Hi, This is Me! A Social Story
(The words and opinions of this blog are that of the author and her experiences. This is not professional advice, and should not be used in lieu of that.)
A couple of weeks ago in my newsletter I hinted all the ideas I have cooking in my brain that are in the current forefront focus (there’s hierarchy to my ideas, the head is a busy place). But one has struck inspiration, taken my heart &…
I CAN’T HOLD IT IN ANY LONGER!
Im too excited! I received the print sample & “for the first time in foreverrrrr” (if you have a Frozen obsessed child, you would have sang that in Anna’s voice) I received the sample & it’s EXACTLY as I envisioned!
Imagine a Social Story book that is:
A 3 way conversation between child, carer, & educators - where the child is included in the conversation & be able to self advocate - kids know their needs best, it’s only as we grow we learn to suppress our emotions & disregard ourselves.
Learning to self advocate is a CRITICAL LIFE SKILL that helps the child recognise their hurdles, dysregulation triggers, place boundaries, have regulation strategies, & choose the supports needed at the time.
Presented like a colouring in book so the child can give it ‘personality & ownership’.
Have open conversation about hurdles, support and regulations - as remember different environments will express different traits. Parents may not see behaviours that happen at school & educators may not have opportunity to have that conversation in the day.
Parent & child fill it in together & educator can provide feedback on what’s different at school, what is supporting, & new potential challenges.
Reduce the ‘more work’. Imagine being an educator & having personalised strategies + known triggers on hand instead of having to decode & work it out in an already dysregulating environment.
Moving the conversation from ‘about’ to ‘with’.
Positively enhancing the One Plan (SA), IEP (VIC), PLP (NSW & QLD) connection, feedback, & experience.
“Nell, remind me again, why Social Stories?”
I’m so glad you asked! Social stories are proven to be so beneficial, and something I do (& I notice a lot of people do it for themselves) without realising it. To create, offer, & normalise supports (such as Social Stories) helps our next generation naturally utilise this support (& others) to maximise their experiences and goals.
The example I explained in my last blog about a Social Story I do for myself - of when I am invited out to dinner or event. Checking the restaurant website, find it in maps, and suss their socials is something I have always done, and what a lot of people do - you do not need to be Neurodivergent to benefit from a Social Story. The difference is, it will severely positively impact the difference in my experience of the day of said event, & increase my chances of attending at all.
Why? Because that removes so much cognitive work from the event, heightens the possibility of a good time, reduces stress & I am able to be more emotionally & mentally present for our catch up.
"Hi, this is Me!”
I designed this book to transcend years (as how cool would it be to reflect and compare trait, support, strategy, strength and interest progression), and has enough entries for 10 Social Stories. Let me walk you through my pages!
First you have a page introduction from me explaining the social story, then it gets straight into it - each Social Story spans 4 pages - Introduction, Insights, Notes, & Extra Space.
Hi, this is me! I’m in…
Introducing name. Choosing how they prefer to be addressed (some kids DETEST automated nicknames that is Australian nature to do - such as the Benjamins, Lachlans, & the Jessicas of the world).
Informing their neurotype, diagnosis / diagnoses, identity, the key factors that make them, them!
A mini self reflection that promotes positive self identity & ideally would prompt a bonding experience between the educator & child.
Including age, particularly for primary school is important to me. Some children who are born earlier in the year will then be the youngest of their grade, & an extra factor to consider regarding executive functioning.
Any specific information that the parent or child would like to disclose that I haven’t thought of carving out space for. I really wanted this to be as versatile and inclusive as possible! So, for example; if I was filling this in, I would add that I don’t really like physical touch, apart from people I am close with.
All ‘my insights’…
My Interests - Listing interests can help leverage activities to deliver some of that sweet dopamine. Love lego? Build a lego for maths using colours & blocks to achieve learning goals. Love princesses like my daughter? She loves counting crystals on tiaras!
My Strengths - Natural talents & activities that hold attention. It might be art, performing, dance, music, sport, storytelling, imagination play, all skills should be recognised & nurtured.
My Hurdles - What are the known triggers or barriers to the day. Being stared at? Falling over in front of others? RSD from critique? Knowledge and anticipation of these things can reduce the impact.
My Regulations - What strategies are used to regulate? Big breaths are great for some, infuriating for others. A walk? Quiet time? Mindful activities? Are they sensory seeking or sensory avoidant?
My Supports - The tools used to stay regulated, or re-regulate. What’s needed for the strategies so they can be offered or accessed. Things like headphones, fidgets, a trampoline, AAC…
My Goals - Let the child set themselves goals too! Ownership could drastically up participation.
Notes & chats…
This is open to interpretation for the Author/s, but my vision is that it’s an opportunity for logging, feedback, & notes from all 3 parties.
Team works makes the dream work as they say, and the dream here is for the owner of this book to radically love themselves, advocate for their needs, recognise dysregulation triggers, strategise regulations that work - then ensure they use those strategies & supports.
The ‘extra space’ page after is literally a blank page that allows for extra notes, used as a divider, or whatever else the user decides.
I KNOW the images are blurry, but they’re a bit of an attempt to ‘protect my stuff’ if you know what I mean. Anyway, I’d love to hear from you. What do you think? Would you use this as a parent? If you’re a teacher - would this be the ‘cheat sheet’ to help accurately support our next generation?
Hi, want your own ‘Hi, this is Me!’ Book?
Well as Prof. Farnsworth says; “Great news everyone!” I am doing a limited first run batch of these books so grab a copy!
I am still working out the ‘mechanics’ of how I want these books to navigate the world & in what mediums, if they’re needed or wanted, & how much they will cost. But, fear not - if you want you get your mitts on a copy I am doing a limited run that you can pre-order at a (potentially one time) price of $10 each + shipping.
Pre order will close MONDAY JULY 1st & books will be posted MID JULY!
(I will keep you in the loop of all updates along the way).
A LITTLE PSA: They may stay $10, they may go up a little - I just am not a capitalist genius & definitely not great at pricing. I know this needs to be affordable & accessible & I am working out how can I get that price as low as possible without financially ruining myself in the process (I already do that enough, too often I’ll post a order that I’ve already posted or I severely underquote postage & make nothing - or worse technically be PAYING for people to buy my books).
Finally, thank you so much for listening. So, SO MUCH for supporting, and for giving me this space to reflect and share with you.
