A social story is a short, personalised narrative that walks a student through a situation before they meet it: what will happen, what it might feel like, and what they can do. Developed by Carol Gray in the early 1990s for autistic students, they're now used far more widely — for any child who copes better when the world is predictable.
Teachers reach for them around transitions (a new classroom, a casual teacher), routines (lining up, packing up), events that break routine (assemblies, fire drills, excursions) and social situations (joining a game, asking for help, losing a game).
The principles that make them work
- Describe more than you direct.The classic guidance is several descriptive sentences for every directive one. A social story is not a list of rules wearing a story costume — it mostly paints the picture: “The bell rings at the end of lunch. Students walk to their lines.”
- Keep the perspective safe.Write in first person (“I can take a deep breath”) or third person, and never use the story to relitigate past behaviour. It prepares; it doesn't reprimand.
- Frame positively. Say what the student cando, not what they must stop doing. “I can use my quiet voice inside” beats “I will not shout.”
- Leave honest wiggle room.Use “usually”, “often” and “I can try” rather than absolutes. If the story promises the bus always comes at 3:15 and one day it doesn't, the story — and your credibility — breaks.
- One situation per story.Answer the wh-questions for a single scenario: where, when, who, what, why. If you're covering three situations, write three stories.
A step-by-step process
- Pick the moment, precisely.Not “behaviour at lunch” but “what to do when the game I want to join is full.”
- Observe first.What actually happens in that moment, from the student's point of view? The best stories describe the situation as the child experiences it, including the feelings.
- Draft 6–10 short sentences. Open by setting the scene, describe what happens and why, acknowledge the feeling, then offer one or two things the student can do, and end on reassurance.
- Add one clear picture per page. Simple, literal images that match the text — the same character throughout, so it reads as one coherent book.
- Read it early and often. Introduce the story in a calm moment, well before the situation — not as an intervention mid-meltdown. Reread it regularly until the routine is comfortable, then fade it out.
A worked example: fire drills
“Sometimes at school we practise a fire drill. A very loud alarm rings. The alarm is loud so that everyone can hear it. It might hurt my ears, and that's okay — it will stop soon. When I hear the alarm, I can stand up and walk with my class to the oval. My teacher stays with us the whole time. I can cover my ears or hold my fidget while we walk. When the drill is finished, we walk back and keep going with our day. Fire drills keep everyone safe, and I can do them.”
Notice the ratio: mostly description, a couple of gentle options, no commands, and an ending that hands the student confidence.
Mistakes that undo a good story
- Writing it as a behaviour contract — all directives, no description.
- Introducing it as a consequence after an incident.
- Absolute promises the real world will eventually break.
- Generic clip-art that changes the character on every page.
- Too long — if it doesn't hold the student's attention, it can't help.
Writing one well takes real time — which is exactly why so many classrooms run without them. If the writing and illustrating is the barrier, a social story generator can produce the personalised, consistently-illustrated draft in minutes, leaving you to do the part only you can: checking it fits your student.