Social Stories from the Perspective of an Elementary School Teacher (part one)
Introduction
Social stories are narratives that demonstrate real-life scenarios and problems. They also illustrate ways kids can deal with those situations. Social stories are especially useful to help kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) understand social expectations and ways to communicate with others in a socially acceptable manner. By previewing and reviewing we can reduce student stress and develop real life skills needed to improve outcomes. Social stories help teach students social life skills and promote independence.
Social stories are narratives that demonstrate real-life scenarios and problems. They also illustrate ways kids can deal with those situations. Social stories are especially useful to help kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) understand social expectations and ways to communicate with others in a socially acceptable manner. By previewing and reviewing we can reduce student stress and develop real life skills needed to improve outcomes. Social stories help teach students social life skills and promote independence.
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I use Speech Kingdom's social stories with students on the autism spectrum, those with social issues, behavior issues, developmental delays, traumatic brain injury, and with other comprehension challenges. They help me "front load" a student before a new experience, or allow a student to revisit a situation that had an undesirable outcome. Social stories teach skills that are requrired for successful future experiences.
Speech Kingdom’s social stories are a part of some students' everyday routines. Routines provide children security, stability, and predictability. Routines are even more important for children with special needs. For these children, routines are an important tool that helps reduce stress and anxiety.
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Speech Kingdom social stories offer strategies that I may not have previously tried. Often, teachers have attempted multiple strategies, or simply have not been provided with the necessary tools to be successful with our special needs students. Speech Kingdom is the missing piece that fills this gap.
I have provided a breakdown of some of Speech Kingdom's social stories below. I explain the difference between Speech Kingdom social stories and other social stories. These descriptions are intended to help the reader to better understand the components so that the app can be used to its full potential. At the end of the descriptions, I provide an example of a step-by-step process that will guide you through aspects of some of their social stories.
Overview and Background
Before you Begin
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There is no formula that is the "one way" to utilize social stories. They have been used in a variety of ways but most effectively when adapted for individual students. This should continue to be the case. I have tried to provide a helpful starting point for those who have not yet used Speech Kingdom's social stories. If you have not yet taken the tour of Speech Kingdom I suggest you do so now. When you have finished, close the browser tab to return to this page. To begin your tour, first click here, then click the Interactive Tour link in the upper left corner of your screen.
The time it takes to complete a Speech Kingdom social story varies greatly, depending on your student's needs. As my students and I become more familiar with the Speech Kingdom program, and the stories I have used (so far), our screen time decreases. As my students begin to internalize the skills, the need to return to specific stories decreases and I can keep moving on to new topics. I use social stories as an important tool as I continuously work toward my students' success.
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Choosing a Level
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Every social story has three levels, beginner, intermediate, and proficient.
It is important to know your student and to understand what you are trying to accomplish when choosing a level. When introducing a new social story, I often start with the beginner level, with less vocabulary and fewer questions than the intermediate and proficient levels. The beginner level is also a great place to start for students with limited expressive language. |
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That being said, sometimes I do start at the intermediate level. This is especially true when I work with students who possess more vocabulary and do not need as much picture support. Finally, the proficient level is great for moving students toward independence. As students progress to the next story level, I can gauge just how independent they have become with respect to a particular topic.
Special Demo Student
Speech Kingdom offers a very clever feature that allows you to practice with the app without having to pay for a practice student. You can easily determine the level you wish to select with a student by using this practice, or "demo student." I use my demo student to explore, preview stories, and compare the differences in the three levels. Using the demo student allows me to explore the app (including avatar creation) without interfering will live student data, scoring and reporting.
I will revisit the demo student in detail later in this discussion.
Speech Kingdom offers a very clever feature that allows you to practice with the app without having to pay for a practice student. You can easily determine the level you wish to select with a student by using this practice, or "demo student." I use my demo student to explore, preview stories, and compare the differences in the three levels. Using the demo student allows me to explore the app (including avatar creation) without interfering will live student data, scoring and reporting.
I will revisit the demo student in detail later in this discussion.
Creating Avatars
A key reason that Speech Kingdom's social stories are incredibly effective is because they include each student and their parent figure in every story.
