Welcome to our Social Stories Series, where we will be taking a look at the social story format, its many purposes, and how to create your own. In Parts 2, 3, and 4, we will go over when to use social stories, some basic content guidelines, and the process of making your own! 

In Part 1, we will be covering the basics of social stories and how they work, so let’s dive in!

Social stories or narratives may be defined a little differently depending on who is describing it. 

UNC’s Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules (AFIRM) says social narratives “describe social situations for learners on the spectrum by providing relevant cues, explanation for the feelings and thoughts of others in the social situation, and descriptions of appropriate behavior expectations.” 

AFIRM further emphasizes that the stories are written from the perspective of the learner. While this can be a helpful overview, we want to place special emphasis on the perspective of the learner. In particular, social stories can help individuals navigate their own feelings and needs in given situations rather than the expectations of others. 

While describing expectations may be part of some social stories, we can still approach those expectations from a framework of personal agency.

Anyone who struggles to navigate a specific social situation may benefit from a social story. It can help someone better understand why something works a certain way. It can help clarify what is and isn’t expected in a given situation. 

It can remind someone of the tools available to them when they are having a hard time. Not everyone will find social stories beneficial. But anyone who is open to it as a tool can benefit from the customizability and specificity that they bring. 

We should always be open to the possibility that a learner could benefit from a social story, and also be ready to move on when it’s not a good fit.

Social stories can come in a variety of formats. The AFIRM page linked above describes a variety of potential formats you can use. Here we are focusing on written narratives with visual accompaniments. 

Formats can be a helpful starting point for any social story, but ultimately, they must be adapted to the individual who is using it. In that sense, a social story can be helpful as long as it can help an individual navigate a particular situation more easily than they otherwise would. 

New social situations, describing a procedure, or explaining a particular boundary are some common reasons for considering a social story. But you can also make your own judgment calls! 

Feel free to consider a social story when you think it might help, and be ready to accept the possibility that it might not be the right fit. We will further explore situations where social stories might be applicable in Part 2!

We hope by the end of this series you will feel empowered to create and customize your own stories, and we also have a wide variety of pre-made social stories available in the AGU shop. 

If you would like a social story from us that we have not created yet, please let us know at hello@autismgrownup.com, and we will be back next week in our ongoing series!