Social Stories™ and

Comic Strip Conversations

What are Social Stories?

Social Stories were developed by Carol Gray in 1991 to assist individuals with autism spectrum disorders
(ASD) to develop greater social understanding. A Social Story is a short description of a particular situation,
event or activity, which includes specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. They
can provide an individual with some idea of how others might respond in a particular situation and therefore
provide a framework for appropriate behaviour. Social Stories also enable others to see things from the
perspective of the individual with ASD and why the person may appear to respond or behave in a particular
way.

Social Stories have a huge range of applications including:

 To develop self-care skills (e.g. how to clean teeth, wash hands or get dressed), social skills (e.g.
sharing, asking for help, saying thank you, interrupting), and academic abilities.

 To assist an individual to cope with changes to routine, and unexpected or distressing events (e.g.
absence of teacher, moving house, thunderstorms).

 To provide positive feedback to an individual regarding an area of strength or achievement in order

to develop self esteem.

 As a behavioural strategy (e.g. what to do when angry, how to cope with obsessions).

The following is an example of a Social Story to assist a child’s understanding of nightmares from Carol
Gray’s “The New Social Stories Book” (1994):

“Nightmares

Sometimes I may have a nightmare when I am sleeping. Nightmares are the same as a dream, but more scary.

Events in nightmares do not really happen. They are like pictures in my mind.

The National Autistic Society produces information sheets on a wide variety of The National Autistic Society
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It is all right if I am scared. I may try telling myself it is all in my mind. It is only a dream. Adults can help
children with nightmares, too. It is okay to ask an adult for help with nightmares.

When I wake up, I will see that I am all right”. (p. 21)

How do Social Stories help individuals with ASD?

 Writing a Social Story requires detailed consideration of the person’s perception of a particular
situation, a process which can increase our understanding and empathy and may lead to a better
response to the individual with ASD (Gray, 1994).

 Social Stories present information in a literal, concrete and accurate manner, which may improve the
individual’s understanding of a previously difficult or ambiguous situation or activity.

 The visual presentation of Social Stories utilises the preference for visual processing experienced by
many individuals with ASD.

 By providing information about what to expect in a particular situation and some guidelines for the
individual’s own behaviour in a format that is meaningful and relevant, Social Stories can increase
structure in the individual’s life and thereby reduce anxiety.

 Assist with sequencing (i.e. what comes next in series of activities) and executive functioning (i.e.
planning and organising) difficulties experienced by many individuals with ASD.

Who can benefit from Social Stories?

Originally designed for children at the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum, Social Stories can also
be helpful for adolescents and adults (Gray, 1994). There is research to suggest that individuals with ASD
who experience greater difficulties and associated learning disabilities may also benefit from the use of Social
Stories (Swaggart, Gagnon, Jones Bock, Earles, Quinn, Smith Myles, & Simpson, 1995). The presentation and
content of Social Stories can be adapted to meet the needs of the individual as discussed in the following
section.

How do I write a Social Story?

The following information is based on Carol Gray’s Social Story guidelines published in the ‘The New Social
Story Book’ (1994). These guidelines provide detailed information regarding the structure, content and
implementation of Social Stories and may also be found at The Gray Centre for Social Learning and
Understanding website:

http://www.thegraycenter.org/Social_Stories.htm

1. Picture the Goal

Consider the purpose of the Social Story and think about the social understandings necessary to bring
forth desired behaviours or responses from the individual. For example, our goal may be to teach a
child to cover his or her mouth when coughing. To achieve this goal, the child needs to understand
why covering his or her mouth when coughing is important (i.e. it stops germs from being spread
which may make other people sick).

2. Gather information

The next stage is to gather information about the individual including their age, interests, attention
span, level of ability and understanding, in addition to information regarding the situation described

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 in the Social Story (i.e. where does the situation occur, who is it with, how does it begin and end, how
long does it last, what actually happens in the situation and why).

3. Tailor the text –

A Social Story is made up of several different types of sentences that are presented in a particular
combination. Sentence types are described in the table below:

Sentence type What is it? Examples

Descriptive Answers the “wh” questions – where does Christmas Day is December 25.
the situation occur, who is it with, what
happens and why? Descriptive sentences Most children go to school.
need to present information from an
Sometimes I get sick.
accurate and objective perspective

Perspective Refers to the opinions, feelings, ideas, My Mum and Dad know when it is time for
beliefs or physical/mental well being of me to go to bed.
others.
Teachers like it when students raise their
hand to ask a question in the classroom.

Some children believe in Santa Claus.