A key reason that Speech Kingdom's social stories are incredibly effective is because they include each student and their parent figure in every story.
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I work alongside my students and create two avatars (cartoon images of the student and their parent or other adult). First, I let the child create a character in their own image, choosing their gender, skin, hair and eye color, hair texture, glasses and shirt color. Next, we create a parent or other responsible adult, by choosing those same characteristics.
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The first name of your student's avatar is very important.
Your student's avatar appears in every scene of every story and is referred to by their first name. For this reason I want to stress the importance of naming their avatar with the name they are most often called. This may not be the child’s formal name. For example, William's avatar might be "Bill" or "Billy," while Elizabeth's avatar could be "Liz" or "Lizzie." This is immensely important to help the child identify with his or her avatar.
Your student's avatar appears in every scene of every story and is referred to by their first name. For this reason I want to stress the importance of naming their avatar with the name they are most often called. This may not be the child’s formal name. For example, William's avatar might be "Bill" or "Billy," while Elizabeth's avatar could be "Liz" or "Lizzie." This is immensely important to help the child identify with his or her avatar.
A natural phenomenon occurs when the child sees themselves in the story. They identify with their character and their attention to what is happening in the story is tremendously heightened.
Creating an avatar of themselves and their parent figure creates a concrete bond between the child and the stories.
Illeism
Illeism, or third person talk, is often used by very young children and naturally occurs with parents, early on, when they interact with their children. Illeism reduces the confusion and vagueness that often occurs through the use of pronouns. Illeism also provides children with examples of positive self-talk. For example, Joe might say, "Joe was able to stay in his seat." or "What choice did Joe make?"
Illeism to Self-Talk
Embedding the "child" in each story leads to third person talk, such as, "Billy wants to play." Once a child takes this step, there is a natural transition to self-talk, such as "I want to play." Through the student's avatar, I use third person conversations to ask my student questions. My goal is to lead the student from seeing that their avatar wants to play to realizing that they are their avatar. Eventually, "Billy wants to play" becomes "I want to play."
We all use self-talk. It is our internal voice. Using an avatar of the child in each story allows us to naturally teach positive self-talk. I use affirming statements to comment on the child in the story, using their name. The child identifies with the avatar as himself or herself. We start by discussing what is happening in the story, speaking in the third person about the child. "What did Joe do?" or "Joe made a great choice!" Once again, my goal is to lead the student to seeing that they are their avatar and transitioning from "Joe made a great choice!" to "I made a great choice!"
I use Speech Kingdom's social stories to teach my students positive self-talk, creating concrete personal memories of positive outcomes and leading to independent successes with future trials.
Creating an avatar of themselves and their parent figure creates a concrete bond between the child and the stories.
Illeism
Illeism, or third person talk, is often used by very young children and naturally occurs with parents, early on, when they interact with their children. Illeism reduces the confusion and vagueness that often occurs through the use of pronouns. Illeism also provides children with examples of positive self-talk. For example, Joe might say, "Joe was able to stay in his seat." or "What choice did Joe make?"
Illeism to Self-Talk
Embedding the "child" in each story leads to third person talk, such as, "Billy wants to play." Once a child takes this step, there is a natural transition to self-talk, such as "I want to play." Through the student's avatar, I use third person conversations to ask my student questions. My goal is to lead the student from seeing that their avatar wants to play to realizing that they are their avatar. Eventually, "Billy wants to play" becomes "I want to play."
We all use self-talk. It is our internal voice. Using an avatar of the child in each story allows us to naturally teach positive self-talk. I use affirming statements to comment on the child in the story, using their name. The child identifies with the avatar as himself or herself. We start by discussing what is happening in the story, speaking in the third person about the child. "What did Joe do?" or "Joe made a great choice!" Once again, my goal is to lead the student to seeing that they are their avatar and transitioning from "Joe made a great choice!" to "I made a great choice!"
I use Speech Kingdom's social stories to teach my students positive self-talk, creating concrete personal memories of positive outcomes and leading to independent successes with future trials.
