Social Stories…Did you know?

Did you know….

….a Social Story is a social learning tool that supports the exchange of information in a safe, meaningful way between parents/professionals and people with Autism?

….the hallmark of a Social Story is in the ten defining characteristics that guide the development of every Story? (These characteristics/criteria distinguish a genuine Social Story from social scripts and checklists etc).

….the only definition of a Social Story is a Story that ‘accurately describes a context, skill, achievement or concept according to ten defining criteria’?

….the Social Story was discovered by Carol Gray,  Author, Primary School Teacher and consultant to children, adolescence and adults with Autism.

….’Social Stories’ are generally capitalised to distinguish the genuine Stories that meet the ten criteria.

….the word ‘Story’ or ‘Stories’ are also capitalised if used in reference to a genuine Social Story.

….when “social story/social stories’ or ‘story/stories’ appear without capitalisation they would not be considered Social Stories today.

In a nutshell, a Social Story is written to share information (that most of us take for granted) for people with Autism that they seem to be missing. It contains a title with three parts and considers the ability and interest of its specific audience, using positive language in the 1st or 3rd person perspective. It answers the ‘wh’ questions using mostly descriptive sentences with some coaching sentences and is reviewed to ensure the criteria are met.  The success of any Social Story is in its positive tone that displays respect for the intended audience.