Teaching children how behavior works and applies to real-life situations is a simple way to improve social, communication, and motor skills. Incorporating social stories into their therapy program teaches children with autism about behavior and social situations through a creative and relatable outlet. Of course, it is important to remember that every child is unique, and what works for one might not work for another. Social stories can be great fun to write and are a creative way of learning and growing with your child. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of social stories.
What is a Social Story?
Social stories effectively teach appropriate behaviors to children with autism by using written or visual cues to help them navigate through unfamiliar social situations in different environments. The applications are limitless and can be catered to your child’s needs. Social stories are typically broken down into steps with descriptive words and terms to communicate the social situation best.
Helps Children Gain Social Skills
Social stories are great for helping children develop and maintain social skills. A social story is written to walk through specific troubling scenarios and learn how to resolve them, but it can also teach valuable social lessons. Exposing children to resources helps them improve many things, including:
- Displaying and managing emotions
- Holding conversations with others
- Sharing and taking turns when playing
- Understanding problems and working out different resolutions to solve them.
Gains Coping Resources
One of the most important reasons to teach social stories to kids with autism is to give them the tools to solve problems in real-life situations. A social story takes familiar events and puts them in a scene to make them highly relatable. And when it’s time to find a solution to an unfamiliar situation, the social story teaches children how to work through the problem. It teaches them what to do and what not to do when faced with unfamiliar situations.
Teaches Self-Care
Children on the autism spectrum may struggle with expressing their needs, making it more difficult to care for themselves. In the same way that social stories can help your child develop social awareness and an understanding of their emotions, they can remind them to process their feelings and make it easier to care for themselves.
Encourages Imaginative Play
Stories are great tools for showing children how to use their imagination. Picture books can make it easier for children to picture scenarios as they listen to the story. Using their imagination when reading social stories is a great way to emphasize creativity and work through resolutions that impact their confidence and ability to navigate social situations.
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (301) 577-4333. Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.