The New Social Story Book, Revised and Expanded 15th Anniversary Edition. Carol Gray
if you own the full version of this program. If you have the free or Reader version of Adobe Acrobat, you will not be able to edit using this system. You may copy the story you want to edit, and paste it in Microsoft Word. Then you can edit the story to your liking. While most of the Stories can potentially be used as they are written, there are some Stories in this book that have to be revised before they are shared with your Audience. These are the Stories for a fictional character (e.g., Trevor, Mason, Fletcher) that include sample descriptions of past events. You will need to review those Stories for ideas, and then edit the corresponding file on the CD, replacing existing details with your Audience’s experiences. The individualized Story will make the most sense to your Audience if it is written from a first-person perspective, as though Audience is talking.
Many of the Stories in this book are intentionally “over-written.” They include more text or longer sentences than I typically use when writing for students on my caseload. I did this to provide you with as many ideas and phrasing options as possible, while still maintaining sound Story structure. You, in turn, may review a Story and determine that it’s ready to use with the person you are caring for. Or you may decide to revise it, in which case you should have enough text to shorten and/or personalize the Story as you see fit.
Stories may be easily shortened for younger or more severely challenged Audiences. In some cases, it may be possible to use the first sentence of each paragraph and delete the others. Other options to simplify a Story include omitting commas to create two separate sentences, or splitting one Story into two or more Stories.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced author of Social Stories™, this book is designed to support your continued learning. The Social Story™ 10.2 Tutorials teach the art and science of developing a Social Story™. The tutorial section is your personal Social Story™ workshop to complete at your own pace. It includes an introduction to the tutorials, detailed descriptions of the 10.2 Social Story™ Criteria, and a practice activity for each criterion. Once you’ve completed the tutorials,, they are a handy reference to support your efforts in the months to come. I also encourage you to attend an official Social Stories™ training, where you can refine your Story writing and practice your skills with others.
The Internet is a wonderful resource. Unfortunately, much of the Social Story information online is outdated and inaccurate. Use caution. Many sites use the term Social Story without regard for its definition and emphasis on safety. They may use my name without my permission, making it seem as though I am in support of their information. Always look for the Social Story logo, which is a quality indicator. Trustworthy information is always available at CarolGraySocialStories.com and FHautism.com.
Thank you for your interest in Social Stories™. I am glad that this book has fallen into your good hands! Have fun exploring the Stories, completing the tutorials, and discovering the limitless uses of the CD. I sincerely hope that this resource will come to your aid, like an old friend, when you need support, and become a trusted volume in your library for many years to come. Best wishes to you and your Audience!
Introduction to the
Social Story™ 10.2 Tutorials
Welcome to the Social Story™ 10.2 Tutorials, your introductory guide to developing Social Stories™ according to the current 10.2 criteria. This chapter will help you learn the basics of the approach so that you can begin to write Social Stories™ for those in your care. As you know, I wrote the Stories in this book for students with autism. I also wrote the Stories with you in mind as well, to introduce you to the art of writing Social Stories™. I will be referring to them frequently as you read and complete each tutorial.
As defined in the introduction to this book, A Social Story™ accurately describes a context, skill, achievement, or concept according to 10 defining criteria. These criteria guide Story research, development, and implementation to ensure an overall patient and supportive quality, and a format, “voice”, content, and learning experience that is descriptive, meaningful, and physically, socially, and emotionally safe for the child, adolescent, or adult with autism. The criteria define what a Social Story™ is, and the process that researches, writes, and illustrates it.
In this chapter, the criteria are discussed in a series of ten tutorials. Work through them in sequence. Each tutorial opens with a brief definition of the criterion in italics, followed by a short discussion, activity and answers, and final notes. Answers are discussed in the text immediately following each activity. For this reason, complete each activity before reading further. It’s also important to read the closing notes of each tutorial. They are not always a simple summary. As titled, they are final notes. They may contain information not previously mentioned, or suggest an additional exercise. Finally, it is not necessary to complete all of the tutorials in one session. In fact, it may be preferable to spread them out a bit, perhaps completing one each evening.
The 10.2 criteria are titled to make them easy to memorize. This makes it possible for Authors to develop a Social Story™ without having to run for this book each time.
The 10.2 criteria are:
1. One Goal
2. Two-Part Discovery
3. Three Parts and a Title
4. FOURmat Makes It Mine
5. Five Factors Impact Voice and Vocabulary
6. Six Questions Guide Story Development
7. Seven Is About Sentences
8. A Gr-eight Formula
9. Nine to Refine
10. Ten Guides to Implementation
After completing each tutorial, try to list the titles of the criteria that you have completed from memory. By the time you finish this chapter I am confident that you will have them memorized!
In this chapter, the 10 criteria are discussed in a series of tutorials. Work through them in sequence. Each tutorial opens with a brief definition of the criterion in italics, followed by a short discussion, activity and answers, and final notes. Answers are discussed in the text immediately following each activity. For this reason, complete each activity before reading further. It’s also important to read the closing notes of each tutorial. They are not always a simple summary; as titled they are final notes and their content is varies. For example, the final notes of a tutorial may contain information not previously mentioned, or direct you to complete an additional activity. Finally, It is not necessary to complete all the tutorials in one session. In fact, it may be preferable to spread them out a bit, perhaps completing one each evening.
Relax and have fun as you learn to develop Social Stories according to the 10.2 criteria!
SOCIAL STORY™ VOCABULARY
First, it’s important to establish some basic Social Story™ vocabulary. This vocabulary is designed to save us time so that Authors (that’s you!) can efficiently focus on the task at hand: