The Power of Social Stories
The what, why, and how to make them.
(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.)So, what is a social story?
In short, Social Stories are simple and informative ‘stories’ where the author is providing information to help prepare someone for a new and/or challenging experience. They also;
Should explain what someone can expect in a new situation, let them know what options / accommodations are available, & help them feel less worried.
Can even be a way to introduce someone before they formally meet, (a perfect example is how teachers send out a short ‘get to know me and the class’ at the start of the year that showcases their interests and hobbies).
Used to explain details of a new experience - like what it involves, where it is, duration, who will be there, and the reason for doing it.
Clearly explain options available, what can be done, accessed, & available.
Are an opportunity to mention sensory stimulations if feasible, reminding the opportunity of bringing needed supports, & the supports that will be available.
Specify safe people, people of contact or direction, how to find them and/or contact them.
What a Social Story is NOT:
A social story details what the person can expect from another person, an event, or experience - NOT what to expect from the person receiving the Social Story. ‘Social Stories’ that force behaviours & actions by listing rules, demands, rewards or punishments are not Social Stories as they are a means to control the recipient and are not focused on the recipient’s experience.
Having extra demands, even attempted positive ones like ‘If you just give it a chance, you will enjoy it’ can increase anxiety. Personally, I have been told that MANY times throughout my life & a lot of the time I either did not enjoy myself at all or had every right to be worried. Remember, we are all unique and our enjoyment of things is just as unique. Even now, EVERY time I hear a sentence like that, alarm bells automatically ring.
Aside from the anxiety point, these types of approaches can suck out all the fun before it’s even begun. The recipient may feel that once again they are being scrutinised or judged by having demands set and potential punishments listed before they’ve even had a chance to engage. There may be a need to then protect their autonomy due to the sense of being controlled, and the Social Story has done the opposite of its intention.
Rules definitely have their place, but that place is not in a Social Story.
Social Story General Framework:
Introduce the experience / event with specific & RELEVANT details.
Where it will be & how to get there.
Why the experience / event is happening.
The duration of the experience / event.
Accomodations available, offered, or suggestion to bring.
What to expect in the event/ experience.
Who will be involved & present, who is first point of contact & how to find them.
Is there an age limit for Social Stories?
Absolutely not! In fact you would be surprised we all use & benefit from Social Stories at some point.
I would love to talk about the most amazing experience I had with ABC Radio & the most wonderful reporter named Jacob Round. By grateful luck, his partner purchased my books for their two boys after stumbling across them somewhere on the internet (I can still remember the order as I signed & addressed them, and loved the names they chose). I had no idea, and she did not disclose any info that her partner works for the ABC (my favourite place in the world).
Jacob was inspired and reached out to me via email to offer the opportunity of a radio interview which was EXCITING but also incredibly SCARY! I have seen so many time people going for their first big interview & bomb, have words snipped & twisted, or my biggest fear - damage & undo all the positive work I’ve been trying to do for Neurodiversity (that RSD is a stinker).
That was probably the only time I felt the fear really. Jacob’s form of contact was naturally a series of social stories:
He liaised in email back and forth how a radio interview is conducted, taking opportunity of me visiting Brisbane to head into studio there, & reduce my travel to Adelaide’s studio. Allocated a time & date that worked for me, but converted that time from his time zone to mine (he goes to Sydney’s studio).
Prior to heading into Studio he called me & explicitly explained the sign in process, down to the point I may get a special red guest lanyard (I did!), how to move through reception, what floor my studio room is on, studio name (it was called the Tardis room!), how to access water or get help. Everyone working there didn’t eyeball me or ask me what I am doing as I walked through, but was immediately ready to help & direct if I spoke first.
We then connected and had the interview which went for almost an hour, but before he pressed record he let me know what sort of stuff he was going to ask & asked me if there is any off-limits topics or questions. It was just the warmest conversation, I actually couldn’t believe I haven’t met him before.
Afterwards Jacob gave me another call, check in how I felt & if I had any questions. After a bit more excited & inspired chatting he then explained to me the next steps, timeline, what more he needs from me, & what to expect.
