Social story help

[SqueakyCat]

I've been suggested to write a social story for DS1 (3yrs) about circle time at pre-school.

Can anyone point me to a website / other resource to help me structure it correctly?

Any tips or suggestions on format? Should I turn it into a book? Include photos / pictures?

Not something I've ever done or seen.

Thanks in advance

My sister is a KS1 teacher, and she alwys uses a "fiddle" toy, with all of hrclass.

She says that by giving them something to focus on, then they are more inclined to sit and listen.

that's a great social story mrsf- you're a natural I agree with you about starting small and building up- that's basically what they did with ds1. He can now manage an HOUR in assembly (this time last year- he was just changing schools- he hadn't managed 1 minute)

Great advice Mrs F

During long assemblies my ds is allowed to fiddle with blue tac, not ideal for a 3 year old though, but at that age he was allowed to hold a toy car. He also has a small mat or a special chair, he then has his own individual space that others can't invade, nor can he impose on others. If he's managed to behave through his ordeal during an assembly, ie no shouting, distracting others, or attempting to walk off, he's then permitted to play with glitter sand for 10 mins as a reward to encourage this good behaviour.

Great message Mrs F. I also agree totally about the timescales too. Unfortunately, too many nursery and reception children are expected to sit still for far too long.

Good idea to agree a shortened timescale with the nursery so that they have the opportunity to praise much more quickly.

thanks all!!!

i worry when i post advice as i have no confidence that what works for me and my bunch will be of any use!!!

basically...i realised along time ago that i have (for as long as i remember) used social stories...my own...in my head....from as far back as i can remember...

my thoughts are often "when i go here....i have to take this...that means i can do that....which MEANS I FIT IN TO THE REAL WORLD.....which makes life easier for ME"

if that makes sense!!!

s;ightly off track...but relevant to the ASD 'way of thinking' i think.... yesterday i was TRYING to follow a programme on radio 4 ...2 men talking...both with similar voices....and i got so confused...so angry that i could not distinguish the different voices. I ended up missing the content of the programme....as i had to concentrate so hard to separate their voices.

basically...i am not diagnosed...but at times like that i feel i should have been years ago. I am also GRATEFUL that I can explain how i feel...how confused i get....and in many cases as i am so accepting of what i am like...i genuinely laugh inwardly.....but more from relief...as i truley believe now that the insight i have for all that affects my sons...i from my own experience...and the advantage i have over them is that i am 38...and have learnt what they are struggling to understand.

So when i was listening to that programme...i ended up (speaking OUT loud...as that helps)....along the lines of..."well this is no Bl*dy good...i can't follow a Bl*dy word....so I'm switching the radio off"...which i did...and then felt very satisfied that i had identified and dealt with the TRIGGER to my anxiety...and had not lost my temper or had a panic attack.

I then thought of my 12 yr old---unstate,emted...MS school...miserable....and how he gets just as confused with all the 'smalltalk' around him...as he's often said 'everyone sounds the same'....

so with this 'small' experience on radio 4 i get a HUGE learning experience.... which i now have to work on to help Tom at school! (cos he can't just Switch it all off as i was able to!!!)
(also i cannot follow 3 way conversations...and anyone who can do 'conferance' phone calls i surely admire...as i cannot even tell when it is my turn to speak on a simple 2 person call!!!! (let alone a 3rd person chirping in!!!)

Wow Mrs F have copied and pasted your example of a social story, it's a great example.

My DH has some AS traits, more so as a child but I think it helps him relate to our son in a way I can't. It also causes tension as he can be quite rigid with him too! What has been beneficial for me is talking to my H about his experiences particularly as a child and the confusion he felt in various situations, helps me understand our son better. Things too like DH explaining how eye contact can sometimes make him feel uncomfortable. I'd been trying to make my son give beter eye contact but have realised that in doing so may well actually be making him feel anxious so we are now encouraging him to look at the person's head not eyes if he can as he seems to feel more comfortable doing that. My H often fiddles or messes about with something or other when I talk to him (really irritates me!), guess it's a form of stimming, but he says it helps him relax or focus. Again natural tendency in me was to try to reduce my son's stimming but can see better now how stimming may well be serving a purpose

Bought DS a tangle toy off Ebay at Christmas, it's a great fiddle toy. Trying to get a cheap digital timer or stopwatch too to keep in my bag. DS loves numbers, loves watching the clock change on teletext (!!) or the digital display on the CD player, seems to find it calming so thought having something similar to give him to look at when he gets antsy or wriggly when out would be good.

Lx

try this site[sorry i`m not brill at links still]
www.frsd.k12.nj.us/autistic/social%20stories/social_stories.htm

Thanks all - especially your version Mrs F. I want to persevere with social stories, as I susepct they'll work well with DS1. He does a bit better with conforming when he realises what he's supposed to be doing (just because all the other kids sit nicely at circle time doesn't mean he even realises he's supposed to). Interesting idea about putitng it on velcro MrsF - I was thinking of binding it, but if it's velcroed it becomes more of an interactive tool and easier for me to check he's taken it in at all, also easier to adapt to dealing with imperfect situations.