Social Stories
An influential social play tool that many teachers, professionals and parents use when working with students with autism are social stories. This fusion of play, literacy and social modeling is a strategy developed by Carol Gray to help students with autism understand their social surroundings and emotional situations that these students often find to be uncomfortable. Her work with Social Stories was inspired by students and has been modified over the last twenty years to benefit students with autism in the most powerful way possible. Below are a couple of examples of Social Stories from her latest book, The New Social Story Book (Gray, 2010). These stories are used to help explain the content within certain social situations through literacy. The text is simple and a student's own personalities, behaviors and situations can be made to fit in a unique social story.
stories_in_this_book.pdf | |
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learning_with_stories.pdf | |
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Criterion for Social Stories
In her new book, Gray (2010) outlines the 10 criterion that need to be followed when creating and implementing a social story. The criterion reflect how focused and precise this developmental approach is and that its structure is one that has strong literary elements.
Criterion 1: The Goal
The goal of a Social Story is to provided an overall patient and reassuring tone with the information being relayed using a process that is descriptive, meaningful, and safe for the intended audience physically, socially and emotionally.
Criterion 2: Two-Step Discovery
In order to create a successful Social Story or to start using one with a student the professional needs to understand the background of the situation from the student's point of view and then identify a specific topic information needed to be understood or conveyed in the story.
Gray in the video above warns educators about using a Social Story or creating one without know the situation details, which is central to truly using these stories in the best way for a student.
Criterion 3: Three Parts and a Title
A Social Story is set up in a narrative format each time to enforce "story basics". Each story has a
title, a clear topic sentence for what the story will address, a body section that adds needed detail and a conclusion to summarize and reinforce the main point of the story.
Criterion 4: FOURmat!
The format of the Social Story is very direct with a structure to its presentation, organization and individualization of the lesson to a student with autism. These aspects include the length of the story, the illustration, vocabulary, font, size of text all to convey the proper meaning to the intended audience.
Social Stories are tailored to be specific meaningful literature pieces to children with autism. The students who find comfort in structure and familar routines often repetition, rhyme an rhythm are used to help the students with certain ideas. It is not a requirement to have these elements but Gray does write that they might be helpful to some students.
Criterion 5: Five Factors Define Voice and Vocabulary
1. First or Third- Person Perspective
2. Positive and Patient Tone
3. Past, Present, and/or Future Tense
4. Literal Accuracy
5. Accurate Vocabulary
Criterion 6: Six Questions Guide Story Development
A Social Story need to answer relevant questions:
1. Where?
2. When? (Time-related information)
3. Who? (Relevant people)
4. What? (Important cues)
5. How? (Basic activities, behaviors or statements for the situation)
6. Why? (Reasons behind the need for that behavior)
Criterion 7: The 7 Types of Social Story Sentences
A Social Stories structure is very important, as mentioned before, but it is more than just an organizational pattern. Each story needs to have descriptive sentences but there are various types of sentences that can be included as well to convey and connect to the student.
Descriptive Sentences- Objective statements that "everyone knows"
Optional:
~ Perspective- Describing thoughts, feelings and emotions of other people
~ Three Sentences that Coach- Suggested responses from student, responses from those that support him/her, and self-coaching statements.
~ Affirmative- Enhance the meaning of the surrounding statements
~ Partial- Checking for comprehension and response from student
Criterion 8: A GR-EIGHT Formula
In order to make sure the story does not direct a certain behavior, Gray has come up with a formula because first and foremost a Social Story should describe a situation and possible reactions but not directly be a to do list.
# of Sentences that DESCRIBE > or equal to 2
# of Sentences that COACH
Criterion 9: Nine Makes It Mine
A Social Story should include individual perferences and interests in order to make the story more real and relateable to the student.
Criterion 10: Ten Guides to Editing and Implementation
1. Edit
2. Plan for Comprehension
3. Plan Story Support
4. Plan Story Review
5. Plan a Positive Introduction
6. Monitor
7. Organize Stories
8. Mix and Match Stories to Build Concepts
9. Story Re-Runs and Sequels
10. Recycle Instuction into Applause
Criterion 1: The Goal
The goal of a Social Story is to provided an overall patient and reassuring tone with the information being relayed using a process that is descriptive, meaningful, and safe for the intended audience physically, socially and emotionally.
Criterion 2: Two-Step Discovery
In order to create a successful Social Story or to start using one with a student the professional needs to understand the background of the situation from the student's point of view and then identify a specific topic information needed to be understood or conveyed in the story.
Gray in the video above warns educators about using a Social Story or creating one without know the situation details, which is central to truly using these stories in the best way for a student.
Criterion 3: Three Parts and a Title
A Social Story is set up in a narrative format each time to enforce "story basics". Each story has a
title, a clear topic sentence for what the story will address, a body section that adds needed detail and a conclusion to summarize and reinforce the main point of the story.
Criterion 4: FOURmat!
The format of the Social Story is very direct with a structure to its presentation, organization and individualization of the lesson to a student with autism. These aspects include the length of the story, the illustration, vocabulary, font, size of text all to convey the proper meaning to the intended audience.
Social Stories are tailored to be specific meaningful literature pieces to children with autism. The students who find comfort in structure and familar routines often repetition, rhyme an rhythm are used to help the students with certain ideas. It is not a requirement to have these elements but Gray does write that they might be helpful to some students.
Criterion 5: Five Factors Define Voice and Vocabulary
1. First or Third- Person Perspective
2. Positive and Patient Tone
3. Past, Present, and/or Future Tense
4. Literal Accuracy
5. Accurate Vocabulary
Criterion 6: Six Questions Guide Story Development
A Social Story need to answer relevant questions:
1. Where?
2. When? (Time-related information)
3. Who? (Relevant people)
4. What? (Important cues)
5. How? (Basic activities, behaviors or statements for the situation)
6. Why? (Reasons behind the need for that behavior)
Criterion 7: The 7 Types of Social Story Sentences
A Social Stories structure is very important, as mentioned before, but it is more than just an organizational pattern. Each story needs to have descriptive sentences but there are various types of sentences that can be included as well to convey and connect to the student.
Descriptive Sentences- Objective statements that "everyone knows"
Optional:
~ Perspective- Describing thoughts, feelings and emotions of other people
~ Three Sentences that Coach- Suggested responses from student, responses from those that support him/her, and self-coaching statements.
~ Affirmative- Enhance the meaning of the surrounding statements
~ Partial- Checking for comprehension and response from student
Criterion 8: A GR-EIGHT Formula
In order to make sure the story does not direct a certain behavior, Gray has come up with a formula because first and foremost a Social Story should describe a situation and possible reactions but not directly be a to do list.
# of Sentences that DESCRIBE > or equal to 2
# of Sentences that COACH
Criterion 9: Nine Makes It Mine
A Social Story should include individual perferences and interests in order to make the story more real and relateable to the student.
Criterion 10: Ten Guides to Editing and Implementation
1. Edit
2. Plan for Comprehension
3. Plan Story Support
4. Plan Story Review
5. Plan a Positive Introduction
6. Monitor
7. Organize Stories
8. Mix and Match Stories to Build Concepts
9. Story Re-Runs and Sequels
10. Recycle Instuction into Applause