SOCIAL STORIESTM ANNE SOLOMON

VISUAL INSTRUCTIONAL MANUALA GUIDE FOR TEACHERS AND PARENTS

SOCIAL STORIESTM

VISUAL INSTRUCTIONAL MANUALA GUIDE FOR TEACHERS AND PARENTS

ANNE SOLOMON

“Even the least teachable learn, so teach anyway” - Anonymous

It has always been one of the biggest challenges for teachers and parents of children with Autism to teach them the proper social skills they need to learn in order to act appropriately during some situations. Visual Social Stories have been one of the most effective methods to teach these kids social and communication skills.

Although there are high-functioning (those with Asperger’s Syndrome) and moderately Autistic kids, a lot do not have a good grasp on language. These kids still face a lot of stressful situations wherein they do not know how to act appropriately due to their lack of social skills. Social Stories are used in situations like this to teach these kids instructions on how to behave and react properly.

SOCIAL STORIESTM

In 1991, Carol Gray created “Social Stories”,a type of visual aid especially designed for kids with Autism in order to teach them proper social skills. Social Stories make use of stories to explain situations to kids with Autism. It helps them learn appropriate responses and behavior when certain events occur.

CONTENT

EQUIPMENT

PART 1: HOW TO DRAW

PART 2: making a list

PART 3: creating social stories

movements

hands

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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28

32

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EQUIPMENT

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RULER

PAPER

ERASER

PENCIL

*FINE TIP MARKER

*COLOREDPENS

*OPTIONAL

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!

PART 1HOW TO DRAW

DrawingYes

In the near future

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HOW TO DRAWAN UPGRADE FROM STICK FIGURES

THE BASIC FIGUREFACE GUIDE

JOINTS(for bending)

CREATE A FULLER FIGURE(trace dotted line)

The basic figure consists of circles, oblongs, lines and some triangles. To achieve a fuller figure, let the dotted lines be your guide.

THE GUY the gal

the kid

the hulk

CURVESLEGS

CLOSER TOGETHER

You can basically create any type of figure using the basic shapes. Just fiddle with the circles, oblongs and lines. Create a fuller figure and viola! You’ve created The Hulk, puny human.

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the kid

ERASE

CONNECT

Build the figure by erasing the unecessary lines and shapes and connecting the lines together. After the figure has been fully drawn, try drawing on some clothes and some hair.

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MOVEMENT

THE BASIC FIGURE

(make him do whatever you want)

Connect circles to create movement

JOINTS(allow bending)

CIRCLES ARE YOUR BESTFRIEND

Create a fuller figure by following the

direction of the linePlace the circles where you want the movement to go

It’s easy to create the moving figure you want once you know how it looks like. Place the circles in the direction of each movement, and connect the lines to create the movement. Fine, we’ll give you a few more examples.

SIDE VIEWTilt horizontal lines to

create side view effect

Don’t forget to outline to create a

fuller figure

Replace the triangles with rectangles

walking

jogging

running for your life

The side view can help you create movements from walking, jogging, to running for your life. It’s just a matter of moving the circles in the direction of the movement and then connecting the circles together to create the action.

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THE BASIC FIGUREhand

sausages

Create a U shape between the thumb and pointer figure

Trace the basic figure to get the shape of the hand

rectangle

circle

Using basic shapes like the circle, the square and a few sausages, you can create a hand. Just note that the thumb looks a bit

different, like a slightly distorted sausage.

HANDS

THE BASIC FIGUREhand

the “you’re holding

something”

the peace sign

Trace the shape but make a U shape between the thumb and pointer finger

Connect the thumb and the pointer finger to create the impression of holding something

Use the basic shapes to form the hand gesture

you want to portray

Connect the thumb to wrist and create a thumb shape

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!

PART 2MAKING A LIST

Making a List

Do

Don’t

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3) CLIMBING UP THE STAIRS

MAKING A LISTLISTING DESIRED SOCIAL SKILLS

THE LISTArrange according to the priority of the task or behavior

List only a maximum of 5 behaviors or tasks

THE PENCIL

1) BRUSHING TEETH2) wASHING HANDS

4) USING SPOON5) PUTTING ON SLIPPERS

It’s important to keep the list concise. List only a maximum of 5 tasks or behaviors. Also, the list should be arranged according to the priority of the task or behavior. It depends on the child and which behavior or task should be taught first.

!WARNING:

The next part will require your full attention. Do not proceed if

you’re distracted.

the more detailed list(now let’s get serious)

1) get the toothpaste with left hand2) lift the toothpaste lid3) open the faucet with right hand4) get your toothbrush with right hand5) wet the bristles of the toothbrush6) squeeze the tube of the toothpaste until around an inch of toothpaste comes out7) put the toothpaste on toothbrush8) put down the toothpaste on the countertop9) bring the toothbrush with toothpaste towards mouth10) begin brushing teeth

brushing teeth

and Once y

ou’re all do

ne, it’s

time to draw the st

eps!

Get the first task on the list and break it down into very specific steps. This is called a Task Analysis

basically it’s breaking down everything into very very SPECIFIC steps

A Task Analysis is an analysis of how the task should be done. It includes a

detailed description of each step.

