Guide to Writing Social Stories™

Chris Williams is a Clinical Psychologist and Barry Wright is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. They have both worked for the NHS with children with ASDs and their families for over 20 years. They are the authors of How to Live with Autism and Asperger Syndrome: Practical Strategies for Parents and Professionals and Intervention and Support for Parents and Carers of Children and Young People on the Autism Spectrum: A Resource for Trainers, both published by JKP. They both live in North Yorkshire, UK.

Finally, a book that combines a practical step-by-step guide on creating and using Social Stories™ with real-life examples and a collection of sample Stories. This wonderful volume presents a user-friendly approach to writing Social Stories™, and is written with humor in easy-to-understand language. It is bound to become your new "go to" Social Stories™ manual.

• Prologue: A Parent's View. Introduction. Part 1. Understanding Autism. 1.1. Mindblindness. 1.2. Getting the Gist. 1.3. Language and Communication. 1.4. Imagination, Memory, Time Perception, Planning. 1.5. Sensory, Interests, Preoccupations, and Compulsions. 1.5. Strengths and Skills. Part 2. What is a Social Story™? 2.1 What Makes a Social Story™ Different? 2.2. When Should I Write a Social Story™? 2.3. What are they for? 2.4. What is Different about Children with ASD? Why are Social Stories™ Important for them? 2.5. What are the Benefits of Social Stories™? Part 3. A Guide to Social Stories™. 3.1. A Summary of How to Write a Social Story™. 3.2. Step I: The Goal and Gathering Information. 3.3. Step II: Writing the Social Story™. 3.4. Step III: Implementing the Social Story™. Part 4. Gathering Information. 4.1. Worked Example Using the Template (George). 4.2. Worked Example Using the Template (Matthew). 4.3. Why is it Important to Try and Tackle Things Early Rather than Leave Them? 4.4. When Not to Use Social Stories™. Part 5. Examples of Social Stories. 5.1. Why We Go to School. 5.2. Working on my Own. 5.3. Focussing and Concentrating. 5.4. Trying Hard at Swimming. 5.5. Joining School Swimming Lessons. 5.6. What is Respect? 5.7. Happy Playtimes. 5.8. Taking New Medicine. 5.9. Finding out about Archbishop Holgate's 6th Form. 5.10. Visiting the Dentist. 5.11. Why We Do Homework. 5.12. How to Take Tests. 5.13. Waiting to Ask the Teacher a Question. 5.14. Going to Flamingo Land. 5.15. I am a Kind, Intelligent Person. 5.16. Spiderman is a Film Character. 5.16. Using Words that People Like. Part 6. A Template for Making Sense of a Child's Behaviour and Planning Ways to Help. 7. Step-by-Step Flowchart. 8. Checklist.