The transition from summertime with relaxed schedules, fun activities, and different routines to early wake-up calls, sitting in a classroom, and new teachers and peers can be overwhelming and challenging to adapt to, especially for children diagnosed with ASD. There are several strategies that families can use to help their children prepare for the upcoming school year. Social Stories is a research-based method used in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA).

Social Stories was developed by Carol Gray (Gray & Garand, 1993) as a strategy that uses visual components to address deficits in social skills with children with autism. They can be short stories that are drawn or written about specific situations or scenarios that could be overwhelming, confusing, or challenging for the individual. Some example situations can be riding the bus for the first time, structure of a school day, following lunch time routines, etc. Providing the child an opportunity to “read” about these scenarios before they occur may provide opportunities for conversation as well as advance notice of what to expect during their school day.

There are a variety of different ways you can “write” a Social Story. It can incorporate visuals and/or written text and can vary in length and complexity of language written. Depending on your child and their current skill levels, they can be a part of “writing” their own story. The language should be simple and easy to understand and communicate a point clearly. It also is important to use positive language instead of focusing on the “do nots” or negatives.

 Example Social Story: Circle Time