The New Social Story Book, Revised and Expanded 15th Anniversary Edition. Carol Gray
174: Is This Flight on Time?
175: Why Are Some Flights Delayed?
176: A Wildfire Is near Our Home
177: What Does Evacuate Mean?
178: Why Do We Have to Go?
179: People Would Rather Stay in their Houses
180: Maybe I Could Do That
CHAPTER 15: SOCIAL ARTICLES
181: Why People Take Baths or Showers
182: Sharing Planet Earth
183: The Evening News: How We Changed Today
184: At the End of Each Day: A Little Bit Changed and Mostly the Same
185: Apologizing for an Unintentional Mistake
GLOSSARY
FOREWORD TO THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
REFERENCES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
What can be said in a foreword for a new revision of Social Stories™, an update of a classic already enshrined in the annals of autism history? I’ve been focused on supporting people with autism and developmental challenges for more than four decades, so I’m going to take advantage of my seniority and reflect on my experiences and the impact of Social Stories™ over many years.
Let’s start with Carol, one of the most thoughtful, creative, and insightful educators to walk the earth (no exaggeration!!). I have had the privilege of presenting with Carol and hosting her as a conference speaker on numerous occasions. I am always in awe of her intuitive sense of how people with ASD experience the world that allows for a deep understanding of the types of knowledge and support that will be the most beneficial for them. Social Stories™ are but one of Carol’s incredible innovations that have reshaped autism education and therapy; most importantly, it all happens on a foundation of the deepest love and respect she has for people she and others support. She values them as fellow humans sharing life together, an approach often sadly missing from educational and treatment efforts.
Social Stories™ are, hands down, the most widely used “focused intervention strategy” I have observed over my many years in autism research and consulting, and in programs with differing philosophies and approaches (e.g., behavioral as well as developmental). Social Stories™ are used by parents, siblings, professionals and para-educators of all shapes and sizes in school, home and community settings. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the cup runneth over for Social Stories™. Social Stories™ have been copied, modified, and sometimes re-configured to such an extent that one must carefully scrutinize whether what one claims to be a Social Story™ actually meets Carol’s specifically delineated specifications for structure and implementation. One of the most flagrant violations is when Social Stories™ are used primarily to correct behavior rather than enhance social understanding. Carol is so clear about this issue because she cares so much about the developing self-esteem of a person with developmental challenges. Of course, individualized support with a focus on building social understanding is a hallmark of Social Stories™.
Some practitioners think of Social Stories™ as simple. To the contrary, they are a strategy that is incredibly elegant when precisely formulated according to Carol’s criteria. Social Stories™ have proven to be effective in educational practice and validated in research as an essential support for persons with developmental challenges and differences of all ages and a wide range of developmental abilities. In fact, in this latest revision, Carol has added two chapters of Stories for preschoolers (an entire one devoted to using the toilet), as well as expanding each chapter and adding a collection of Social Articles for adults.
Yes, Social Stories™ may be described as an effective and meaningful approach to support social understanding, but the ultimate and deeper goal is to empower children and older people by enhancing their understanding of social situations and social encounters in their lives, and thereby supporting their ability to be active participants in life’s routines and activities. The effective use of Social Stories™ goes even further—it allows practitioners and parents to build trusting relationships through their support. Ultimately, the overarching goal of Social Stories™ is this: to help people to be self-determined, confident and competent individuals.
So now, dig in, enjoy and show the people you are teaching and supporting how much you love and care about them through your use of Social Stories™. Your efforts will help them thrive and live happily in this crazy world of ours.
BARRY M. PRIZANT, PH.D., CCC-SLP
Adjunct Professor
Artists and Scientists as Partners Group
Brown University
Director, Childhood Communication Services
Cranston, RI
Co-Developer, the SCERTS® Model Author: Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism
I wrote this collection of Social Stories™ with you and the child or adolescent in your care (I refer to them as the “Audience” of your Stories) continually in mind. You may use the Stories in a variety of ways. They may be used directly from the book, or as a pattern to develop Stories of your own. This brief introduction will acquaint you with the resources in this book, specifically the Stories, the companion CD, and the Social Story™ 10.2 Tutorials.
This book contains 185 Social Stories™ that I wrote either for students I was working with directly, or for fellow parents and educators. The Stories are divided into chapters according to their subject matter: Learning with Stories, Change, Mistakes, Me and My Feelings, Celebrations and Gifts, People Skills and Friendship, Bullying, Understanding Adults, Home and Community, School, and Planet Earth. Whereas some chapters focus on specific contexts, others focus on some of the most challenging issues facing children with autism spectrum disorders. I did my best to include the Stories most requested by parents and educators, and ones that I felt, from my personal experience, had helped children the most.
Some of the Stories in this book are designed to be used in groups, in sequence. As examples, the Fort Able Stories (#56-59) describe an imaginary comfort zone (Come to Fort Able=ComFortAble). Each Fort Able Story describes a “room” in a “fort.” The bullying Stories (#95-102) are intended to be read/completed chronologically as well. You will discover other sets of sequenced Stories and related activities throughout the book.
One of the most exciting attributes of this revised edition is the companion CD. All of the Stories are in Adobe PDF format, exactly as the Stories appear in this book. You can print Stories for individual use in the home, or include a Story in a classroom presentation to teach a skill to a group of students— and those are only a couple of examples. (Copyright permissions/restrictions are explained in detail on the CD.)
Conversely, be aware that some students’ reactions to the imagery can negatively impact their understanding of a social situation or skill. They may think that the Story applies to the child in the picture, but not to them. So if your child or student thinks very concretely, and has difficulty generalizing the skills, you may want to edit the story, customized with his or her experiences, and use the pre-illustrated Stories from the book for your reference only.
Note