals to comply with an adults wishes. They are not scripts detailing consequences for inappropriate behavior. Therefore, the use of absolute, inflexible, or overly directive sentences should be avoided. Replace phrases like "I must" and "I will" with "I will try" or "I will work on" in directive sentences. "Usually" and "sometimes" s hould be used instead of "always" in perspective and descriptive sentences. For similar reasons, using negative sentences is also not recommended. The focus or title of a Social Story should never be Not Hitting at School. Rather the st ory should identify and explain the situation that usually causes the individual to feel the need to hit (a ntecedents or triggers for hitting) 6 so they are clear and less frustrating, as well as the replacement behavior the child can use instead of hitting to change the frustrating sit uation or to deal with his feelings. There are several other common mi stakes made when writing social stories. As noted above, other mistakes include writing a story too vaguel y, incorrectly identifying the function/motivation behind the behavior, writing the story too punitively, making it a chore or a punishment to read the story rather than a pleasant expe rience, not addressing the reason why the child is misreading the social situation, not making the story interesting enough for the individual to want to read, and not individualizing the story enough by re-using a story written for another individual. Often adults may be confused about what the appr opriate/desired outcome will be when using the Social Story. Keep in mind t hat the goal of using Social Storie s is to convey information to the

individual. Using a story to try to motivate a child, to chastise a child , to order or to force a child to comply will not yield desired results.
NJCIE 2008