Open Ended Questions
We are all wired to desire success. I am acutely aware of this when I find myself succeeding at something and talking about it with others. I then create a positive memory of this experience because I want to replicate it again in the future. We can reinforce this learning or these memories by intervening and asking the child open ended questions. “What choice did Joe make?” “How did Joe feel?”
When coupled with social stories, open ended questions increase and reinforce language while providing positive social interactions.
We are all wired to desire success. I am acutely aware of this when I find myself succeeding at something and talking about it with others. I then create a positive memory of this experience because I want to replicate it again in the future. We can reinforce this learning or these memories by intervening and asking the child open ended questions. “What choice did Joe make?” “How did Joe feel?”
When coupled with social stories, open ended questions increase and reinforce language while providing positive social interactions.
Inner Thoughts and Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind is the ability to understand the desires, intentions and beliefs of others and to recognize the fact that they may differ from person to person.
You may ask, “Why are inner thoughts included in the social stories?” As I stated earlier, children with limited Theory of Mind struggle to see the perspectives of others and have difficulty paying attention when they are not directly involved.
The ability for my students to see their own inner thoughts as well as the inner thoughts of others helps them to better understand the perspectives of others.
For students on the autism spectrum and those with disabilities affecting their ability to process information, limited Theory of Mind is often a daily struggle. It is a cause of stress and frustration. Recognizing your own inner thoughts, and acknowledging that others have inner thoughts that may differ, helps us recognize and understand the perspectives of others.
As we understand the perspectives and the points of view of others, stress and frustration are reduced.
Theory of Mind is the ability to understand the desires, intentions and beliefs of others and to recognize the fact that they may differ from person to person.
You may ask, “Why are inner thoughts included in the social stories?” As I stated earlier, children with limited Theory of Mind struggle to see the perspectives of others and have difficulty paying attention when they are not directly involved.
The ability for my students to see their own inner thoughts as well as the inner thoughts of others helps them to better understand the perspectives of others.
For students on the autism spectrum and those with disabilities affecting their ability to process information, limited Theory of Mind is often a daily struggle. It is a cause of stress and frustration. Recognizing your own inner thoughts, and acknowledging that others have inner thoughts that may differ, helps us recognize and understand the perspectives of others.
As we understand the perspectives and the points of view of others, stress and frustration are reduced.
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Each of Speech Kingdom's social stories feature inner thoughts of their characters, who glow with a yellow halo whenever they have an inner thought to share. When available, I decide if hearing a character’s inner thought would help my student gain perspective.
Inner thoughts can contribute to independence for a student. As he or she gains independence with social stories, inner thoughts help them independently manipulate the program and become increasingly successful. Gaining perspective helps a child internalize various situations and achieve success answering questions about a social story. These questions might be the comprehension questions provided by Speech Kingdom in every social story or questions posed by me (or both). When a student begins to discuss a social story and answer questions, I begin to see (and celebrate) their deeper understanding. This often occurs before they are able to fully transition the social story situation into their own real-life experiences. |
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Comprehension Questions
Each social story offers comprehension questions after the last scene. The number of questions, format and difficulty varies for each level. Intermediate and Proficient level social stories offer one comprehension question at the end of each scene in addition to those after the last scene. I always review the questions prior to presenting them to my students. I like to be familiar with the questions and vocabulary so I am best prepared to lead my students through the questions. When my students answer the questions with me, I see, first hand, where they struggle. This also promotes more in depth discussion of the vocabulary in isolation.
Sometimes I turn off the comprehension questions in the story settings. This is especially helpful when I introduce a social story for the first time or when I think that questions may cause anxiety for a student. I may also reduce the number of answers in the multiple choice answer bank as well (intermediate level only) when appropriate.
Sometimes I turn off the comprehension questions in the story settings. This is especially helpful when I introduce a social story for the first time or when I think that questions may cause anxiety for a student. I may also reduce the number of answers in the multiple choice answer bank as well (intermediate level only) when appropriate.
