Skillstreaming and Social StoriesTM are just two of the research-based social skills curricula upon which programs can be based. But what do these programs look like for children in schools? How can parents support the work of teachers and specialists helping children learn social skills? Let’s return to Maria’s experience….
We left off with Maria’s IEP team having decided that Maria would benefit from an intervention to help her improve her social skills. But what intervention? To find out more, they observe Maria, gather information about her interactions, and talk with her to get her perspective.
They discover that Maria interacts relatively well with smaller groups of individuals she has known since kindergarten, but pulls away when the group contains newcomers. When she does interact with classmates, her ideas seem vague or off topic, and are not integrated into project work unless someone re-states the ideas for her. Maria’s parents agree, saying that she will not talk when strangers are present and that they have to re-state what Maria has said in many social settings. From these observations, the group sees that Maria has difficulty connecting with others who are not already a part of the world she understands.
The IEP team decides to use Social StoriesTM to help Maria allow new people into her social world so that she can participate successfully in group work. Her teachers work with her to create the story. Maria types the story on the computer and inserts pictures onto each page digitally. She crafts the story to look like a book, with special paper and a cover design with pictures of herself.
Maria’s story?
It goes like this:
Maria is pictured talking with one of her teachers. The caption reads, “Sometimes my teachers ask me to work with other students I don’t know.”
Maria is pictured again, this time with a nervous look on her face. The caption reads, “That makes me nervous.”
A group of students is shown sitting at a table, with Maria standing a few steps away. The caption reads, “I practice saying hello three times before I join the group.” Three balloon quotes illustrate Maria rehearsing her greeting.
Page 4: The group sees Maria, says hello, and points to an empty chair. The caption reads, “The other students ask me to join them.”
Page 5: Maria sits down and says hello. The caption reads, “I say hello to them, and they smile at me.”
Page 6: Maria is talking with her group. The caption reads, “They make me feel comfortable and welcome.”
Page 7: Maria and one of her teachers are smiling together. The caption reads, “My teachers are proud of me when I work with people I do not know.”
Each day for a month, Maria and her special education teacher spend the first five minutes reading the book together in Maria’s favorite spot. Maria enjoys her book and carries it to all of her classes. She also has a copy at home that her parents read with her after dinner and use to discuss how the day went.
Within a few weeks, the team sees improvements in Maria’s interactions with strangers. She engages more in group activities. She also demonstrates the strategies in her Social StoryTM. Maria tells her teacher that, before she enters a group, she thinks “hello” to herself three times, and then sits in the available chair. Her parents say that she has done the same at home. In fact, Maria says she likes working with her new friends.