Social Narratives

I have just competed the Social Narratives Module from autisminternetmodules.org. Such a great learning tool! I wanted to share a bit of what I learned but I STRONGLY recommend you check out the modules yourself.

A daily challenge for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may be difficulty with social interactions. Social narratives are designed by parents and educators to help enhance social functioning for individuals with ASD.  Social narratives are visually represented stories that describe social situations and socially appropriate responses or behaviors to help individuals with ASD acquire and use appropriate social skills.

Image Source: speechbuddy.com

Social skills include communication, problem-solving, decision-making, self-management, and peer relations abilities.

When can social narratives be used?
-after a social "error" has occurred (making a rude comment to a peer, hitting, scratching)
-before a new experience or transition (going to get a hair cut, changing schools, meeting a new teacher)
-as an intervention to reduce an already reoccurring behaviour (interrupting classmates, shouting out in class, picking nose)

The module lists specific steps which must be taken to ensure a social narrative is effective.  A neat way to create a social narrative is using PowerPoint and depending on the individuals needs you can add speech so that along with reasing the story, the individual can hear the story.

As part of my placement at REACH, my supervisor said we will will be creating some social stories for a few clients. Looking forward to learning more about social stories and creating some of my own!