What are Social Stories

Social stories are written by parents or professionals to describe social situations that are difficult and/or confusing for an individual with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. They assist an individual with identifying relevant social cues, understanding, and responding appropriately to specific social situations. When writing a social story, the person’s interests, learning styles, and abilities should be considered.

Carol Gray has developed a formula for writing effective social stories. She has identified three types of sentences contained in a basic social story.

Descriptive sentences define where a situation occurs, who is involved, what they are doing and why.

Perspective sentences describe the reactions and feelings of others in a given situation.

Directive sentences are positively stated, individualized statements describing desired responses. They often begin with “I can try…,” “I will try…,” or “I will work on….” Directive sentences that are inflexible or that require absolute compliance should be avoided.

Her formula for an effective social story is two to five descriptive and/or perspective sentences for every directive sentence.

Social stories are usually written in the first person and the present tense as though the person is describing the situation as it occurs. It can be written in the future tense to describe an upcoming event or situation. Words like “always” and “never” are avoided since they may lead to inaccurate information. The desired responses must be stated very carefully and specifically. Ambiguous or abstract terms must be functionally defined.

For example, instead of “I will talk quietly,” write “I will talk quietly. I will talk so that only the person sitting next to me can hear what I say.”

Additionally, it is important to write in reality and mention variations that may occur in the routine. Illustrations accompanying the story can also aid the person’s comprehension. However, illustrations may define a situation too narrowly or be distracting.

There are four steps to writing a social story:

1) Target a situation — identify and describe the situation

2) Gather information

3) Share observations

4) Support new responses and/or revise the story based on the person’s responses



While social stories are a generic strategy, following Carol Gray’s guidelines can increase the quality and effectiveness of the story.

Example of a Social Story

My name is Joe.

Mrs.Smith is one of my teachers.

Sometimes Mrs.Smith asks me a question.

Sometimes she asks a question to the whole class.

I will know she wants me to answer her question out loud when she first says my name and then asks the question.

If she does not say my name, I need to raise my hand and wait for Mrs.Smith to ask for my answer.

I will try to raise my hand to give answers in class.

Comic Strip Conversations

Developed by Carol Gray, a Comic Strip Conversation is a conversation between two or more people that incorporates the use of simple drawings. They provide a visual representation of a conversation in order to enhance the person’s understanding and comprehension. While the conversation takes place or a situation is recounted, illustration is added. The illustration can include symbols, drawings and written words. The joint attention of the individuals involved with the conversation is focused on the drawing surface. While this strategy is helpful in sharing information with the person with autism, it is also helpful in obtaining their perspective, and assisting them in communicating their own feelings and ideas.

A specific structure is followed to organize a social exchange, and build in predictability. Comic Strip Conversations are not intended to be used for every conversation. They are most helpful when there is a need to convey important information, when there is a misunderstanding, or to solve a problem. A Comic Strip Conversation may also be used to teach a social skill. The illustrations usually consist of stick figures and bubbles where the figures words and thoughts are written. When a person gains experience with using Comic Strip Conversations, colors can be associated to express feelings such as green for happy, blue for sad, or black for anger.

The conversation usually begins with small talk, just as any conversation usually does. The person with autism takes the lead in a Comic Strip Conversation, and the parent, professional, or peer serves as a guide to the conversation. The interaction is illustrated as it progresses. The conversation then moves from small talk to talking about the situation. Information such as where and when the situation takes place, and who is there, what is done and said is covered. Next, Comic Strip Conversations focus on what people in the situation may be thinking. Often the person with autism may have difficulty interpreting what someone else may be thinking, or they may interpret something that was said literally. This presents an opportunity to assist them in understanding the situation, or another person’s perspective. Finally, the conversation is summarized, and, if necessary, concluded with the identification of new solutions.

Example of a Comic Strip Conversation

Adapted from: Social Stories Gray, C. (1995). Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations: Unique Methods to Improve Social Understanding. Arlington,TX: Future Horizons, Inc. Fulle rton, A., Stratton, J., Coyne, P., & Gray, C. (1996). Higher Functioning Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed, Inc. Quill, K. (1995). Teaching Children with Autism: Strategies to Enhance Communication and Socialization New York: Delmar Publishers, Inc.
Autism and Related Disorders Program
Center for Disabilities
Department of Pediatrics
The University of South Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences