Social Stories

Social Stories are simple descriptions of an everyday social situation that is written from a child's point of view. They are used as a teaching tool to help prepare the student for what will happen in a specific everyday social situation, or to help a student improve their skills in a particular social situation. Social stories are intended to ease anxiety in unfamiliar situations. They can be used to:

• Teach a routine
• Teach how to do an activity
• Teach how to ask for help
• Teach how to respond appropriately to situations

Repetition is essential in the implementation of the expectations outlined in a social story. the student should read or watch the social story several times before practicing, and the student should practice the appropriate behaviours outlined in the social story repeatedly. One way to introduce a social story to a student is by video modelling.


Today we had the opportunity to write and create a video taped social story using the video recorder in an mP3 player, and Windows Movie Maker. This was a very fun experience...but not one that was flawless! It was nice to have the opportunity to practice today before we begin creating our own video social story tomorrow.

Carol Grey developed social stories. She has a lot of valuable information on her website "The Grey Center: For Social Learning and Understanding," and has also written a book called "My Social Stories Book."

http://www.thegraycenter.org/social-stories

Below, Carol Grey speaks about the importance of Social Stories.