Social Stories - not just for toilet training!

Imagine your child is frustrated because understanding social cues and solving social situations is a difficult task for him/her.

Imagine your child feels as if the social world is chaotic. And it's like everyone but him knows what's expected from them, how should they behave in different situations, and what to say (and what NOT to say), they can express their feelings in words and so forth.

let's say your kid is participating in a ceramic group activity at the community center. He is working with a cutting pulley that serves the whole group. He finishes his turn with the pulley and sets it aside. At a certain point, one of the other kids reaches out to take the tool. your kid's reaction to the other kid is anger: "why did you take my cutting pulley?? that's mine!" the other kid insists that the tool belongs to everyone. your kid becomes so frustrated he can't explain or negotiate with the other kid so he walks out of the room and won't return to the rest of the class.

So what happened here? it might be that sharing an object with a friend is a difficult task for your kid. Or, maybe, he misheard the guide's instructions. Or, there is another reason for his reaction. Bottom line - your kid was overloaded emotionally, hence, couldn't handle the situation appropriately.

Children with Autism often deal with everyday social & behavioral challenges such as: approaching a friend, solving conflicts with a friend, expressing their will, inviting a friend to a playdate, going to the toilet, acting in diverse situations such as crossing roads, or going to the mall, approaching strangers on the street, etc. In order to solve these challenges children with autism need to be explicitly taught how to act in each separate situation as it occurs.

Now, imagine you had the superpower to assist your kid and teach him every social norm, and every proper social behavior, which turns your child to be more self-regulated, less frustrated, and more capable of expressing himself in times of anger and frustration. wouldn't we all want that for our kids?

Well, there is such a tool!

Social Stories can simplify social situations, explain social norms, and teach alternative & proper behavior.

These are image & text presentations that are an integral part of everyday assistance for children with ASD. The story has been proven to allow better social integration in the community when integrated into a holistic intervention program. When a social story is done correctly and on time, in close proximity to the social situation, the impact is evident, as studies and evidence-based practice show.

Social Stories decrease the chaotic feeling so many children are experiencing on a daily basis by simply explaining in written and illustrated language 'what is happening to me?', 'why?', and 'how should I react next time it happens?'.

Think about a social story for the cutting pulley situation. Your kid arrives home, tells you what happened, or the guide calls you over the phone to tell you what happened in class. you might feel agony for not being able to be there with your child and mediate the situation, act FOR him. but, that's not very helpful. you can't be there for him every time. you want him to acquire the right social and verbal skills to defend himself, negotiate what's important to him, and so forth. So instead, supporting your child for future events is what you can do. when your child calms down, invite him to open the SymbolStory app together, look up the precise story, and offer to read it together, or listen to the app reading the story for you!

With SymbolStory you, as parents, can autonomously approach the unique situation of your child and offer him the right story for him.