How to Write Social Stories for Autism

Social stories are simple, tailored narratives designed to help autistic children understand social situations, routines, and emotions. They use straightforward language, visuals, and a structured format to explain behaviors and expectations. Here’s what you need to know:

• What They Do: Teach social skills, reduce anxiety, improve communication, and build independence.
• Common Uses: Managing routines, handling emotions, preparing for new experiences, and learning social behaviors like sharing or turn-taking.
• How to Write Them:
  • Use short, simple sentences in the first person and present tense.
  • Include descriptive (facts), perspective (feelings), directive (actions), and affirmative (reinforcement) sentences.
  • Keep a positive tone and focus on what the child can do.
• Add Visuals: Use clear, age-appropriate images to support understanding. Pair text with pictures for clarity.
• Make It Engaging: Read regularly in a quiet space, monitor your child’s reactions, and update stories as they grow.

Social stories are a practical tool for helping autistic children navigate daily life with confidence.

Selecting Story Topics

Common Social Situations

When crafting social stories, focus on everyday situations that can be tricky for autistic children. These stories work well in addressing specific scenarios like:

These examples show how social stories can help children navigate common challenges in their daily lives.

Understanding Your Child’s Challenges

To choose the right topics, observe your child’s daily routines and interactions. Pay attention to:

• Behavioral Patterns: Look for moments of meltdowns, shutdowns, or avoidance of demands.
• Sleep Impact: Notice if lack of sleep affects their ability to engage socially.
• Environmental Triggers: Identify settings or activities that seem overwhelming or difficult.
• Communication Struggles: Pinpoint moments where they find it hard to express themselves or understand others’ expectations.

Tracking these areas can uncover patterns, helping you focus on situations where social stories might be most helpful. Tailor the topics to align with your child’s specific needs and developmental stage.

Age-Appropriate Topics

The effectiveness of a social story depends on how well it matches your child’s age and comprehension level. Here are some topic suggestions based on age groups:

• Early Years (3–6): Self-care routines, simple greetings, sharing toys, and basic classroom rules.
• School Age (7–11): Making friends, managing homework, handling emotions, and participating in group activities.
• Adolescents (12+): Personal hygiene, using social media responsibly, time management, and skills for independent living.

Involving family members, caregivers, and professionals ensures the stories are both practical and meaningful for your child’s growth.

How to Make Social Stories for Children with Autism …

Writing Steps and Methods

After choosing your topics, focus on crafting a clear and straightforward narrative using these simple steps.

Basic Writing Rules

• Keep sentences short and simple: Use a clear subject-verb-object structure. For example, "I wash my hands before eating lunch."
• Write in first person: Tell the story from the child’s perspective using "I" statements, like "I sit quietly during story time."
• Use present tense: This keeps the story relevant and relatable. For instance, "I take turns on the swing."

Types of Sentences to Include

An effective social story uses a mix of sentence types to explain and guide behavior:

Aim for a balance of descriptive and directive sentences to ensure clarity and understanding.

Using Supportive Language

Adopt a positive, encouraging tone to help build confidence and teach new skills effectively:

• Emphasize "can" over "must": For example, "I can raise my hand when I have a question."
• Acknowledge effort: Say things like, "Sometimes it’s hard to wait my turn, but I’m learning."
• Offer choices: Provide options such as, "When I feel overwhelmed, I can take deep breaths or squeeze my stress ball."
• Be specific: Use clear instructions like, "I will keep my hands in my lap during circle time."

This approach helps create a supportive environment for learning and growth.

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Adding Pictures and Images

Images can help autistic children better understand abstract ideas by making them more relatable and clear.

Choosing the Right Images

To create effective visuals:

• Use real photographs for objects and actions that are easy to identify.
• Include simple illustrations for emotions or abstract ideas.
• Stick to a consistent visual style throughout the material.
• Avoid backgrounds that are too busy or distracting.
• Pick images that align with the child’s developmental stage.

For showing facial expressions or emotions, choose clear photos that focus on a single emotion without unnecessary details.

Once you’ve selected the right images, it’s time to arrange them with the text for maximum clarity.

Organizing Text and Images

How you position text and images on a page plays a big role in how well your child can follow the story. Here’s a quick guide:

When designing your story:

• Focus on one concept per page to avoid confusion.
• Keep the text short – 2-3 sentences per image work well.
• Align images consistently across all pages.
• Use high-contrast colors to make visuals easier to process.

Using and Updating Stories

Reading with Your Child

Pick a quiet, comfortable spot for story time where distractions are minimal. Here’s how to make the most of it:

• Read at a steady pace, using a warm and engaging tone, while pointing to the images.
• Encourage your child to ask questions and share their thoughts.
• Stick to a consistent routine to create familiarity and comfort.

Pay attention to how your child responds during these sessions, and use their reactions to fine-tune the story.

Checking What Works

Keep track of key areas to see how the story resonates with your child:

Use these observations to make the story more effective and better suited to your child’s needs.

Moving Beyond Stories

As your child grows, adapt the story to match their development. Look for these milestones:

1. Explaining the Story Independently
   Your child understands the story well enough to explain it to others without help.
2. Applying Lessons on Their Own
   They handle similar situations confidently without needing the story as a guide.
3. Expressing Key Ideas
   They can clearly explain why certain actions or behaviors are appropriate in different situations.

As your child masters these skills, you can gradually reduce how often you use the story. Keep it handy, though – it can still serve as a helpful reference when needed.

Next Steps and Help

Main Points to Remember

Creating effective social stories involves focusing on a few important elements:

For additional support, consider how technology can make the process smoother and more effective.

Guiding Growth: Supporting Parents of Autistic Children

The Guiding Growth app is designed to help parents refine their social story approach. It enables you to track and adjust stories based on your child’s progress through features like:

• Behavior Tracking: Keep tabs on how your child reacts to different stories and discover what resonates most.
• Pattern Recognition: Spot behavior trends that can guide story improvements.
• Professional Collaboration: Share progress data with therapists or healthcare providers to fine-tune your strategies.

The app’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to document progress as you use social stories. This organized tracking allows you to make timely updates to the stories, ensuring they remain effective. Plus, the collaboration tools help keep all caregivers on the same page, creating a unified approach to your child’s social growth.

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