Using Social Stories to Prepare for New Experiences

Have you ever heard of a social story? This is something we learned about in therapy with our daughter. They are extremely helpful when we are introducing new concepts, new situations, or stuff she's never done before. And while our daughter is autistic, this actually works for pretty much any kid in any situation: kids with anxiety, kids that don't have anxiety, or kids that just need that additional structure knowing what's going to happen when they have a new experience.

Using Social Stories to Prepare for New Experiences | Social Stories

When I write a social story, I am looking at it from the perspective of my daughter, which is different than most of the social stories I've seen online. Others often will focus on the feelings of other people in the story, not the child who needs the social story. I don't see very many neurodivergent affirming social stories, which can be really frustrating honestly, especially because I'm also neurodivergent.

I originally released 14 social stories and I am releasing seven new ones today. In these 21 social stories, I have focused very heavily on the child, what their experience is, and what their emotions may or may not be.

All 21 of these are a digital download. You can keep them digital or print them off and you can laminate them. If you have a laminating machine, you can use self laminating sheets.

My daughter really responds well when I cut them out and I put them into books. She's a reader and she really likes to be able to read them. When I put the new social stories together for her, I actually did it in a way where it'd be easier for her to read.

The seven new ones are staying safe, going to the dentist, fire drill, change, potty training, new baby, and feelings.