Carol Gray’s New Social Story Book

Healing Thresholds Autism eBrief: Volume: 4, Issue: 15 April 13, 2010 explained:
 Social Stories are teaching tools to develop social skills and to prepare the child who finds various new settings difficult or confusing. A social story is a simple description of an everyday social situation, written from a child's perspective. Social stories may help a child prepare for upcoming changes in routine, de-mystify social interactions, and relate academic skills to real-life experience.

Available now is a  New Social Story Book, Updated 10th Anniversary Edition Feb 2010. It is a great new full-color resource by Carol Gray, for only $34.95.

Gray’s new book includes 150 favourite Social Stories(TM), a CD to enable you to revise and print the Stories for your audience and additional information about writing your own Social Stories(TM)!

Gray’s best-selling book offers the ready-to-use stories that parents and educators have depended on for years, but now features over 25 additional Social Stories.

Gray’s strategically written stories explain social situations in a way children with autism understand, while teaching the social skills children need to be successful at home, at school, and in the community.

Carol Gray, an internationally-recognized author and presenter, first defined Social Stories™ in 1991. That year, Carol developed Social Stories™ and Comic Strip Conversations strategies that are used worldwide with children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).


Now Carol Gray is the Director of The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding in Grand Rapids, Michigan.


Carol Gray has completed over 22 years of employment with Jenison Public Schools in Jenison, Michigan, initially as a teacher with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and in recent years as a consultant to students with ASD in inclusive educational programs


We have a Nova Scotia Social Stories expert.  Jean Nicol, before retirement was an Early Interventionist at Pictou County Early Intervention and Autism Consultant in Pictou County at Chignecto Central Regional School B. Jean Nicol has invented and is marketing The Eating Game which will be the topic of our next post. But for today, this is what Jean Nicol wrote as a comment on our post about Social Stories . We are very grateful to Jean Nicol for taking the time to share her knowledge:


"I have written hundreds of social stories for kids with ASD, SPD, Down Syndrome, ADHD/ADD, Behaviour Disorders, Communication Disorders. I have used them for teaching new social skills, for clarifying expectations in troublesome social situations, for transitioning ~ especially when a change to a routine is imminent and would otherwise be an unprepared for surprise!


I can't remember any that weren't helpful and/or very successful. I have incorporated graphics, photos, maps, real objects, cassette tapes, video, recordable photo albums, large books, small books and even business cards for teens. The possibilities are endless.


The power is that the message is very personal, meaningful and can be delivered by various school staff, parents, siblings, caregivers and therapists all working together, all delivering exactly the same message every time. Kids who read them themselves receive the same message every time. I don't know of another way to accomplish all of this."


In this Blog at  http://kidcompanions.blogspot.com/2010/03/mar-23-sensory-tip.html , I explained and gave an example of a Social Story.


Are Social Stories helping your child?