Rewards and Reinforcers
Speech Kingdom provides an extensive library of rewards and reinforcers. These animations add to a student's feeling of accomplishment and help to maintain their interest and focus. His or her avatar might hit a baseball out of the park, do a cannonball into a pool, perform gymnastics, or one of many other choices. I can choose the reinforcer or let Speech Kingdom randomly choose from their extensive library, to celebrate accomplishment. I like to begin by choosing a reinforcer based on the child’s interests and notice a high level of interest and concentration when my students know that they will be rewarded at the end of each story.
I often change the reinforcers that I use. It's easy. When I do so, my students look forward to the unexpected positive experience of being surprised with a new animation, such as seeing their avatar swing a light saber or perform karate.
Positive experiences increase the rate of retention of information and create a desire to repeat that experience.
As the reinforcers change, some students express their desire to see specific animations. I take advantage of this by allowing them to choose the reinforcers themselves. I notice that when I give my students a choice, they feel more independent and engaged.
Speech Kingdom provides an extensive library of rewards and reinforcers. These animations add to a student's feeling of accomplishment and help to maintain their interest and focus. His or her avatar might hit a baseball out of the park, do a cannonball into a pool, perform gymnastics, or one of many other choices. I can choose the reinforcer or let Speech Kingdom randomly choose from their extensive library, to celebrate accomplishment. I like to begin by choosing a reinforcer based on the child’s interests and notice a high level of interest and concentration when my students know that they will be rewarded at the end of each story.
I often change the reinforcers that I use. It's easy. When I do so, my students look forward to the unexpected positive experience of being surprised with a new animation, such as seeing their avatar swing a light saber or perform karate.
Positive experiences increase the rate of retention of information and create a desire to repeat that experience.
As the reinforcers change, some students express their desire to see specific animations. I take advantage of this by allowing them to choose the reinforcers themselves. I notice that when I give my students a choice, they feel more independent and engaged.
Downloadable PDF Worksheets
Each social story contains a link to a unique downloadable PDF worksheet that matches the level of that story.
Each social story contains a link to a unique downloadable PDF worksheet that matches the level of that story.
Beginner level worksheets are picture based and consist of four pictures taken from the story and displayed on the right side of the page. If the student is a male, the pictures depict boys. Conversely, if the student is a girl, then girls are depicted. On the left are four vocabulary words, each of which corresponds to a picture. The student is instructed to draw a line from each word to its corresponding picture.
Intermediate level worksheets are presented in a fill-in-the-blank format. There is a word bank at the top of the page with five words. Five sentences appear below the word bank, each of which is missing a word. Each word in the word bank is labeled with a letter (A-E), so the student has the option of writing the appropriate word in the sentence blank, or simply inserting the word's corresponding letter.
Advanced level worksheets are presented in a format that is identical to the intermediate level worksheets. The only difference is the number of words in the word bank (10) and the number of fill-in-the-blank sentences (also 10).
Each worksheet uses language that is referenced in its corresponding social story. I use worksheets to front-load vocabulary, to reinforce, and to check for comprehension. Worksheets are a great way to revisit the skill being taught as well as collect evidence of student progress.
Worksheets become a more valuable tool when presented and used at IEPs.
Each worksheet uses language that is referenced in its corresponding social story. I use worksheets to front-load vocabulary, to reinforce, and to check for comprehension. Worksheets are a great way to revisit the skill being taught as well as collect evidence of student progress.
Worksheets become a more valuable tool when presented and used at IEPs.
These are the steps I follow when I introduce Speech Kingdom's social stories to a student for the first time.
Day 1 - Student Preparation
Demo Student
Speech Kingdom allows me to create a sample student avatar named Demo Student and its adult avatar. I will refer to these two avatars collectively as Demo Student. Demo Student does not "use up a slot" that is reserved for my students. In other words, I don't have to pay an additional fee for this additional student. I can customize all of their characteristics and use it just as I would a student and adult avatar. I like this feature because I can use Demo Student to explore social stories without affecting any of the scoring and reporting of my actual students. I can also use Demo Student to introduce Speech Kingdom to groups of students.
Demo Student has a few limitations, including:
You can select Demo Student from the Home Page.
For this discussion I will assume that this is the first time my student is introduced to Speech Kingdom's social stories. It is also the first time they are introduced to Speech Kingdom and, therefore, we have not yet created their avatar. I will create their student avatar now. I can do this at the Home Page by clicking the Add New Student button.