Prior to releasing the interview, he sent it privately to check over & flag any issues.
The reduction in my fear and stress was phenomenal, and honestly the most amazing experience! I had fun, so much fun! If you take anything away from this, social stories do not have to be one in depth PDF, it could be a series of progressional calls, an email, text messages, and can be done in corporate settings, school, social, and home.
ABC Story Stream
Living With a Race Car Brain
Presented by Jacob Round
Since being diagnosed as Autistic and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AuDHD) in her 30s, Nell Harris’s journey of self-discovery has transformed into a career as an author and artist of Neurodiversity Affirming children’s books.
Nell embraces her differences and celebrates the creativity that comes with her neurotype.
Her books include My Brain is a Race Car, written for her daughter to explain ADHD without using the acronym.
Story By Jacob Round.
Who can make a Social Story?
Anyone can, for anyone else! You can even make them for yourself, I’II show an example below!
As long as As long as you have the information or can find the information to build the Social Story (a completely incorrect Social Story is a recipe for disaster) and the format is completely up to you (keeping in mind preference & accessibility of the the recipient).
Our teachers do it for the new school year for my kids and its lovely - it’s not about class rules but the teachers interests, what they’re excited about for the year, how the classroom looks, what room it is & where its located, and offered us an opportunity to come in and see it in person before the school year officially starts.
In our house we make Social Stories for our kids, for ourselves, each other, there is no authoritarian on making a social story! Let me explain a very common Social Story I create for MYSELF (& so many people I know do the same thing for themselves), & I wonder if you do this too;
I’ve been invited out to dinner, to a restaurant I have never been to before, in a suburb I rarely visit.
I immediately Google the restaurant & check their website out.
This lets me see branding & colour palette (to help recognise it in real life).
Check the menu & decide what I will order (reduces stress of deciding on the spot).
Find the restaurant address (to see specific location & decide what transport I will use to get there).
I then enter the address in Apple maps.
To find the best route to get there (mental preparation for my day).
How long I need to allocate to travel (to factor that into my day plan).
Find available parking / station / bus stop nearby (to give a specific stop location).
Street view to see restaurant frontage (so I know what the building looks like).
Any relevant landmarks around (gives me back up markers if I get lost).
Finally, I check their social media channels.
Create familiarity for myself and manage my expectations of what I am attending (reduce potential of overwhelm).
Socials help give a vibe of the space (loud, compressed, quiet, spacious & the supports I might bring like noise reducing earplugs, fidgets, etc.)
Prompts dress code ideas (while I believe you can never be incorrectly dressed from an aesthetic point of view as dressing is an expression of inner ourselves - be it comfort, dopamine, etc. You can absolutely dress incorrectly according to weather! I will dress drastically different for a space that has outdoor tables vs indoor).
Why make social stories?
I feel all my thoughts above answers why - but just in case I need to hammer that information home, I’ll do a quick recap - they’re nice to have.
The power of a Social Story is that they can have the capacity to remove a lot of cognitive work from the individual by taking away so many ‘what ifs’ about the event. Social Stories can also heighten the possibility of a good time by reducing internal stress of the unknown and unexpected. This allows recipients to potentially have the opportunity to be more present in multiple ways, including actual attendance.
But. While I said it is NICE for some people to receive a Social Story, for others (like me) this information is CRITICAL to enjoyment, participation, or even attending at all.
Noticing that key difference when it comes to some of us is something I want to press on the importance of. So many times I’ve wanted to go to something, but when it comes to the day and there is too much vagueness of what is happening and/or who will be there that I feel physically unable to attend, like I’m stuck in quicksand. More than that, I am devastated that I miss yet another event, that I have possibly let people I care about down, and a self depreciative internal narrative can quickly build.
If at the very least it’s nice to know, then shouldn’t Social Stories be offered to us all? And if we would like a Social Story for ourselves or someone we love, then we can and should take the opportunity to make it - as ANYBODY and EVERYBODY can be the author of a social story!
