Social Stories are a helpful way
to create understanding for
the student with autism
The stories are written in the first person so the autistic person personalizes the information.
There are 4 types of sentences used in social stories:
1) descriptive
2) directive
3) perspective
4) control
Descriptive sentences describe what
people do in particular social situations.
They are used to describe a social setting,
step-by-step directions for completing
an activity, etc.
Directive sentences direct a person to an
appropriate desired response. They state, in
positive terms, what the desired behavior is.
Given the nature of the directive sentence,
care needs to be taken to use them correctly
and not to limit the individual's choice.
The greater the number of descriptive statements,
the more opportunity for the individual to supply
his/her own responses to the social situation.
The greater the number of directive statements,
the more specific the cues for how the
individual should respond.
Examples of each type of sentence are presented below.
Descriptive Sentence
The bell rings for the children to come in from recess. The children go to their classroom where the teacher reads a story.
Directive Sentence
I am playing during recess. The bell rings for me to come in. I stop playing and line up to come in. I follow the other children and quietly go to the classroom. When we get to the classroom, I go to my desk and sit down. I listen as my teacher reads a story.
Perspective Sentence
When the bell rings for recess to end, the teacher is happy to see all the children line up quietly and walk to their classroom. Many children are excited that they get to hear a story. The teacher likes to see the children listen. The teacher likes it when children are quiet during the story.
Control Sentence
I remember that the bell means it's time for recess to end by thinking of a teapot. I know that when it whistles, the water is done. The bell is like the whistle; when it rings, recess is done.
Sample Social Stories
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