Social Stories

Category: Social/Emotional/Behavioural

Grade Level: All grades

  1. What are Social Stories?

Social stories are written to describe desired social outcomes and behaviours in the form of a story. This strategy was initially developed by Carol Gray in 1991 as a tool to teach children with Autism Spectrum Disorder social rules and behaviours. The stories can be used to teach routines and transitions, academic expectations, and to address social behaviours, fears, obsessions and compulsions. They are developed to personalize and emphasize desired social skills for children and are often written in a form that translates goals and behaviours into clear and easy to follow steps. Social stories are written from the student’s perspective to help address social skill deficits that may include the inability to interpret emotional expressions, situational cues, communicative turn taking, and conflict resolution.

  1. With whom can Social Stories be used?

Social Stories were initially developed for children and adolescents with autistic characteristics. They can be used in a variety of settings. Although most research on social stories has involved children with autism, the use of social stories in a classroom of children with a variety of disabilities is likely beneficial. It is possible that any child having difficulty understanding social situations, behaviours, transitions, or routines could benefit from this type of format. For example, some social story topics have talked about changes in routines, like substitute teachers or fire drills, communicating with peers and teachers, self-management skills for anger and frustration, or simple classroom behaviours, such as standing in line and raising one’s hand.

  1. What are the components of Social Stories?

Social story writing is a skill since each story needs to be individualized to the student and situation. Several guidelines have been devised to help parents and professionals write effective social stories.

Types of Sentences: There are four basic types of sentences that are used in social stories: (a) descriptive – objectively define the situation and include information about the setting, subjects and actions; (b) directive – individualized statements about the desired behaviour or response; (c) perspective – sentences that describe the reactions and feeling of others in the situation; and (d) control – analogies of responses or behaviours that help the child understand the situation and may be written by the child. The types of sentences within a story depend on the type of story used; however, generally, practitioners are encouraged to follow a ratio of 0-1 directive/control sentences for every 2-5 descriptive/perspective sentences. Sentences should be flexible and not written with absolute statements, such as I will or I must. Instead, one should try and use sentences that start with I can try, or I will try. In addition to sentence guidelines, the author should be aware that social stories are often written in first-person from the student’s perspective. It is also recommended that authors try to answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions to help format the story. Social story titles may also be framed as a question to help the student understand the overall concept being addressed.

Presentation: Social stories, like other stories, are often presented in the form of a book. It is easier to comprehend if the author puts one concept on each page. Illustrations and pictures are not necessary for a social story; however, they might be considered useful with young readers to enhance the meaning. Pictures with too much detail should be avoided as they may hinder the child’s generalization of behaviours to different settings. It might also be helpful to summarize the final page with a checklist or list of reminders that the student can easily reference.

Implementation: Social stories should be implemented consistently in a relaxed setting. The story should not be pulled out during difficult events or settings. An adult might initially read the story to the child to help introduce the story before the child is expected to read the story alone. Stories can be recorded on tape for children who cannot read or have difficulty reading. It is often helpful to ask the child questions about the story or to engage in role-play scenarios to help review or practice the targeted skill or behaviour. Some individuals have found it helpful to share the stories with peers or parents to increase others’ awareness of the desired situation. Peers may also be used to help “cue” the child with reminders or phrases from the story. Professionals might also want to consider pairing visual icons with the story to help cue the child when to engage in desired behaviours and routines.

Generalization: Once a child is familiar with a story, the story can be faded; however, most professionals would recommend that the child decide when he or she no longer needs to read the story. New behaviours or activities can be added to a story since social situations may change over time. Stories might also be shortened once the child understands the situation. Reminder cards or visual schedules may then replace the story. The stories can be kept in a binder or box for the child to reference when needed.

For more specific instructions on social story guidelines and variations, visit the following website:

  1. What has research indicated about the effectiveness of social stories?

Social stories have been used for the past 12 years and the research on social stories continues to grow. There is much anecdotal evidence from parents, teachers, and professionals about the effectiveness of social story interventions. Their effectiveness is based on the idea that social understanding can be taught by crediting a child’s perceptions, while providing them with accurate social information of the cues and expectations that are a part of social situations. Stories have been found useful for children and adolescents diagnosed within Autism Spectrum Disorders. Much of the research has used social stories to help children adjust to social situations and routines, or to learn new behaviours. Since many children with other learning and developmental disabilities have problems understanding social situations, social story approaches may be one effective tool that parents, teachers, and professionals can use to help children develop greater social competence within their surroundings.

References

  1. Gray, C. (2002). The social story guidelines [On-line]. Available at:
  2. Gray, C. A., & Garand, J. D. (1993). Social stories: Improving responses of students with autism with accurate social information. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 8(1), 1-10.
  3. Cut, D. M., & Safran, S. P. (2002). Cooperative learning and social stories: Effective social skills strategies for reading teachers. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 18(2), 87-91.
  4. Myles, B. S., & Simpson, R. L. (2001). Understanding the hidden curriculum: An essential social skill for children and youth with Asperger Syndrome. Intervention in School and Clinic, 36(5), 279-286.

Reviewed by: Kelley Drummond

Example of a social story:

Raising My Hand

At school we learn new things.

Sometimes the teacher asks us questions about the things we learn.

Sometimes I know the answer, but sometimes I don’t know the answer.

If I know the answer I have to raise my hand before I can talk.

When the teacher calls my name it is my turn to talk. I can share my answer with the class.

All the kids in my class have to raise their hands before talking. If everyone in the class talked without raising their hands the classroom would be too noisy.

My teacher likes it when I raise my hand before I talk.

I will try to raise my hand in class when I know the answer or have something to say.