For successful use, teachers will often play a key role in the social stories kids choose to interpret and create. Kids can improve their ability to learn from the stories by becoming more familiar and comfortable with the app.
The first step in helping kids get set up is to assist them in developing a library of pertinent photos and images. As necessary (or appropriate), work with students to develop stories that are relevant and meaningful to their social learning. As kids progress, guide them towards more independence, both within the app and in the real-world social situations they're likely to encounter.
Continue readingSocial Stories is a basic tool for creating and sharing multiple-page social stories. Each page can contain an image, text, and audio clip. Audio clips are recorded directly through the device; images can be one of 11 included samples, taken directly using the device's camera, or anything imported from the device library. The app doesn't have any instructions, but the interface is mostly easy to use.
Social Stories serves as a quick and simple way for kids to create social narratives that they might encounter in real life; it's intended for kids on the autism spectrum, or for any others who might benefit from a structured, predictable, story-based behavior reinforcement. The app is authored by Carol Gray, the Director of The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding and a recognized expert in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Social Stories is a basic tool that fulfills an important need for kids on the autism spectrum. While the platform for creating and telling social stories is relatively basic, the stories themselves -- and their relation to kids' lives -- are where the app's learning potential really lies. The value kids get out of it will depend heavily on what teachers put into it. Used strategically, Social Stories can be a great tool for helping kids understand and appropriately handle different social situations.