Directive Gently offers a response or range of I will try to cover my mouth when I cough.
responses for behaviour in a particular
situation. It is important that these I might like to play outside during lunchtime.
sentences have a positive focus and be
When I am angry, I can:
constructed in ways which allow
flexibility (i.e. avoid statements like ‘I  Take three deep breaths
must’ or ‘I have to’).
 Go for a walk

 Jump on the trampoline

Affirmative Statements that enhance the meaning of (I will try to hold an adult’s hand when
the previous sentence (which may be a crossing the road). This is very important.
descriptive, perspective or directive
sentence) and can be used to emphasize (Thunder can be very loud). This is ok.
the importance of the message or to
provide reassurance to the individual.

Co-operative Sentences which identify how others may Mum and Dad can help me wash my hands.
be of assistance to the individual
(developed by Dr Demetrious Haracopos An adult will help me when I cross the road.
in Denmark).
My teacher will help me to try to stay calm in
class.

Control Statements written by the individual with My body needs food several times per day;
an ASD to provide personal meaning to a just like a steam train needs coal to stay
particular situation and to assist them to running.

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 recall and apply information

Incomplete sentences, which allow the My name is ___________ (descriptive

individual to guess the next step in a sentence)
Partial situation, and may be used with
descriptive, perspective, directive, Mum and Dad will feel ____________ if I
affirmative, co-operative and control finish all my dinner (perspective sentence)
sentences.

The sentence types described in the above table need to be put together in a particular combination to make a
Social Story (referred to as the Social Story ratio).

In each story, there should be no more than 1 directive or control sentences and at least 2 (but no more than
5) of the remaining sentence types. The following is an example Social Story from Gray and White’s “My
Social Stories Book” (2002) which illustrates the use of a variety of sentence types (indicated in brackets)
using the Social Story ratio:

“What are unexpected noises?

There are many noises (descriptive). Sometimes noises surprise me (descriptive). They are unexpected
(descriptive). Some unexpected noises are; telephones, doorbells, barking dogs, breaking glass, vacuum
cleaners, slamming doors, honking horns, and thunder (descriptive). These sounds are okay (affirmative). I
will try to stay calm when I hear unexpected noises (directive). Adults can tell me when the noise will stop
(co-operative).” (p. 76)

Additional points to consider:

 The Social Story needs to have an introduction, body and conclusion and should use positive
language (i.e. where possible, describe what should happen, rather than what should not).

 The story needs to be as accurate as possible and should include words like ‘sometimes’ and ‘usually’
for situations where a particular outcome is not guaranteed.

 The story should appeal to the interests of the person for whom it is written and care should also be
taken to ensure that words that may cause the individual anxiety or distress are avoided.

 The content and presentation of a Social Story should be appropriate to the individual’s age and level
of understanding. The following are some pointers for tailoring Social Stories for individuals of
different ages and abilities:

 If writing for a child, write from the first person’s perspective e.g. “I will try to wait until it is
daytime before I get up in the morning”.

 Pair age appropriate photographs, picture symbols or drawings with text to assist individuals
who have difficulty reading or for younger children e.g.

How to wash my hands

People usually wash their hands using soap and water. There are five steps I will try to follow
when washing my hands. An adult can help me learn these steps:

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 Turn tap on.

Put soap on hands.

Wash hands together under water.

Turn tap off.

Dry hands on towel.

For further information on where to find and how to use picture symbols, refer to Autism
Helpline factsheet ‘Using Visual Supports’ (picture symbols included in above example from
www.dotolearn.com).

 When writing for adolescents or adults, use the third person’s perspective (i.e. they, he, she) and
adjust language and presentation accordingly (i.e. use smaller font and present in columns as in a
newspaper article).

Teach with the title –

It is important to select a title which accurately reflects the overall meaning of the story. Titles may be in the
form of a question (e.g. What is lightning?) or a statement (e.g. Lightning), but need to communicate the
most important concept of the story.

How do I introduce a Social Story?

Gray (1994) has developed detailed guidelines on how to implement Social Stories, so that they produce the
intended benefits for the individual. Summarized below is information from Gray’s ‘The New Social Story
Book’ (1994), which is also found at The Gray Centre’s website:

http://www.thegraycenter.org/Social_Stories.htm#The%20Social%20Story%20Guidelines

1. Present the Social Story to the individual at a time when everyone is feeling calm and relaxed. This
will maximise the individual’s learning and help the person to develop positive associations with the
story. Social Stories should never be used as a punishment for misbehaviour.

2. Use an honest and straightforward approach when introducing the story e.g. “I have written this story
for you. It is about thunderstorms. Let’s read it together now. Soon we will review it”.

