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What Do Social Stories For Autistic Adults Look Like?
Depending on whether they’re done properly, a useful tool or condescending rubbish
In the autistic world, the “social story” is a short narrative that aims to prepare kids for a range of commonly encountered situations such as going to the doctor or moving house. The concept was created by former teacher Carol Gray in 1991 and has been evolving since. She considered it to be a way of sharing the missing information that many others take for granted.
For an autistic person, the cognitive and sensory demands of everyday life are cranked up even further in unfamiliar and unpredictable situations where there is so much more for the brain to process.
Social stories can help people cope with changes to their routine and unexpected or distressing events. They can help make the complex concepts clear and concrete and support aspects of executive functioning such as sequencing, planning and organising. They provide structure and reduce anxiety.
According to the National Autistic Society (UK) social stories not only help autistic people understand how others might behave in certain situations, but also help non-autistic people to understand the perspective and experiences of the autistic person.
