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will need the story written for them. If there is a behaviour that the teacher (or parent) wants to work on, it is imperative that the motivation behind the behaviour is understood. For example, if the child refuses to stand in line during a fire drill, a Social Story about standing in line might not be appropriate. Is the child filled with fear about the possibility of a fire? Does the noise of the fire alarm cause sensory distress? What could be behind the behaviour of refusing to stand in line? Perhaps the story needs to be about the necessity of standing in line to leave the building quickly so that the child and his peers will be safe.

Now that you know which behaviour you want to address, you can begin to write your Social Story remembering that Social Stories are always written in the present tense and first-person. There are four types of sentences that should be included. The first are descriptive sentences that tell who is involved, where it is taking place and why it is happening.The second are sentences that give some perspective as to what the others in the story might be thinking and/or doing. The third are sentences that give a direction to the child about what is expected of him. The fourth sentence is one that will help the child remember the story and how to behave in the social situations being described. Sometimes these sentences are only used for higher functioning children.

The following is an example of a Social Story using the fire alarm scenario.

Fire Drills
Sometimes our school has fire drills. We have to line up at the door before going outside so our teacher can make sure we are all safe. My friends line up quickly and quietly at the door so they can be safe. It is hard for them to line up quickly and quietly if someone is being noisy and trying to leave the classroom. I will try to line up quickly and quietly at the door so my teacher can keep me and my friends safe during a fire drill.

Your Social Story must be written keeping the age and abilities of the child in mind. For the very young child, this might mean a single idea on each page with an illustration. Pictures of the child and his friends often work well but all pictures must be as simple as possible so that other details do not overwhelm the idea being presented. For an older child, a much longer story could be utilized and illustrations would probably not be necessary.

If the child has a number of different teachers, it is a good idea of each teacher to have a copy of the story. In the beginning, the story should be read daily, preferably just before the situation takes place. Once the child appears to have successfully grasped the concept and is behaving in a more socially acceptable manner, the story can be set aside and another situation that the child is experiencing trouble with can be written and introduced.

Learn more about this author, Karen Ardy.
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