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 3. Review the story as often as required – some Social Stories will be reviewed initially once a day, others
prior to the situation for which they were written.

4. Maintain a positive, reassuring and patient attitude when reviewing the story. This is essential for the
Social Story to have the desired effect.

5. When reviewing the story, use a calm and friendly tone of voice and ensure the environment is quiet,
comfortable and free of distractions.

6. Involve others in the review of the story where appropriate. For example, a story that is focussed on a
situation or activity at school could also be reviewed with the child’s teacher or learning support
assistant.

7. Introduce one story at a time to maximise learning and to ensure the individual does not become
overwhelmed with information.

8. There are two main ways of fading a Social Story:

- Increase the period of time between reviewing (i.e. if a story was initially reviewed once per
day, increase review period to every two days, then every three or four days, and so on).

- Change the content of the story to reflect the individual’s new skills. For example, remove
directive sentences from the story, or rewrite them as partial sentences where the individual is
required to recall the missing information. If considering this approach, it is important to be
aware that some people with ASD may find such changes distressing; alternative approaches
should be explored if this is the case.

What is a Comic Strip Conversation?

Comic Strip Conversations are another technique developed by Carol Gray (1994) to assist individuals with
ASD to develop greater social understanding. Comic Strip Conversations provide visual representations of
the different levels of communication that take place in a conversation, using symbols, stick figure drawings
and colour. By seeing the different elements of a conversation visually presented, some of the abstract aspects
of social communication (e.g. recognising the feelings and intentions of others) are made more concrete and
are therefore easier to understand. Comic Strip Conversations can also provide insight into the individual
with ASD’s perception of a particular situation.

What does a Comic Strip Conversation look like?

Comic Strip Conversations use symbols to represent social interactions and abstract aspects of conversation,
and colour to represent the emotional content of a statement or message (Gray, 1994). The following are
some example symbols taken from Gray’s ‘Comic Strip Conversations’ (1994) used to represent a range of
concepts that may be involved in a conversation:

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 Everyone is talking Interrupt – When
at once – voices in someone is still Listen Thoughts
unison (e.g. choir). talking.

The following are conversation colours outlined by Gray (1994) that may be used in Comic Strip
Conversations to represent a range of feelings and ideas:

Green: Good ideas, happy, friendly

Red: Bad ideas, anger, unfriendly
Blue: Sad, uncomfortable
Yellow: Frightened
Black: Facts, truth
Orange: Questions
Brown: Comfortable, cosy
Purple: Proud
Colour combinations: Confusion

Who can benefit from Comic Strip Conversations?

Comic Strip Conversations can be used to increase social understanding in adolescents and adults on the
higher functioning end of the spectrum.

What do I need to write a Comic Strip Conversation?

Paper and pencils are the basic tools required to write a Comic Strip Conversation, however a range of other
materials can also be used, including crayons, coloured pencils and markers. It is important to invite the
individual with ASD to select the materials that they would like to use to enhance their involvement and
ownership of the process. Some individuals may like to record conversations into a notebook which they can
refer to at different times to recall key concepts.

How do I use Comic Strip Conversations?

Comic Strip Conversations are not intended to be used with every interaction, but rather to assist
understanding of difficult or key concepts. The person with ASD takes the lead role in a Comic Strip
Conversation with parents, carers and teachers offering support and guidance throughout the process. Comic
Strip Conversations are usually started with ‘small talk’ (where subjects such as the weather may be briefly
discussed) to get people familiar with drawing while talking and to mimic ordinary social interactions.
Following this, the support person may ask a range of questions about the situation or interaction of concern,
which the person with ASD answers by speaking and drawing their response. The following are some
examples of questions that may be asked to start a Comic Strip Conversation from Gray (1994):

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 Support person: “Where are you?”
Individual with ASD: Writes response or places symbol representing location in
upper left hand corner of page or box and draws stick
figure to represent themselves.
Support person: “Who is there?”
Individual with ASD: Draws stick figure picture of others that may be present.
Support person: “What are you doing?”
Individual with ASD: Draws relevant actions or activities.
Support person: “What happened?”
Individual with ASD: Draws relevant actions.
Support person: “What did you say?”
Individual with ASD: Uses talk symbol to indicate what they said
Support person: “What did others say?”
Individual with ASD: Uses talk symbol to report what others said
Support person: “What did you think when you said that?”
Individual with ASD: Uses thought symbol to show what they thought
Support person: “What did others think when they said that/did
that?”
Individual with ASD: Uses thought symbol to show what others thought
Support person: Assists individual to identify possible thoughts, feelings
and perceptions of others and to clarify any
misunderstandings or literal interpretations of the
situation.