WHAT IS A TASK ANALYSIS

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the more detailed list(now let’s get serious)

1) get the toothpaste with left hand2) lift the toothpaste lid3) open the faucet with right hand4) get your toothbrush with right hand5) wet the bristles of the toothbrush6) squeeze the tube of the toothpaste until around an inch of toothpaste comes out7) put the toothpaste on toothbrush8) put down the toothpaste on the countertop9) bring the toothbrush with toothpaste towards mouth10) begin brushing teeth

Take note that these certain aspects of the instructions depends on the child

The steps need to be really concise and specific. Take this for example, it emphasizes to squeeze the

toothpaste tube just enough to get around an inch of toothpaste. This is because sometimes, kids are

unaware of the amount they can use

For the “Begin Brushing Teeth”, create another task analysis to identify the steps necessary.

Although we’ve illustrated the next part, these steps only serve as guides

FROM steps

1) get the toothpaste with left hand

2) lift the toothpaste lid

3) open the faucet with right hand

4) get your toothbrush with right hand

5) wet the bristles of the toothbrush

6) squeeze the tube of the toothpaste until around an inch

of toothpaste comes out

7) put the toothpaste on toothbrush

8) put down the toothpaste on the countertop

9) bring the toothbrush with toothpastE towards mouth

10) begin brushing teeth

brushing teethCreate stories from the

steps enumerated

Before we can illustrate these steps, it is important to translate them into stories first so that the child may have a better grasp at what’s happening in each panel.

For each step created, there should be a

corresponding story

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TO STORIES

brushing teeth

1) “i will get the toothpaste with my left hand”

2) “i will lift the toothpaste lid”

3) “i will open the faucet with my right hand”

4) “i will get my toothbrush with my right hand”

5) “i will place my toothbrush under the faucet and wet the bristles of

the toothbrush”

6) “i will squeeze the tube of the toothpaste until JUST ENOUGH

toothpaste comes out”

7) “i will put the toothpaste on the toothbrush”

8) “i will put the toothpaste down on the countertop”

9) “i will bring the toothbrush with the toothpaste towards my mouth”

10) “i will start brushing my teeth”

Remember to use first person point-of-view when creating the stories

It is very important that the child see the story from his or her point of view

These stories need not be complex. But keep in mind that it should be written from the point of view of the child.

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!

PART 3CREATING SOCIAL STORIES

Social Stories

Correct

Incorrect

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CREATING SOCIAL STORIESTIME TO PUT EVERYTHING YOU LEARNED TO GOOD USE

MATERIALS

NEEDED

Now let’s get down to business. But before we do that, first things first - first, things first. Here are all the materials we need. Just your basic paper, eraser, pencil and ruler. You may use the other optional materials later on, but for now these will do.

RULERPAPER

PENCIL

ERASER

first, things first

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45

67

89

10

11

11

2

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WHAT YOU NEED FOR BRUSHING TEETH

TOOTHPASTE

PLASTIC CUPTOOTHBRUSH

TOWEL

Before we can start drawing the steps, first let’s draw and identify what the materials are needed for the task. But make sure to list only 3 to 5 materials so the child doesn’t get too confused on what to use.

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the basic templateDivide the paper in half

first both vertically

Create 4 panels using your pencil and ruler

Make sure the sizes of the rectangles are equal

...And horizontally

IF YOU WANT THICKER BORDERSMake sure to only put 4 panels per page. Too many panels may confuse the child.

THE FIRST PANEL

“get toothpaste with left hand”

Notice how the drawing is zoomed. Only include the part that is needed in the step. The whole picture is not necessary

and may only distract the child

Black & White is necessary for the drawings but you can use minimal color for emphasis on things

It’s important to keep the illustrations in black and white. But this also still depends on the child. Remember though, if you’re using color, make sure it’s minimal - do not over do it. Too much color can distract and confuse the child. Also, don’t forget to include the story at the bottom.

I will get the toothpaste with my left hand

Place the story at the bottom of the panel below the illustration

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I will lift the toothpaste lid

I will open the faucet with my right hand

I will get my toothbrush with my right hand

I will place my toothbrush under the faucet and wet the bristles of the toothbrush

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I will squeeze the tube of toothpaste until just enough toothpaste comes out

I will put the toothpaste on the toothbrush

I will put the toothpaste down on the countertop

I will bring the toothbrush with the toothpaste towards my mouth

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I will let teacher help me brush my teeth properly

I will spit out the toothpaste in the sink

I will wash off the toothpaste on my toothbrush

I will put the toothbrush down the countertop

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I will fill up my cup with water

I will get my cup with my right hand

I will take a sip of water, but I will not swallow it

I will rinse my mouth

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I will spit out the water in the sink

I will get my towel

I will wipe my mouth with my towel

Teacher is happy when I have clean teeth!

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And Finally... viola!

The final output should look something like this, minus the big circular numbers.

Maximum of 4 panels per page, and the story is arranged from left to right.

And there you go... now that you know how to do it, it’s time to create your own social stories! Just remember to keep it plain and simple, it doesn’t need to be too detailed. And just keep in mind that the more specific the steps are the better. O.K., now... go forth and create!

I will get the toothpaste with my left hand I will lift the toothpaste lid

I will open the faucet with my right hand I will get my toothbrush with my right hand

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would first like to thank Ma’am Menchit Borbon for all her help. Without her, this endeavor would not be possible. Also to Dr. Hospy Sy who’s insights helped a lot in the creation and improvement of this manual.

Second I would like to thank everyone who contributed in this project in their own particular way. To Alex, for his criticisms and suggestions, to Ms. Beth Udquin who let me be “Teacher Anne” for a day, to Sir Aman for the undying support and advice, and of course to my friends and family for the never failing faith and love.