“The importance of personal space during COVID-19,” “Why we wash our hands,” and “When I feel frustrated” are not your typical bedtime stories or kindergarten reading material. Instead, they are specifically designed tools to help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) navigate social situations and behaviors.
Originally developed over 30 years ago, social stories for children with autism have revolutionized how they learn to understand and adapt to the world around them.
Whether you’re navigating a new autism diagnosis or you’re addressing specific behaviors like hand-flapping or spinning, social stories can be instrumental in helping your child learn new social skills and adapt to unfamiliar situations.
As the most effective therapy for autism, ABA therapy offers evidence-based methods to teach essential skills and improve behavior. At Heartlinks, we incorporate social stories throughout our ABA therapy sessions. Combined with other teaching methods, we can instruct our young clients on conducting themselves in situations that may be new to them or require improvement.
Read on to learn about the importance of social stories for autism treatment and how Heartlinks uses this valuable tool to support our client’s growth and development.
What Is a Social Story?
Social stories for kids with autism were developed to illustrate specific problems, social situations, and the appropriate ways to respond to them. They are narratives that can teach autistic children about certain events, such as getting a haircut or visiting the dentist, skills like waiting your turn, or topics like taking showers.
The simple language and pictures included in social stories help everyone on the spectrum, from high-functioning autistic children to low-functioning teens, understand what to expect and how to respond in specific scenarios.
Who Invented Social Stories?
Dr. Carol Gray developed the idea of social stories for children with autism in the early 1990s. Her first book was published in 1993, and she’s since produced many more. Since their creation, Dr. Gray has created several different social story formats, including videos, comic strips, and virtual reality scenarios.
Who Should Use a Social Story?
Though social stories were initially designed for children with autism, all children can benefit from social stories. Young people who have the following conditions can also benefit from social stories:
- Developmental delays
- Difficulty with emotional regulation
- Food Aversions
- Intellectual disabilities
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Social skill deficits
- Sensory Processing Disorders
- Behavioral difficulties
- Repetitive behaviors
- Communication impediments
- Depression
- Dangerous sensory-seeking behaviors
How Can Social Stories be Incorporated into ABA Therapy?
Whether your child or teen is undergoing ABA therapy at home or in a classroom, incorporating social stories as a tool in regular treatment can be extremely helpful. Still, there are a few essential things to remember about this tool.
Social stories can be used in a variety of different ABA therapy techniques, including the following:
- Tacting
- Speech therapy
- Modeling
- Errorless Learning
- Shaping
- Punishment and Reinforcement
- Discriminative Stimulus Training
- Prompt Hierarchy
- Token Economy
- Discrete Trial Training
- Error Correction
To maximize the effectiveness of social stories regardless of the type of ABA therapy you use, it’s important to tailor them to the child’s needs, situation, and comprehension level.
Customize The Content
Make the story relevant to the child’s life and include familiar characters, settings, and situations they encounter regularly. For instance, if you’re dealing with challenges like autistic regression or addressing behaviors such as scratching, creating a personalized story addressing these issues can provide much-needed targeted guidance.
Use Simple Language and Straightforward Visuals
Keep the language clear and concise. You can add pictures wherever you feel it would help your child better understand and remember the story’s message, especially when working with young children or during ABA parent training.
Highlight The Positive
Focus on the positive behavior depicted in the social story. This will illustrate what’s appropriate and what the child can expect to happen when they follow the rules.
Involve The Child
Ask for the child’s input in creating the social story. This type of inclusion will make the story more engaging and relatable to them. This can be particularly useful for older children and teens in ABA and occupational therapy.
Review and Renew
The social story should evolve as the child’s understanding and behavior grow and develop. Regularly reviewing and updating the story will keep it relevant and effective in addressing the child’s current needs. This is especially important for preventing challenges such as autistic burnout. Keeping the social stories in step with their progress and abilities can help reduce stress and maintain a positive, supportive environment.
What Are The Types of Social Stories?
Social stories have proven tremendously helpful in helping autistic children who wouldn’t typically pick up on social cues. The following are some of the most common uses of social stories:
- Instruct children to complete tasks such as making their bed or washing their used dishes.
- Provide choices for children when in a social skills group or a similar setting.
- Assist children in preparing for challenging or potentially stressful situations such as a school field trip or dance.
- Help kids appropriately respond to facial expressions or body language.
- Preparing children for special events such as attending a wedding or graduation.
- Build a child’s confidence and self-esteem as they navigate new social situations.
What Do Social Stories Look Like?
Most social stories are written for children on the spectrum to help them navigate emotions such as stress, daily events such as getting dressed, frustrations, and challenges. Typically, they contain the following elements:
- Have a title
- Contain an introductory page that describes the scene and the situation
- Include several pages, each with text and corresponding images
- The images can be realistic drawings or large photographs which correlate directly to the story’s content.
- Each page will include coaching language and “applause” for the reader.
- Social stories are usually only available in color because children with ASD tend to find them more appealing.
In conjunction with these components, social stories can also support the development of assent in ABA therapy, ensuring the child feels involved and respected throughout the learning process. Conducting preference assessments can help identify the most effective rewards or reinforcements, ensuring they are meaningful to the child. This might include praise or rewards for engaging with the story or applying its lessons, which helps create a supportive and motivating environment for learning and growth.
Unlock The Potential of Social Stories and ABA Therapy
Social stories allow children with ASD to effectively manage their emotions, improve communication, and change their behavior. While the exact causes of autism remain complex and not entirely understood, the importance of early intervention cannot be overstated, as it plays a crucial role in helping kids on the spectrum reach their full potential. However, the frequency of misdiagnosis can delay access to critical support, making tools like social stories even more valuable in addressing developmental challenges.
Thanks to the internet, many free social stories are available for download. If you’re looking for more tangible examples, you can borrow some from your local public library or order books online or from your local bookseller.
Social stories are one of the most low-cost, risk-free, and autism-parent-friendly techniques for teaching your child new social skills and behaviors. For more information on how social stories can help your child with ASD, contact Heartlinks today. We proudly offer ABA services in Georgia, New Jersey, Indiana, and North Carolina.