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.

I think this will be a helpful book for anyone who is living or working with a child who has an autistic spectrum disorder. Social Stories™ are very useful but it can be quite a challenge to write your own. This book is designed to get you started. The authors provide straightforward guidelines and lots of practical examples of Social Stories™ written for particular children. They annotate these stories so that readers can see how the process works. As a professional who regularly sees parents of children with a diagnosis of ASD, I will be adding this book to my list of valued references.

• Introduction. Part 1. 1.1. Understanding Autism. 1.1.1. Mindblindness. 1.1.2. Getting the Gist. 1.1.3. Language and Communication. 1.1.4. Imagination, Memory, Time Perception, Planning. 1.1.5. Sensory, Interests, Preoccupations and Compulsions. 1.1.6. Strengths and Skills. 1.2. What is a Social Story? 1.2.1. What makes a Social Story different? 1.2.2. When should I write a Social Story? 1.2.3. What are they for? 1.2.4. What is different about children with ASD? Why are Social Stories important for them? 1.2.5. What are the Benefits of Social Stories? Part 2. 2.1. A Guide to Social Stories. 2.1.1. A Summary of how to write a Social Story including Jodie's Story. 2.1.2. Step I: The Goal and Gathering Information. 2.1.3. Step II: Writing the Social Story. 2.1.4. Implementing the Social Story. Part 3. 3.1. Gathering Information. 3.1.1. Worked example using the template (George) Why do people fart? 3.1.2. Worked example using the template (Matthew) Time to Think. 3.1.3. Worked example (Thomas) What happens when I have a Seizure? 3.1.4. When not to use Social Stories. Part 4. 4.1. Examples of Social Stories. 4.1.1. Why we go to school. 4.1.2. Working on my own. 4.1.3. Focussing and Concentrating. 4.1.4. Trying Hard at Swimming. 4.1.5. Joining School Swimming Lessons. 4.1.6. What is Respect? 4.1.7. Happy Playtimes. 4.1.8. Taking New Medicine. 4.1.9. Finding out about Archbishop Holgate's 6th Form. 4.1.10. Visiting the Dentist. 4.1.11. Why We Do Homework. 4.1.12. How to Take Tests. 4.1.13. Waiting to ask the Teacher a Question. 4.1.14. Going to Flamingo Land. 4.1.15. I am a Kind, Intelligent Person. 4.1.16. Spiderman is a Film Character. 4.1.17. Using Words that People Like. Part 5. 5.1. A Template for Making Sense of a Child's Behaviour and Planning Ways to Help. 5.2. Step by Step Flowchart. 5.3. Checklist. 5.4. Checklist (Short Version). References. Definition of Terms.