Colour may be used throughout the above process to indicate the feelings or ideas of people involved in the
situation and to assist the individual with ASD to better understand the perspectives of others. For complex
situations, or for individuals who have difficulty reporting events in sequence, comic strip boxes may be used,
or drawings can be numbered in the sequence that they occur in. Before finishing a Comic Strip
Conversation, it is important to go back and summarize the event or situation discussed using the drawings as
a guide. After this step, solutions to the problem raised during the process can be explored and an ‘action
plan’ for similar situations in the future is developed. Comic Strip Conversations can also be used to plan for
a situation in the future that may be causing the individual anxiety or concern e.g. an exam or social event. If
used in this way, it is important to present information in a way which allows for unexpected changes to
plans.

Where can I get more information about Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations?

Workshops

The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding runs workshops covering Social Stories and Comic
Strip Conversations from time to time in the United Kingdom. For further information regarding scheduled
workshops, visit the Gray Center’s website:

http://www.thegraycenter.org/speaking_schedule.htm

Or alternatively contact:

Autism Independent UK (formally Society for the Autistically Handicapped – SFTAH)

199/203 Blandford Avenue, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN169AT

Tel: +44 (0) 1536 523274

Email: [email protected]

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Website: www.autismuk.com

The National Autistic Society also posts details of upcoming workshops at the following link:

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=114&a=2321

Online

The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding has a range of very useful information regarding
Social Stories which is available at the following link:

http://www.thegraycenter.org/Social_Stories.htm

Books and Videos

Carol Gray has developed a video workshop which provides information on how to write Social Stories.
Further information is available at the following link to the Gray Center website:

http://www.thegraycenter.org/product_listing.htm

Listed below are several books which provide detailed information regarding Social Stories and Comic Strip
Conversations. Books available from The National Autistic Society’s Publications Catalogue are indicated
with an asterisk *:

Gray, Carol (1994) Comic Strip Conversations: Colourful, illustrated interactions with students with
autism and related disorders. Jenison Public Schools: Jenison, Michagan.

Gray, Carol (1994) The New Social Stories Book: Illustrated edition. Future Horizons Inc.: Arlington.

* Gray, Carol, and White, Abbey Leigh (2002) My Social Stories Book. Jessica Kingsley Publishers:
London.

References and Bibliography

* Attwood, Tony (1998) Asperger’s Syndrome: A guide for parents and professionals. London: Jessica
Kingsley Publishers.

* Clements, J., and Zarkowska, E. (2001) Behavioural Concerns and Autistic Spectrum Disorders:
Explanations and strategies for change. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Gray, Carol (1994) Comic Strip Conversations: Colourful, illustrated interactions with students with
autism and related disorders. Jenison, Michagan: Jenison Public Schools.

* Gray, Carol, and White, Abbey Leigh (2002) My Social Stories Book. London: Jessica Kingsley
Publishers.

Gray, Carol (1994) The New Social Stories Book: Illustrated edition. Arlington: Future Horizons Inc.

Gray, Carol (1996) ‘Social Assistance.’ In: A. Fullerton, J. Stratton, P. Coyne, and C. Gray (eds.) Higher
Functioning Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism: A teacher’s guide (pp 71-89). Austin: Pro-ed.

Swaggart, B., Gagnon, E., Jones Bock, S., Earles, T.L., Quinn, C., Smith Myles, B., and Simpson, R.
(1994) ‘Using Social Stories to teach social and behavioural skills to children with autism.’ Focus on
Autistic Behaviour, 10, 1-16.

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Fouse, B., and Wheeler, M (1997) A Treasure Chest of Behavioural Strategies for Individuals with
Autism. Arlington: Future Horizons Inc.

Howlin, P (1998) Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome: A guide for practitioners and carers.
Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.

* Whitaker, P (2001) Challenging Behaviour and Autism: Making sense-making progress. London: The
National Autistic Society.

The words “Social Story” and “Social Stories” are trademarks originated and owned by Carol Gray. All rights
reserved.

* If an item is marked as available from the NAS please contact:

NAS Publications
Central Books Ltd
99 Wallis Road
London E9 5LN
Tel: +44 (0)845 458 9911
Fax: +44 (0)845 458 9912
Email: [email protected]
Online orders: www.autism.org.uk/pubs

If you require further information please contact the

NAS Autism Helpline
Tel: 0808 800 4104
[email protected]

Last updated: May 2004

© The National Autistic Society 2008
The National Autistic Society is the UK’s leading charity for people affected by autism.

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