by Sammy Stein

Created on: September 19, 2008   Last Updated: November 25, 2008

For a child with autism a trip to the shops, the doctors, a school trip or any change to their normal routine can be a major cause of anxiety. It is anxiety which is the root cause of many outbursts and challenging behaviour which autistic children can display and easing that anxiety will mean they are able to cope with a new or different situation far easier.

One of they key tools which you can use are social stories. These are simple, directive stories set out on one page which help the child understand where they are going and what will happen. They offer a set format and work very well because they make it clear what will be expected and what is likely to happen. For example a trip to the doctos would be titled' Going to The Doctos' and you simply state.

Today , you are going to see the doctor with Mum. We will arrive at the doctor's at 9am. Our appointment is at 9.10 am. We will wait quietly in the waiting room with other people. There will be toys and comics to read if you want. When our name is called we will go into the doctor's room - today we are seeing Doctor Smith. We will tell him about your sore throat and then Doctor Smith will look at your throat and examine it. Doctor Smith will offer some advice and talk to you and Mum. He may give Mum a piece of paper so she can get some medicine for you. We will then leave the doctor's. Mum will walk with you to school where we will go into your class room and you will join your class.

This short but clear story tells the child where they are going, the time and how they wait. It also tells them who they are going to see and what is likely to happen. The short series of statements is enough to allow the child to understand what is going to happen and how they will get back to school.

Keep social stories short but include everything like the time, who they will see and so on.
These simpe tools can really help in reducing anxiety and answer a lot of questions which will be in the child's mind.

When our son was small, we had a lot of problems when he went on school trips or if there was a change in teacher but social stories really made a difference. You do need to think ahead and prepare the stories in advance but once you have some, you can adapt them and because they are short, they can be put into a folder which will enable the child to read them on their own as they get older and come across new situations.

For trips where you are unable to accompany your child, make sure a responsible and caring adult goes with

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