Welcome back to our Social Stories Series, where we are exploring their many uses and how we can create our own. In Part 1, we went over some social stories basics. 

In Part 2, we will talk about some situations where a social story might be a helpful tool.

A social story is just one of many potential interventions and may not always be the most suitable option. But one benefit of social stories is their flexibility across so many situations and customizability to the individual. 

While the situation that calls for a social story may be quite specific to the individual, we can identify some more generalized areas where a social story might be worth considering. So let’s take a closer look!

One of the more classic uses of a social story is to explain situations where the learner might not fully understand what is going on in a given social situation. It could explain why certain behavior can be hurtful. It could explain how a trip to the doctor’s office works. 

The main purpose is clarification of how things work and potentially what the learner in question might be asked to do. The person you are supporting might find an explanation-oriented social story helpful if they get worried about unfamiliar situations, express frustration about an interaction they don’t understand, or want to know what they are “supposed” to do for a given task.

Social stories do not just have to be an explanation of how something works. They can also serve as a reminder of what will happen in a given situation or how to navigate it. 

While reminders can certainly include explanations, they might also assume some shared knowledge with the reader and focus on the parts that are most important to them. 

Whereas an explainer might call for a more thorough explanation of the topic, a reminder might emphasize what your student already knows but hasn’t fully integrated, and help to serve as reinforcement when a situation becomes challenging.

Comforters might include explanations or reminders, but are especially focused on empathizing with the reader. 

A comforter might necessarily remind the reader of the limitations of a difficult situation, but should also be on the reader’s side and ready to offer a variety of coping mechanisms that are already known to the reader. 

Comforters can be a helpful outlet in situations where other forms of communication aren’t helpful, especially when teacher and learner can develop a shared language around those stories ahead of time.

We hope Part 2 has offered a broad outline of some of the areas where you might identify social story opportunities. 

We would love to hear about your own process for deciding when and how to use social stories, too! Just drop us a line at hello@autismgrownup.com and stay tuned for Part 3, where we will share some thoughts and what to include (and not include!) in social stories.