Visual Support: Social Stories

-- by Sarah, Gaby's mom

Social Stories™ were developed by Carol Gray, President of The Gray Center.

For novel and/or stressful situations, I would usually write a social story (trying my best to follow the Gray guidelines) to prepare Gaby. This would include factual statements about what was going to happen as well as a few statements about social perspectives and typically observed behavior. This is written in paragraph form, but it was sometimes useful to create a summary of the information in list form that highlighted critical points and could be displayed or carried as a quick reminder.

For example, a list of the routine steps to follow during a band concert (at our own school), a band contest (at another school), auditions/solos, a field trip, a fire or tornado drill, etc. It was always best to physically practice the routines or introduce her to the environments in advance, but the visual list was an important concrete reminder that allowed her to mentally practice the routine as well (or instead of, when physical practice wasn't possible). Of course, the visual list is also critical to ensure understanding. For a visual thinker like Gaby, it's never a good idea to rely on verbal explanations alone to prepare for novel or stressful events.

Gaby's Graduation Social Story

Birthday Pary Social Story Reminder