Social Stories™ are acknowledged as a very successful way of teaching concepts and social understanding to children with autism spectrum disorders, but considerable skill is needed to write the most effective story. This clear and engaging book introduces ways of thinking about the issues your child finds difficult, and includes 32 stories created by Dr Siobhan Timmins for her son during his early years, with helpful explanations for how she did it, and what the underlying thinking was behind each set of stories.
She explains how the stories build upon each other to help the child to understand further, more complex topics, and how to see the connections so that you can best help your child. From basic skills such as learning to listen, wait and share, to common fears, this book takes the mystery out of creating effective Social Stories™ and amply demonstrates how to put together a cohesive set of stories which your child can understand and relate to.
Contents:
- Introduction.
- 1. Understanding My Child’s Perspective.
- 2. What Does Growing Up Mean?.
- 3. What is Feeling Calm?.
- 4. What Does Calm Down Mean?.
- 5. How to Ask for Chill Out Time.
- 6. I am Learning to Listen.
- 7. I am Learning to Wait Patiently.
- 8. What are Kind Words?.
- 9. What is Taking Turns?.
- 10. I am Learning to Share Toys.
- 11. What is a Conversation?.
- 12. How to Interrupt a Conversation.
- 13. What are Good Manners?.
- 14. What are Table Manners?.
- 15. What Does Excuse Me Mean?.
- 16. Why Do I Write Thank You Letters?.
- 17. I am Learning to Use a Hand Dryer.
- 18. How to Find Another Favourite Food.
- 19. Our Plan to Discover Another Favourite Food.
- 20. What is My Pants Job?,
- 21. Where is the Best Place to Put a Wrapper?.
- 22. What is Poo?.
- 23. I am Learning to Poo in a Toilet.
- 24. What Job Does My Nose Do?.
- 25. How to Stay Safe and Comfy on a Supermarket Trip.
- 26. Learning to Queue at the Checkout.
- 27. Why Do Babies Cry?.
- 28. What to Do When Another Child is Crying.
- 29. How to Stay Safe Around Wasps.
- 30. How Do I Move Safely Near a Wasp?.
- 31. Sharing the Diagnosis with a Social Story – What Are Worries?.
- 32. A Story for Parents at L.A.S.T.. 33. A Story for Siblings.
- References. Bibliography.
Author Bio:
Siobhan Timmins left her work as a paediatrician to help her family navigate the challenges of autism after her middle son was diagnosed aged 2 and she successfully used Social Stories with her son throughout all stages of his development and schooling. Siobhan is now an approved Satellite Trainer in Social Stories™ and offers training in the approach to parents, professionals, and NHS staff. She is also an Associated Specialist at a special school in Essex.