Social Stories™
Many people with ASD benefit from having a written guide for situations that may be new, scary, or confusing. A Social Story™ is a helpful way to provide this guide for blood draws.
The goal of a Social Story™ is to help your child understand the situation and to help decrease anxiety that comes from entering an unknown situation. Social Stories™ give individuals social information through pictures and text instead of spoken word, which can be difficult for individuals with ASD.
If your child already uses Social Stories™, this is a perfect time to use one. If you have not used Social Stories™ before, a brief description is given about the purpose of a Social Story™ and key points to consider when writing a Social Story™. Sample stories are given here. Strategies known as story-based interventions have been researched enough to be considered an established treatment for children with ASD. For more information about evidence-based treatments, go to the National Standards Project at www.nationalautismcenter.org.
Tips for writing a Social Story™
- Accurately describe the situation in detail. Focus on aspects of the situation your child may find difficult (for example, meeting new people, waiting in a waiting room, or certain lights and smells).
- Focus on important social cues, events that might occur, actions or reactions that might be expected, and why the event is occurring.
- Write from your child's perspective (for example, such as "I will be going to the doctor. I may…" or "Jake is going to the doctor. He may…").
- Uses positive, concrete language.
- Do not write in absolutes. For example, instead of writing "The doctor will use cold spray on my arm," write "The doctor may put something on my arm to make it feel better".
- Write the story specifically for your child and his or her experience with blood draws.
- Some children may respond best to breaking down each task that will occur during the procedure in a detailed way. This may make other children more anxious and, for that child, a more general story might be better.
When to read a Social Story™
- If your child needs to know the details about the blood draw ahead of time to relieve anxiety, then have your child read the story a few days prior to the visit. Use this as a time for you to briefly answer your child's questions about it.
- If reading the story ahead of time will make your child more anxious, wait until just before (for example, in the car on the way) or when you are at the appointment (for example, in the waiting room) to give them the story. Have your child read the parts of the story that explains what is happening at each particular step during the visit.
Social Stories™ were created by Carol Gray. For more information about them, visit www.thegraycenter.org.
