Are you wondering how to deal with all the activities of the upcoming busy season?
Are you concerned about how your child will deal with company arriving for a visit and you'd like to prevent possible meltdowns?
Write a social story (ies) about visitors who will be coming and put photos of your friends/family in the story, especially any you might have of your two families together. That way they won't be strangers to him and he will know what to expect. Write little stories about things you will be doing together, especially if different from your normal routines. Read these stories several times a day up until they arrive and while they are there if you need to.
If you haven't used social stories, know that they are a very powerful teaching tool for kids on the spectrum, actually for any kids! They are written in language your child understands, very personal, can include photos and/or graphics, describe a situation well (make it predictable), is not a list or rules or “to dos”, is very positive, can be read repeatedly to reinforce what you are trying to teach and every time it is read the message is EXACTLY the same. The latter is very hard to accomplish when it is not written down. Also when it is written down everyone who reads it is imparting EXACTLY the same message ~ how else can you get such consistency?(the story helps more than just the child!)
Mom, dad, siblings, babysitter, therapist, grandparents, school staff can all be on the same page, imparting the same message ~ it is powerful! I know children, teens and young adults who read and reread their own as needed! Oh and they can all help you write them if capable and appropriate. Some of them may even help take the pictures. There are also many creative ways to present the stories (for another posting)
Keep the stories in a binder in page protectors so they don’t get worn out, because they will be well used. Make more than one copy and send one to school and ask them to read them. They may start writing some for school that you can read at home, you are supporting school efforts and you are well informed of school expectations too! I have written hundreds for many children, teens and young adults and was never disappointed with the results!
Do you use social stories? How old is your child? Would you share one tip that might help other parents or educators who are just starting to use social stories?
Showing posts with label social stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social stories. Show all posts
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Why Social Stories?
If you have a child on the Autism Spectrum you have likely heard of social stories. If not, then I would urge you to do so. We all, at some time, struggle in our efforts to help our children with ASD to understand, manage and interact with others in social situations.
Although every person with ASD is unique they certainly all, to some degree, have challenges with communication and social skills, which of course so very interrelated themselves!
When we use verbal communication to teach/explain anything we are often confronted by the difficulties the learner has with processing language; further complicated by the fact that we seldom say it the same way twice. And how often does it involve several different ‘teachers’? (mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, caregivers, therapists, teachers, educational assistants etc) This could be two (or many more) different messages for someone with ASD. We also know how much repetition might be needed before a new concept might be well understood. If we use a social story then the message will always be the same. The words don’t change and it doesn’t matter who is reading the story, the message is the same. Of course the person with ASD may themselves be reading the story – the message is always the same!
How often have you said, "Why does he not understand, we have all told him over and over, so many times?" How many "different" messages might this have been? How frustrating would that be for someone with a communication disability?
I say ‘the person with ASD’ as opposed to ‘the child with ASD’ because many adolescents and adults benefit from using this strategy. The format or presentation may change. For a young child you may use pictures (photos, drawings, graphics) with just a few words. This can be adapted as needed. For many, just words will be the most appropriate format. The size can vary from pages in a 3 ring binder to ‘business card’ size. A collection of ‘stories’ can be kept in a small business card holder for quick reference! They can be done on the computer, burned on a CD or DVD; recorded on a video tape; recorded on an audio tape for use by a person who is visually impaired; written in Braille; done in a talking photo album. The possibilities for format and presentation are endless.
For guidance on how to write the stories and how to present them I would suggest you search for information on Social Stories by Carol Gray. From my own experience, having written hundreds for the past 14 years I would make a few suggestions:
• Use only as much language as is necessary and be POSITIVE
• Use language you know will be understood; write for the user!
• Involve the user and/or other caregivers if appropriate
• Make sure everyone understands why and how it will be used
• Read the story several times a day if possible
• Read until no longer needed, then store for future reference!
Just recently, a young adult with ASD was asking me questions about how to handle an awkward social situation. As we talked we decided to write a social story (on the back of a business card). She then decided to write it down for the other person involved who was also challenged by the situation.
A social story is perhaps the most powerful teaching strategy I have ever used! I was a special education teacher and autism consultant for 22 years; retired seven years and still writing them!
Although every person with ASD is unique they certainly all, to some degree, have challenges with communication and social skills, which of course so very interrelated themselves!
When we use verbal communication to teach/explain anything we are often confronted by the difficulties the learner has with processing language; further complicated by the fact that we seldom say it the same way twice. And how often does it involve several different ‘teachers’? (mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, caregivers, therapists, teachers, educational assistants etc) This could be two (or many more) different messages for someone with ASD. We also know how much repetition might be needed before a new concept might be well understood. If we use a social story then the message will always be the same. The words don’t change and it doesn’t matter who is reading the story, the message is the same. Of course the person with ASD may themselves be reading the story – the message is always the same!
How often have you said, "Why does he not understand, we have all told him over and over, so many times?" How many "different" messages might this have been? How frustrating would that be for someone with a communication disability?
I say ‘the person with ASD’ as opposed to ‘the child with ASD’ because many adolescents and adults benefit from using this strategy. The format or presentation may change. For a young child you may use pictures (photos, drawings, graphics) with just a few words. This can be adapted as needed. For many, just words will be the most appropriate format. The size can vary from pages in a 3 ring binder to ‘business card’ size. A collection of ‘stories’ can be kept in a small business card holder for quick reference! They can be done on the computer, burned on a CD or DVD; recorded on a video tape; recorded on an audio tape for use by a person who is visually impaired; written in Braille; done in a talking photo album. The possibilities for format and presentation are endless.
For guidance on how to write the stories and how to present them I would suggest you search for information on Social Stories by Carol Gray. From my own experience, having written hundreds for the past 14 years I would make a few suggestions:
• Use only as much language as is necessary and be POSITIVE
• Use language you know will be understood; write for the user!
• Involve the user and/or other caregivers if appropriate
• Make sure everyone understands why and how it will be used
• Read the story several times a day if possible
• Read until no longer needed, then store for future reference!
Just recently, a young adult with ASD was asking me questions about how to handle an awkward social situation. As we talked we decided to write a social story (on the back of a business card). She then decided to write it down for the other person involved who was also challenged by the situation.
A social story is perhaps the most powerful teaching strategy I have ever used! I was a special education teacher and autism consultant for 22 years; retired seven years and still writing them!
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