Social Narratives to Reduce Anxiety

Many individuals with autism show a preference for predictability because the way they process information makes interacting with the general population confusing to them. People don’t always mean what they say when they’re being polite. Raining has nothing to do with cats and dogs. And “that’s just great!” can be accompanied by anger or a sneer. In order to deal with these unknowns, they cling to the known, the things that can be relied on - the sunrise in the morning, the piece of string that never changes its shape, the vanilla flavored cereal. The fact that 2 plus 5 always equals 7 is inordinately reassuring.

Added to this anxiety over an unpredictable world, is the difficulty with sensory processing - crowds, noise, voices, specific tones, smells, touch, and lights can be bothersome. Their systems are so busy dealing with this onslaught that it’s hard to focus on what the other person is saying or what they’re supposed to be doing to be functional and safe. The result is either escape, paralysis, or lashing out. An overwhelmed person with autism in a busy airport may take off, refuse to move an inch, or strike someone seemingly without an apparent cause or trigger. These types of breakdowns only strengthen their need for predictability and routine, their attachment to objects that never change, and elaborate rituals that anchor them.

Yet, they must operate within a constantly changing unpredictable world. How then do we help them get through that long flight, tolerate a substitute teacher, or the fact that their favorite meal at the restaurant is unavailable? A social narrative is a way for people with autism to prepare for a challenging situation and be able to respond to it in a positive manner.

When my son was little, we rarely traveled due to his anxiety, and only if absolutely necessary. One day, we were preparing to go to Victoria, B.C, Canada. It wasn’t a long flight but everything about it (including crossing the border) could be anxiety-inducing to my son. I put together pictures of the airport, the airplane, the inside of a flight, the places we would visit in Victoria, and the people we would see. I had a map that showed both locations - the origin and destination, and a red line connecting the two. I had written up some brief sentences that laid down the plan in a sequential way. I made a little ‘book’ out of it and titled it ‘Our trip to Victoria’. It immensely helped bring down his anxiety and focus on the fun parts - the takeoff and landing, watching the clouds, looking down on the buildings and natural features getting smaller. Without realizing it at the time, I had written my first social narrative for him. Ever since we began writing and using social narratives for any situation that was unfamiliar or would be overwhelming in some way - visits to friends’ homes, holidays, family visits, a new teacher at school, and so on.

Note that a ‘social story’ is a very specific type of social narrative. Carol Gray, who created the concept has specific guidelines for creating a social story. Although this is not a complete list, some important elements of a social story are shown below:

• Structure with introduction, body, and conclusion

• Patient and reassuring tone

• Provides answers to questions about the situation

• Written from a first person point of view (for younger children) and a third person point of view (for adolescents and adults)

• Positive language, focuses on positive responses to the challenge rather than challenging behaviors

• Primarily descriptive, perspective, cooperative, and affirming sentences used. Control sentences must be developed by the child/user.

• Matches the abilities and interests of the user

• Uses meaningful illustrations

• Must include input from family and other caregivers

For more comprehensive information on social story guidelines, visit https://carolgraysocialstories.com/

On the Autism Speaks link below, you can find customizable social story templates. You can modify these to fit your child/student and situation or use these as a basis to create your own social narratives.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/templates-personalized-teaching-stories

I hope you find social narratives to be one of the ways to help your child or student cope with changes and transitions in a positive manner. Most of all, I hope that it will open up new experiences and settings for them.