Impact of Social Stories on Behavior: Strategies That Actually Work

If you are a teacher, parent or any one that is around children, you have delt with some form of problem behavior. Problem behavior can range from mild to a significant obstacle, affecting children in many areas of life. It can impair personal growth, academic growth, strains relationships, and can hinder participation in society if severe enough. But what if there was a tool that could help reshape and redefine these behaviors? Enter social stories – a powerful approach that has proven to be a game-changer in overcoming behavioral challenges.

You might be asking yourself, “What are social stories and how do they work?” Social stories are engaging narratives that offer an effective way to communicate essential information and teach alternative behaviors. These narrative interventions typically consist of a written story or script that focuses on a specific situation or behavior.

By using simple language and incorporating visual elements, social stories aim to provide individuals with clear, concrete information about what to expect and how to respond in certain situations.

Social Stories and Changing Problem Behavior

Social stories teach appropriate behavior in a clear and simple way. Modeling replacement behaviors for problem behavior.

Adding visuals to social stories can serve as a bridge between the written narrative and real-life situations. They can help children transfer the knowledge gained from social stories into practical application by providing visual cues and reminders. For example, if a social story aims to teach appropriate table manners, including a visual representation of a chewing with you mouth closed and a properly set table can reinforce the correct behavior and serve as a visual reference point during mealtime.

Social stories are most effective when integrated into the daily routine and used across settings. This might involve having multiple copies of the social story for home and school use, as well as incorporating them into the child’s visual schedules. The more seamlessly the social stories become a part of the child’s everyday life, the more likely they are to influence behavior positively.

When dealing with problem behavior social stories teach approrpirate replacement behaviors. One common social story I often find myself grabbing is, Feeling Angry. We ALL have anger, but it is what we do with our anger that matters. I have the FREE social story for you to use to try the next time you are dealing with a child that is feeling angry. I have the full version HERE that includes visuals and calming strategies as well!

The power of social stories lies in their ability to adopt replacement behaviors and overcome behavioral challenges through repetitive use and tailoring the social story to the individual. I hope this blog has helped you in one way or another!

Don’t forget to grab your free social story below!!

Kindly,

Brooke Reagan