I involve my student in the process as much as possible. I try to make this time fun and exciting as possible. "Today, we are going to make a cartoon that looks just like you and then, another one that looks like your <mom, dad, or other responsible adult>."
I let my student know that they can come back and see this new avatar. "Tomorrow, at this same time, we will do something new with your character!" This reduces stress and gives the student something to look forward to.
Speech Kingdom allows me to create a sample student avatar named Demo Student and its adult avatar. I will refer to these two avatars collectively as Demo Student. Demo Student does not "use up a slot" that is reserved for my students. In other words, I don't have to pay an additional fee for this additional student. I can customize all of their characteristics and use it just as I would a student and adult avatar. I like this feature because I can use Demo Student to explore social stories without affecting any of the scoring and reporting of my actual students. I can also use Demo Student to introduce Speech Kingdom to groups of students.
Demo Student has a few limitations, including:
- The name cannot be changed from Demo (first name) and Student (last name).
- Scoring is not kept and Reporting is not supported for Demo Student.
- There is a limit of one Demo Student per Speech Kingdom account.
- Demo Student is limited to 5 sets in all of Speech Kingdom's games.
You can select Demo Student from the Home Page.
For this discussion I will assume that this is the first time my student is introduced to Speech Kingdom's social stories. It is also the first time they are introduced to Speech Kingdom and, therefore, we have not yet created their avatar. I will create their student avatar now. I can do this at the Home Page by clicking the Add New Student button.
I involve my student in the process as much as possible. I try to make this time fun and exciting as possible. "Today, we are going to make a cartoon that looks just like you and then, another one that looks like your <mom, dad, or other responsible adult>."
I let my student know that they can come back and see this new avatar. "Tomorrow, at this same time, we will do something new with your character!" This reduces stress and gives the student something to look forward to.
Day 1 - Teacher Preparation
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Now that I have gone through the process with my student to create his or her avatar, I can choose a story and customize the story settings for my student. I typically do this on my own, without my student being present.
Choose a Story First, I select Social Stories from the menu on the left side of my screen. If that menu is not showing, I click the icon that looks like three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of my screen. My students typically laugh when I tell them that this is actually called a "hamburger icon" because the three lines make it look like a hamburger in a bun. |
The program presents all of the social stories offered by Speech Kingdom, in a menu/thumbnail format. I can search for a story by Category or enter a keyword in the Search Bar. Alternatively, I can browse through the stories until I find something that would be best for my student.
After I click on the story, I can click the Question Mark icon at the top right corner of the screen and then select About Social Story Levels from the Help menu. This provides an explanation that can help me choose a story level that is most appropriate. I then adjust the story level by clicking the arrows on the left and right sides of the Start <level> Level button.
At this point, I will print the PDF worksheet, so I click the Download <level> Worksheet button. I can also preview the story by clicking the <#> Scenes + <#> Questions link above the start button.
I like to think of open-ended questions that I can ask my student when we look at the story. I use words like, "Why do you think..." and "How did..." and "Tell me about..."
After I click on the story, I can click the Question Mark icon at the top right corner of the screen and then select About Social Story Levels from the Help menu. This provides an explanation that can help me choose a story level that is most appropriate. I then adjust the story level by clicking the arrows on the left and right sides of the Start <level> Level button.
At this point, I will print the PDF worksheet, so I click the Download <level> Worksheet button. I can also preview the story by clicking the <#> Scenes + <#> Questions link above the start button.
I like to think of open-ended questions that I can ask my student when we look at the story. I use words like, "Why do you think..." and "How did..." and "Tell me about..."
Story Settings and Options
Story Settings Gear Icon
Next, I visit the Story Settings menu by clicking the Gear icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen. I click General Settings to expand those options and set them to best suit my student.
I can click any option label for an explanation of that option's function.
Here are a few of the settings I typically use:
Next, I click on Reinforcers and select a reinforcer that my student can identify with and have fun with.
