Social stories for autistic children

What are social stories?

Social stories explain social situations to autistic children and help them learn how to handle these situations.

These stories are sometimes called social scripts, social narratives or story-based interventions.

Social Story™ and Social Stories™ are trademarks originated and owned by Carol Gray. Social Stories™ are developed according to 10 key criteria that guide story research, development and use. Professionals and parents can also use these key criteria to write their own social stories.

Who are social stories for?

Social stories were initially developed for use with autistic children. They’re also sometimes used to help children with learning difficulties or intellectual disability.

Social stories might be less effective for children with low comprehension skills.

What are social stories used for?

Social stories can help autistic children learn about social situations like the supermarket and playground. They help children know what to expect in these situations and what other people might be thinking or feeling. Social stories can also help children cope with changes or unexpected events.

Social stories are used together with other therapies to help children manage or participate in social situations.

Where do social stories come from?

Social stories were developed in 1990 by Carol Gray, a teacher working with young autistic children.

What is the idea behind social stories?

Autistic people often experience and understand the world differently from other people. For example, they might not notice or understand social cues. Social cues are things like body language, facial expressions, gestures and eye contact. These cues help us know what to expect or how to act in social situations.

Social stories were developed to help autistic children learn about social situations in a way that makes sense to them. Social stories do this by explicitly pointing out:

details about the setting
things that usually happen in that setting
the actions or behaviour that are typically expected in the setting.

This can help children pick up on cues they might not otherwise notice and learn how to respond to these cues. It might also help children learn new skills and manage anxiety or worries about social situations.

What do social stories involve?

First, a therapist works with a child and their parents or carers to gather information and develop social goals for the child.

Next, the therapist follows 10 key criteria to write a social story based on a particular social situation. The tailor-made story is written in the first or third person and can be written in the past, present or future tense – for example, ‘I go to the shop’ or ‘We will sit in the waiting room’ or ‘William can wear his headphones’. The story is written using language to match the age and skill of the child. The story can be a print book or an ebook. It can include photos or illustrations.

When a social story is ready, an adult reads the story with the child to ensure the child can understand it. Typically, the stories are read just before the event they describe. For example, each morning a parent and child might read a story about being in the school playground, and the teacher might also read the story with the child just before the child goes out to play.

Once the child understands the social situation, they can read the story less often.

If the social situation changes, the story should be reviewed and updated.

Children can experience social stories in different ways, depending on their abilities. For example, if your child isn’t yet reading, you can read stories to them or record stories and play the recordings as they read along.

Do social stories help autistic children?

Research shows that social stories can have positive effects for autistic children. In particular, social stories can help to improve children’s behaviour and support their skill development. Most studies are small, so more research is needed.

For social stories to work, it’s important that the stories are customised to children’s individual needs and used at the right time for individual children.

Who can help children with social stories?

You can read Carol Gray’s The new Social Story™ book or use online resources to learn how to write social stories.

Professionals like occupational therapists, psychologists and speech pathologists can teach you how to write social stories for your child. They can also advise you on the best way to deliver the stories – for example, by reading them aloud, making videos or having your child read them.

Where can you find a professional to help with social stories?

Some professionals who work with children have experience writing and using social stories. You can find these professionals by going to:

You could also talk about using social stories with your NDIA planner, early childhood partner or local area coordinator, if you have one.

How are parents involved in social stories?

If your child is using social stories, you’re usually directly involved in reading the stories to your child. You might also need to remind your child about the social story during social situations.

You can also learn to create social stories for your child.

How much do social stories cost?

Anyone who’s trained can write social stories, so the cost can be quite low. You can even create your own social stories.

The costs of seeing therapists like speech pathologists to get help with developing social stories might be covered by Medicare. Whether the cost is covered depends on the professional providing the consultation and the number of consultations. Some private health care funds might cover a portion of the consultation fee. This can be claimed immediately if the provider has HICAPS.

You might be able to include the cost of developing social stories with a therapist in your child’s NDIS plan. You can contact the NDIS to find out.

Therapies and supports for autistic children range from behavioural therapies and developmental approaches to medicines and alternative therapies. When you understand the main types of therapies and supports for autistic children, it’ll be easier to work out the approach that will best suit your child.