More Research on Social Stories

Here at Applied Behavioral Strategies, our mission is to improve the quality of life through effective intervention. One way we hope to do that is by reviewing research articles for our readers. Today’s article is titled “Brief Report: Increasing Verbal Greeting Initiations for a Student with Autism Via a Social StoryTM Intervention”. Brian Reichow and Edward Sabornie authored the article and The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders published the article.

Study Purpose

It is a known fact that children with autism spectrum disorders have social deficits. One intervention that has been used is Social Stories. While social stories are widely used, the research on the effectiveness has been limited. Thus, the authors set out to determine if a Social Story could be used to increase appropriate verbal greeting initiations.

Study Methods

The authors enrolled an 11-year-old male with autism in the study. “George” as he was called, had an average IQ and he had above average grades on his report card. While he attended a social skills group at school, his social skills did not seem to be improving.

The authors developed a story according the guidelines recommended by Carol Gray. We discussed some of the differences between Social Stories TM and social stories or social narratives earlier this week.

The authors used a withdrawal design to demonstrate experimental control. Basically, in this design, an intervention is implemented. If the intervention is effected, it is removed to determine if the behavior would return to pre-treatment levels.

The authors merely counted the number (or frequency) of verbal greeting initiations. Waves and gestures did not count, only verbal greetings (e.g., hi, hello, good morning).

In baseline, George reported to his home room, picked up his schedule, and went about his day.

During intervention, George picked up his schedule (which included “read your Social Story”) and then read his social story before heading out to classes. The authors faded the social story and moved to a simple “cue card”.

Results

During baseline, George had zero verbal initiations. During intervention, George had an immediate increase in verbal greeting initiations. Specifically, he initiated greetings between 2 and 6 times a day; including greetings to peers! However, when the intervention was “withdrawn”, George stopped initiating greetings. When the intervention was reinstated, his initiations increased again to 2 to 4 initiations per day; including initiations to peers. When the social story was faded and the cue card was taught, the verbal initiations continued.

Conclusions

As we have discussed, this intervention is effective. Also as we have discussed, all interventions should be developed on an individualized basis. This is not a one size fits all approach. This individualization means that teachers, behavior analysts, and other practitioners will need to spend time developing the materials that will be used to teach the skill(s).

 

 

 

 

 

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Social Stories and Visual Supports

Hi and welcome to Ask Missy Mondays where I respond to a question from readers. Today’s post is in response to multiple requests and questions about social stories and visual supports. Common questions include:

1. I thought the story had to be written in first person? (e.g., “I like” versus “Charlie likes”)
2. I thought the story had to be just like Dr. Gray says (A specifically defined style and format: sharing accurate social information and affirming something positive about the child)
3. Is there any research to support social stories or visual supports?
4. We do ABA.  Social stories aren’t behavioral.
5. My child cannot read so why should we have a story?

Overview

Social stories and visual supports serve a specific purpose of providing visual information to individuals so that they can be successful in difficult situations. Some examples of difficult situations include:

• Non-preferred but required activities (e.g., shopping, haircuts, blood draws)
• Changes to routine (schedule is disrupted, substitute teacher, different bus route, school cancellations)
• Novel situations (first time to hospital, first time on an airplane, first time to a play or show, storms)
• Special but routine situations (dr. appointments, dentist appointments, hair cuts)

 

Individualized

Social stories and visual supports should be individualized to the user. While it may  not be convenient for a teacher to create 12-15 stories/visual supports, what works for one person may not be appropriate for another. When developing stories and visual supports keep the following considerations in mind:

• age of the individual (resources must be age appropriate for the user)
• reading ability (adjust the text of the visual depending on the reading level)
• visual acuity (content should be selected based on the individual’s vision and ability, 3D versus 2D, color versus black and white)
• attention span (the length and detail of the story or visual support)

Content

While Dr. Gray has created a trademark, there are many options beyond what she describes. Because social stories and visual supports should be individualized, the content should be determined based on the individual’s needs. For example, a mom here in CT created a social story for her child regarding Hurricane Sandy. The story included information about the storm, how it would affect trees and power, and how power could be restored. The story was developed for her son because the issue of losing power is important for him. He becomes upset if he cannot turn on lights or play on computers. However, another child may be scared of the wind or scared of the heavy rain. That child would need a story that focuses on the wind and the rain and how to make the noise go away. And then another child may not fully understand why she cannot go to school. Because she cannot read, her story may show a picture of wind and rain and a picture saying “no school”. The story would end with a picture of the little girl at home working with her ABA therapist.

Research

We have written about visual supports before: here, here, and here. We recommend only evidence-based strategies for our readers. So obviously there is ample research to support social stories and visual supports. A research group has developed a list of evidence-based practices for individuals with autism. Social narratives and visual supports are both on the list. For additional information on those practices and to read the research visit here.

ABA and Social Stories and Visual Supports

ABA, applied behavioral analysis, is simply the application of behavioral principles, to everyday situations, that will, over time, increase or decrease targeted behaviors. For additional information on ABA, visit our website. Thus, the use of visual supports and social stories does not preclude someone from doing ABA. Similarly, implementing ABA does not preclude someone from using visual supports and social stories.

I hope this helps to answer the many questions about social stories and visual supports. If you have a behavioral question for me email me directly at askmissy at applied behavioral strategies dot com. Thanks!

 

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