What is a Social Story?

A social story is a short story that has been written in a specific style and format.  It describes what happens in a specific social situation and presents information in a structured and consistent manner.

It gives information through pictures and text and each story provides clear, concise and accurate information about what is happening in a specific social situation.  The story describes what people do, why they do it, and what the common responses are. It is therefore a way of explaining how to behave in a socially acceptable way without having to rely on ‘telling them’. 

So the purpose of a social story is:

• to provide the person with a prompt for socially appropriate behaviour
• to help them become familiar with a situation, and to respond appropriately
• to help prepare for a new experience
• to provide positive feedback so that people can recognise their own appropriate behaviour
• to help prevent extreme reactions that stem from a lack of social understanding

Before we consider the benefits of social stories and how to write them, here is an example of what a social story might look like.  This one is taken from Smith (2003) and was written for Simon, aged 7, who became very agitated when his mother turned on the bath taps.

‘Why it is OK to run a bath’ - a sample social story

In my bathroom there is a bath, a toilet and a basin.
The bath and the basin have taps.
It is important for people in my family to have a bath sometimes.
Sometimes Mummy likes to have a bath.
Sometimes Mummy likes Simon to have a bath.
It is OK for Mummy to turn on the taps when she needs to run a bath.
Mummy is safe when the taps are on.
Simon is safe if Mummy turns on the taps.
Simon’s house is safe if Mummy turns on the taps.
I will try to let Mummy run a bath.
I will try to remember we are safe when Mummy runs a bath.

As you can see, the story is short and straightforward and helps Simon understand what is expected in this situation. But why do social stories work? What makes them so successful, particularly for children with autism?

Why do they work?

Social stories attempt to address the "theory of mind" impairment by giving individuals some perspective on the thoughts, emotions and behaviours of others. As we know, many people with autism do not act appropriately in social situations because they do not understand that others might have a different opinion to them, or that others may want to do something different to what they want to do. Social situations can therefore become unpredictable and confusing. Social stories therefore help the child to better predict the actions and assumptions of others.

Social stories also present information on social situations in a structured and consistent manner, using pictures and text, a particularly appropriate approach for people with autism. Social stories also provide a little distance between teaching and the possible stresses of the social situation itself, giving the child a chance to practise the skills often and on his terms.

And finally, if you get it right, you will see results within 2 – 3 weeks.

Writing a Social Story

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 possible, so he is better prepared to face, and act appropriately in, that situation.
There are mainly three types of sentences used in a social story:

• 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.
• Perspective sentences give insight into the minds of those involved in the story; they provide details about the emotions and thoughts of others.
• Directive sentences suggest desired responses tailored to the individual.

The story will also typically have a beginning, middle and end.  The beginning of the story will describe what people do; the middle will describe why they do it, and the end what behaviour is expected. 

The presentation will depend on the age and ability of the child/adult.  With young children it may be appropriate to have a picture and one sentence per page, but an older student may wish it to be more adult like in its presentation.

As a social story is intended to be written from the perspective of the child, it is important that you try to get that perspective. Higher functioning children can help write the story, discussing those areas where they are having difficulty and helping you write from that perspective. As we described in the last issue, comic strip conversations can help with this.

However, with other children this will not be possible and will mean that you have to carefully observe the child to try and work out the motivation for the behaviour.
So if social stories are so great, why is it they sometimes don’t seem to work?  What can go wrong?

What can go wrong?

There are several common mistakes that can be made when writing a social story.  If you have introduced a social story to a child and there has not been any improvement, check the following:

• Have you targeted the right behaviour?  As we discussed in the fourth issue, it is important to teach certain skills prior to teaching more complex ones to avoid setting someone up to fail.
• Have you written it in language that is too complex?  Check for things like use of negatives.
• Are the directive sentences achievable and specific? Check to see if it is realistic.
• Have you included something that is not accurate? Check to see if you were accurate in your description of their motivation.  For example, you have put ‘when Simon is cross…’ and actually it’s when he is hot that the behaviour occurs.
• Have you got more than one story on the go?  It is best to work on one at a time.
• Is it being used to tell the child off or being read in an unsupportive manner?  Social stories should be read by someone who is empathetic and there should be some distance between the actual behaviour and the reading of the story.

In the next issue we will start to consider the most popular method of teaching social skills: social skills groups.

Alex Kelly
Speech & language therapist and social skills consultant www.alexkelly.biz

Alex Kelly is the author of Speechmark's best selling Talkabout series.

References:

Gray C (1998) Social stories and comic strip conversations with students with Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism.  In Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism? Schopler E, Mesibov GB and Kunce LJ (Eds) New York: Plenum

Gray C (2000) The New Social Story Book. Future Horizons, Arlington

Smith C (2003) Writing and Developing Social Stories.  Speechmark