The Social Story: Carol Gray’s Teaching Tool for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Unlike when I was a child, social skills training for children with Autism now abound. New techniques are being developed and old ones revamped. Techniques cover every approach from straight forward therapy to drama therapy and sports therapy.
In my research, I’ve noted that some highly experienced therapists and educators develop and hone their own training strategies over the course of their career. Carol Gray is one such educator.
Based in Chicago, Gray has 22 years of experience working with children with ASD. She found that what she refers to as ‘social stories’ are great tools for teaching children. Stories tend to hold the child’s interest, especially if the child can easily relate to them.
According to Gray, each social story is crafted to suit one individual situation. To develop an appropriate and effective social story requires research into the social situation creating issues for the child.
And in my research, I have found that not all videos on You Tube describing themselves as social stories come even close to fitting the guide designed by Carol Gray. I think it would be best to view the videos yourself first, and then decide if they would be truly helpful for your child or not!
Margaret Jean