Important note: There is a fantastic option to remotely control my student's device from my device and to turn off certain functions such as navigation (prev, next, exit) on his or her device as well. It is explained in detail in the Help page of this website under Student Mode — Remotely Controlling a Student's Device. When I use this I also take advantage of another option called Activate Reinforcer. Once the story is running, I can select Activate Reinforcer from my Story Settings menu (Gear icon in top right corner) and reward my student when he or she does something great, or just needs some support.
As explained in the prior paragraph, using the Remote Control feature along with the Activate Reinforcer option allows me to invoke a reinforcer animation on my student's device at any time during a social story or its end-of-story questions.
Finally, I click on the "X" in the upper right to close the Story Settings menu. I'm now ready for my student.
Next, I visit the Story Settings menu by clicking the Gear icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen. I click General Settings to expand those options and set them to best suit my student.
I can click any option label for an explanation of that option's function.
Here are a few of the settings I typically use:
- Show Thought Text: ON. I like my student to read along as each character shares their inner thoughts.
- Enable Audio: ON. This is important so my student can hear the characters speak.
- Audio Speed: I typically set this to 100%, but sometimes I like to slow down the character's speech.
Next, I click on Reinforcers and select a reinforcer that my student can identify with and have fun with.
Important note: There is a fantastic option to remotely control my student's device from my device and to turn off certain functions such as navigation (prev, next, exit) on his or her device as well. It is explained in detail in the Help page of this website under Student Mode — Remotely Controlling a Student's Device. When I use this I also take advantage of another option called Activate Reinforcer. Once the story is running, I can select Activate Reinforcer from my Story Settings menu (Gear icon in top right corner) and reward my student when he or she does something great, or just needs some support.
As explained in the prior paragraph, using the Remote Control feature along with the Activate Reinforcer option allows me to invoke a reinforcer animation on my student's device at any time during a social story or its end-of-story questions.
Finally, I click on the "X" in the upper right to close the Story Settings menu. I'm now ready for my student.
Day 2 - First Run-Through
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Day 3 and Beyond - Moving Forward
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I like to review a story daily, or as often as needed and accepted by my students.
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I keep the conversation as natural as possible, because the more forced and "drill-like," the more the student is apt to resist.
It is important to transfer skills and language from the social story to everyday life through teacher cues and word choice.
It is important to transfer skills and language from the social story to everyday life through teacher cues and word choice.
- Example #1: "Is this a big problem or a little problem?"
- Example #2: "Can you take out your squeeze ball or take a deep breath?"
Student Settings Silhouette Icon
I look forward to using the activity and scoring reports when they become available in October 2020. This will help me monitor my students' progress. I will also share this information with my team and use the reports to guide IEP goals. A reporting mockup is available from the Student Settings menu. Click the Silhouette icon in the upper left corner of the student's Home page.
I look forward to using the activity and scoring reports when they become available in October 2020. This will help me monitor my students' progress. I will also share this information with my team and use the reports to guide IEP goals. A reporting mockup is available from the Student Settings menu. Click the Silhouette icon in the upper left corner of the student's Home page.
Speech Kingdom's social stories are quite unique. They offer techniques and abilities that I have not seen anywhere else, despite my searching in the past. My hope is that you, also, discover the Power of the Avatar! I am so excited to share my Speech Kingdom success with you! My expectation is that your students will make meaningful connections, leading them to become more successful and independent individuals.
As you become more familiar with the program I am confident that you will discover that it is easily adaptable to use with small groups, just as parents can easily use it for their child or children. Speech Kingdom can be used to review classroom behavior and prompt a class discussion. It can be used by a teacher with a small group of students who struggle with a similar skill.
Parents, behaviorists, and other therapists can use the social stories as a springboard during individual or group therapy sessions. A group can even create their own "team avatar" as a bonding activity.
However you use Speech Kingdom's social stories, I know that the folks at Speech Kingdom would love to hear about it, just as I continue to share my success with them. Feel free to share your successes as well as any concerns or suggestions that you may have.
I am living proof that the Speech Kingdom team is terrific when it comes to taking and acting upon suggestions!
Sincerely,
Heidi Otterman,
1st Grade Teacher