Social story topics
Social story: Feeling angry or frustrated
Anger arrives in the body before it arrives in words: hot face, tight hands, a feeling of needing to move. Many autistic and neurodivergent students do not get a warning and do not have the words, so the first anyone knows is the reaction. Being told to calm down at that point rarely helps.
This story describes the early signs in the body, names a small set of things the student can do, and says that the feeling passes. It works alongside an emotions check-in and a calm-down visual the student can point to when words have gone. Read it on a calm day, never mid-storm.
A sample story
When I Feel Angry
- 1Sometimes something happens and I feel angry.
- 2My body feels hot and my hands go tight.
- 3Feeling angry is hard and it is okay that it feels hard.
- 4I can press my feet flat on the floor and breathe out slowly.
- 5When I breathe out, my hands go loose and I feel calmer.
A sample made with HandsOnTop. Yours is written for your student.
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Tips for using it
- Read it when the student is calm; it is a rehearsal, not a response.
- Pick two or three strategies the student can really do and put only those in.
- Pair it with an emotions check-in so the early signs get noticed sooner.
Common questions
Which strategies should I include?
The ones the student already uses or has agreed to try: slow breaths, a walk to the drink tap, a squeeze toy, a calm corner. Two or three is enough; a long list is not usable in the moment.
Can I use it after an incident?
Yes, once everyone is calm, as a way to talk about what happened without blame. Reading it in the moment does not work.
Can the pictures show the angry feeling?
Yes. The illustrations follow the emotion on each page, so the story shows the feeling and then the calmer pages after it, which many students find reassuring.