Special education teachers and teachers in an inclusion classroom setting will want to know where to find free social stories, which will help them communicate with their special needs students. Social stories are great teaching tools for students with autism and/or communication disorders. Using a type of picture exchange communication system will help an educator to convey lessons, instructions, rules and basic skills necessary to a child with severe learning disabilities.
A social story is a visual story using pictures and symbols to describe any desired situation that may occur in school or elsewhere. It is a very effective way to learn for kids who are having difficulty reading, writing and communicating. Below are some websites with free social stories that can be printed and downloaded.
Where to Find Free Social Stories to Print and Download
Teachers, educators, parents and even those who are dealing with the public in libraries and museums may want to consider creating social stories for children on the autism spectrum with communication disabilities. The following are three useful websites containing free social stories that can be printed and downloaded.
- Slater Software – At this website there are many useful tools for children with PDD, autism, Asperger’s syndrome and other communication disorders. There are a number of social stories, behavior plans, games and other free teaching tools that will help caregivers teach coping skills and independent learning.
- Watson Institute – This family of schools and services hosts a website with advice and tips for children with autism spectrum disorders and other communication problems. On the site, teachers and caregivers can find many free behavior stories to print and download. Some contain pictures, and others provide spaces for educators to place their own pictures and clipart that may be meaningful to the child.
- The Fairfax County Public School system has its own location online where teachers can find free social stories for printing and downloading. The stories are geared toward young children and will help with basic behavior and skills such as going to the bathroom, playground etiquette and beginning social skills.
How to Write a Social Story
To develop a social story from scratch, teachers and parents may want to read the article titled, How to Make a Social Story. This article discusses how to develop a social story from scratch, by first identifying the desired skill or skills to be taught, listing consequences of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, and personalizing the story with pictures of kids and places that the child knows.
Using pictures and symbols will help the child with ASD and other communication disorders learn important life skills. Teachers and paraprofessionals may be interested in finding some other free printables and resources and in particular, pictures, to incorporate into their social stories and autism teaching lessons. To find free clipart for social stories, see the article Free Pictures and Symbols for Social Stories.
The development of life skills, academic skills, social skills and even safety skills will be an important task for caregivers of children with autism and other communication disabilities. Fortunately, finding free social stories online is possible. Many websites, such as those listed above, provide a good start with free behavior stories, free pictures and even online games that kids with autism can play and learn how to cope with the daily challenges of life.
Karen Plumley - Karen Plumley is a writer specializing in parenting and education. She works for Parenting NH and the Hippo, NH's most widely read ...
