1. LEARNING TO WRITE SOCIAL STORIES
Results in a product
Has a goal—teaches understanding using rote compliance
Describes more than directs
Answers “wh” questions

2. Who Can Use Social Stories
Students within the Autism Spectrum Disorder
Students of all ages and functioning levels
Educators, parents, any caregiver, service provider
Originally written for use with ASD kids—Carol Gray
Does not matter if student is reader or non-reader
Is not dependent on student age
Can be used in a variety of settings by a variety of people

3. What a Social Story Accomplishes
SOCIAL STORIES
What a Social Story Accomplishes
Provides a product for teaching
Allows others to see things from students’ perspectives
Provides rote practice
1)Provides product for teaching—specific lesson/skill to be learned
2)Others’ perspective—students typically have difficulty seeing things from other’s perspective—”Troy” story—not necessarily wrong, just different slant
3)Rote practice– always ready to use over and over as needed

4. SOCIAL STORIES What a Social Story Accomplishes
Describes a situation, skill or concept
Focuses story on individual student
Translates behavior into meaningful activity
1)Describes—is student specific and situation specific
2)Focuses on individual—written in first or third person
--focuses on needs of individual
--focuses on perspective of individual
3) Translates behavior—tells situation in words students knows and understands
i.e., avoids abstract terms, vocabulary above students cognitive level

5. SOCIAL STORIES When to Use Social Stories
To acknowledge positive behaviors or skills and efforts
To encourage generalization of behaviors in other settings
To explain situations that are difficult for a student
As acknowledgement—states desired responses—key is POSITIVE
Generalizations—since it focuses on desired response—can be used in variety of settings to generalize learning across environments
Difficult situations—facilitates learning of situations avoiding “don’t”s –tells what to do

6. When to Use Social Stories
To explain situations the student misinterpreted
To prepare or pre-teach
Misinterpreted situations—as mentioned before, helps students see other sides to story—alters perceptions of situations
Prepare and Pre-teach—Can be used for teaching social skills, appropriate behavior, academic sequences, community activities, extra-curricular, etc.

7. Where to Use Social Stories
Throughout the school environment
With any school related activity
Within the community
Settings that encompass the students’ needs
1)School environment—Any time—Any where (lunch, bus, transitions, down time)
2)School related activity—community education
3)Community—again reflects that not only school personnel should use—teach others to use
4) Student needs—May be tied to IEP goals, student specific to individual needs no matter where this may be

8. SOCIAL STORIES How to Write Social Stories
Use descriptive sentences in all stories
“backbone” of story
Use perspective sentences
“heart” of story
Use directive sentences
“I get it” of story
HOW—No assumptions—provide accurate information for student with introduction, body, conclusion.
Sentences answers “wh” questions
Descriptive sentence—Provides information
Perspective sentence—Describes thoughts
Directive sentence—Describes what to do
Descriptive sentence-GO TO EASEL--

9. How to Write Social Stories
Use affirmative sentences
“it’s OK” of story
Use control sentences
“it’s OK to change” of story
Use cooperative sentences
“there’s more than one” of story
Use appropriate ratio of sentences
Affirmative sentence—May be part of social story—express commonly shared opinions (riding bike—”many people wear helmets”)
Control Sentence—May be used to explain when person changes their mind
Cooperative Sentence—Identifies “helpers”—Refers to others in story
Ratio—Refer to Social Stories Kit– 1 directive or control sentence to 2-5 of other types listed
Type of sentences and amount of sentences vary with individual students

10. Why to Use Social Stories
To improve social understanding
To increase independence
To provide a positive backdrop to varying situations
Improve social understanding—Makes a situation become REALITY for student
Increases independence—Social story read, practiced with student; reviewed, faded as soon as possible (give example)
Positive backdrop—Allows staff/parent to be proactive to various situations—Avoids “NO” ,“DON’T DO THAT” situations

11. Why to Use Social Stories
To serve as a vehicle for learning across environments
To provide concrete, easy to understand information
Learning across environments—Previously discussed
Concrete information—Avoids abstract language, tells what to do in terms student understands

12. REFERENCES
Writing Social Stories with Carol Gray, Carol Gray, 2000, Future Horizons
The New Social Story Book, Carol Gray, 2000, Future Horizons
Autism and PDD Social Skills Lessons: Home, School, Community, Getting Along, Behavior; Reese & Challenner, 1999, LinguiSystems
See added pages: Social Story examples and Social Story Kit