To: Mrs. Susan Jones, Kindergarten Teacher
From: Lara McDowell, ECSE
Subject: Social Stories
Date: April 11, 2008
I am writing in reference to a student that will be in your classroom starting next fall.
This student has an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and we are attempting to enroll
him in an inclusive classroom in order to enhance his relationships with his peers, as well
as his social skills in many different situations.
Inclusive Classroom
Your classroom has been chosen to be an inclusive classroom because of your
willingness to adapt your class to fit many different students, and I am excited to be
working with you this year. As you may know, an inclusive classroom is one in which
students of all abilities are able to attend school together, and can become “one place
where friendships between children with and without disabilities have the opportunity to
develop and grow” (Boutot, 2007). This is an important concept for all children, and I
hope that together we will be able to achieve this in your classroom.
Unfortunately, it will take more than simply putting children with all abilities in a
classroom together to encourage these relationships. Children with ASD have a difficult
time with social situations, as well as relating to peers and developing friendships. The
child we are placing in your classroom has such difficulties, and I would like to suggest a
program that may help him to adjust to your classroom, and become more comfortable in
usual school social situations.
What are Social Stories?
Social stories are used to assist children with ASD in developing appropriate social skills.
A Social Story is a story that is tailored to the specific needs of the child and his or her
surroundings. Children with ASD have difficulty with social situations, and often have a
hard time understanding how they should behave in such situations. ((Sansosti, PowellSmith, and Kincaid, 2004).
A social story could be about a trip to the cafeteria at lunch time, and would include all
steps that the child would normally take when eating in the cafeteria. For instance, the
story would include the sentence “I enter the cafeteria and go to the end of the line”. The
story would continue with each step, ending with the student returning his tray at the end
of the meal. (Crozier and Sileo, 2005)
Social stories could also be useful in teaching the student how to form relationships with
peers, by showing them how to converse appropriately, in a back-and-forth format,
instead of the one-sided conversation that is common for a child with ASD.
Format of a Social Story
Social stories should be written following guidelines, as to make them most effective for
the child. Three different sentence styles have been identified as being most useful for a
child with ASD, and these include descriptive sentences, directive sentences, and
perspective sentences. A descriptive sentence will describe what is taking place in the
specific situation, a directive sentence would direct the child on behavior specific to the
situation, and perspective sentences tell the child how others feel during the situation, as
well as about the child’s behavior. (Crozier and Sileo, 2005)
While the sentence style is important, you will also want to consider the amount of text
and graphics that are included in the story. Minimal text should be used, with no more
than one directive, and one to three descriptive sentences per page. (Crozier and Sileo,
2005). Graphics are important as well, because children with ASD are often very visual
and may have difficulty with reading, especially in your kindergarten classroom. It is
important to ensure that graphics are used that the child will understand and that are an
appropriate representation of the story.
Limitations of Social Stories
While Social Stories can be a wonderful tool for children with ASD, there are certain
limitations that I believe we should be aware of. The first is the importance of keeping
the story within the child’s comprehension. The child in your classroom is very verbal,
and has a strong understanding of language, which should make it easier to stay within
his comprehension. Another limitation is with the use of computers, which can be
preferable to both you and the child with ASD. However, social stories using different
types of media are not proven effect, and should not be used. We will only be using the
traditional method of presenting the stories in your classroom. Social stories are not able
to address all behavioral needs of the child, and we will need to use them as only a part of
the child’s comprehensive plan. (Crozier and Sileo, 2005).
Conclusion
I hope that you have found this information helpful, and I look forward to working with
you this coming year with your inclusive classroom. I hope that you will feel
comfortable using social stories as a part of this child’s comprehensive plan, as I feel that
they will can be very effective in this particular situation.
Social stories can be a wonderful and effective way of teaching social skills, as well as
encouraging relationships with peers, in children with ASD. As the goal of an inclusive
classroom is to encourage friendships among children of all abilities, I think that social
stories will be an important addition to your classroom.
Again, I look forward to working with you this coming year, and encourage you to
consider using social stories in your classroom. I am willing to assist you in the
development and use of this tool throughout the year. Please feel free to contact me at
anytime with any questions or concerns that you may have.
Thank you,
Lara McDowell
ECSE
Works Cited
Buotot, Amanda. (Jan2007). Fitting in: Tips for promoting acceptance and friendships
for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in inclusive classrooms.
Intervention in School and Clinic, 42(3), 156-161.
Crozier, Shannon & Sileo, Nancy M. (Jul/Aug2005). Encouraging positive behavior
with social stories. Teaching Exceptional Children, 37(6), 26-31.
Kincaid, Donald, Powell-Smith, Kelly A., & Sansoti, Frank J. (2004). A research
synthesis of social story interventions for children with Autism Spectrum
Disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19(4), 194204.