As a pediatric Speech Therapist that works primarily with children with Autism or other social disorders, I use social stories often.
What is a social story?
A social story is a tool created specifically for a child or adult to address a behavioral concern, help with transitions or prepare the them for a new experience. I have written stories to help children wait in line at the store, only eat their own lunches, prepare for having a new bus and driver, and learn what to expect during their field trip to the zoo. I have even written stories to help children understand what is happening in their bodies (i.e. wounds healing, puberty) to prepare them or diffuse any anxiety they may have.
How do you write a social story?
A social story should be positive, a list of "do's" not "don'ts" or rules. Talking about what a child should do allows them to focus on the desired behavior(s) and not on the undesired ones. For example, if the story says "I shouldn't hit my sister", it may cause the child just to focus on hitting his sister. Conversely, if the story says "When I get mad at my sister, I can say 'stop it' or 'no'. I can say 'I'm mad' or 'Leave me alone'. I can talk to mom or dad about what happened.", it gives the child alternatives to hitting his sister without even mentioning hitting.
I write these stories in first person. "I" refers to the child. Making the stories personal makes reading them more fun! The story should also talk about feelings. How the child and others feel about the situation and resolution. An example of the problem: "I get tired of waiting in line at the store. I want to touch everything or look at things away from where mom is. This makes mom upset. She worries if she can't find me.". The solution: "When I stay by mom and wait patiently with my hands in my pockets, mom is very happy. She is proud of my behavior. I like when mom is happy." Also, I am careful to use language that the individual can understand...on their level.
I use lots of photographs in the stories. Anyone who spends time with the individual may read the social story. When possible, I like to use photographs of the actual individual and surroundings. The best case scenario would be to photograph the child or adult in the actual situation. This is not always possible. When it is not, I try to at least have a photograph of the individuals involved in the story. Google Images is a great resource for free photographs. For example, if the child is going to a public place like the zoo or firehouse, you can find specific photos or really close photos of the destination. I have also found some really good pictures of people experiencing different emotions. You can search very specifically (i.e. hispanic angry girl, crying toddler boy) and find some really nice photos that will show what the story is talking about.
Who uses a social story?
Anyone who needs extra practice in positive social interactions. They may or may not have Autism. The child or adult does not easily learn to navigate the social jungle. They do not understand common social standards and cannot read peoples emotions or intentions. By rehearsing the positive social interactions portrayed in the social story, they can more easily learn the appropriate behaviors. I am actually considering a social story about using a kleenex for my nose-picking 4 year old!
How do you use a social story?
Social stories are to be read many times. Anyone who spends time with the individual may read the social story: a parent, grandparent, sibling, instructional aide, therapist, or friend. Limiting the number of social stories to 1 or 2 at a time will help the individual to keep the information straight and not confuse the stories. I learned at a conference that an individual with Autism needs up to 4 weeks to learn a new skill. The repetition of the social story allows the child or adult to really learn the information presented as well as affording them opportunities to implement the information.
So, in a nutshell, my process is as follows: determine the targeted behavior to extinguish or encourage, write out the text of the story, add pictures and edit it so it is easy to read.
The link below takes you to an example of a social story. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comment section. Happy writing!
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=13c3a193d5557bcc&mt=application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Df328575db5%26view%3Datt%26th%3D13c3a193d5557bcc%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbQ5WDcFyleuGQf_TO8CQgFYkyifpw
Monday, January 14, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Feeding the 5000...well the 9 of us at least
Of all the questions and comments we get about raising a large family, people are often very curious about how we do meal time. We don't run it like a cafeteria. We don't have a commercial grade kitchen like the Duggers either. There are 3 simple aspects to our meals.
The first aspect of the meal is staffing. By this I mean, which of our 2 oldest is in charge of helping or cooking the meal. Once I know who is assigned to "meal" for the day, I can let them know what is on the meal plan. When I am organized enough, they can read the meal plan...otherwise it's all in my head. If it's a meal they know how to make, they can jump right into preparing the meal while I either help or complete another task. There are always diapers to change, school papers to copy or something to be cleaned. Having the big kids help with meals has really been helpful. I am much more productive. Even the littler kids help with setting the table or putting out plates and drinks.
The second aspect of the meal is quantity. Many of our brood are still very young. Thus, the quantity of food needed at this point is nothing compared to what it will be when we have multiple teens and pre-teens living under our roof! Even now, we are doubling most recipes. We choose to set up each plate then put it on the table. I have found that serving family style allows my children to take less of the things I want them to eat. They are always welcome to seconds, but are also expected to eat the reasonable portions on their plate. But how much should each child be expected to eat? I have read in several places that a child under 5 years should eat 1 tablespoon of each food per year of life (http://life.familyeducation.com/nutrition/nutrition/36616.html). I also tend to not to put things like pretzels and chips on their plates. Those foods are a reward for eating the "good stuff" and can fill up a little belly pretty quickly. Also, we don't give our children milk at every meal or a even full cup of milk. Milk also fills the belly and two of my girls would prefer to only drink milk. This article from Parenting (http://www.parenting.com/article/got-milk ) states the U.S. dietary guidelines for dairy, milk and other dairy products, consumption. I tend to limit milk intake due to the fact that we are not currently able to buy organic or raw milk. The generic milk is expensive enough!
The third aspect of the meal is atmosphere. All you Martha Stewart types just got excited because you are expecting me to tell about how to make beautiful centerpieces out of things you have lying around the house or how to sew a tablecloth from scraps of cloth or old baby clothes. Well, you should probably try a different blog if that's what you're looking for! When I talk about atmosphere, I mean setting the tone for family time. There are times when we all watch a movie during dinner, but we limit those. Meals are a time to catch up with mom or dad on their day, to talk about what we learned in school, to schedule our day or week, and to make each other laugh. These are precious moments to me. Right now our children are dependent on us for transportation, do not have jobs, and enjoy being with their family. I hope the family meal lasts for the entire time they are in our home, but if it doesn't, we hope to have set the foundation for the relationships we have with our children. You've heard the commercials and the experts sing the praises of "The Family Meal". It really has been a bonding time for our family.
Our food is not fancy. Our table cloth is made of vinyl. Our chairs don't match.
But the time together is priceless.
The first aspect of the meal is staffing. By this I mean, which of our 2 oldest is in charge of helping or cooking the meal. Once I know who is assigned to "meal" for the day, I can let them know what is on the meal plan. When I am organized enough, they can read the meal plan...otherwise it's all in my head. If it's a meal they know how to make, they can jump right into preparing the meal while I either help or complete another task. There are always diapers to change, school papers to copy or something to be cleaned. Having the big kids help with meals has really been helpful. I am much more productive. Even the littler kids help with setting the table or putting out plates and drinks.
The second aspect of the meal is quantity. Many of our brood are still very young. Thus, the quantity of food needed at this point is nothing compared to what it will be when we have multiple teens and pre-teens living under our roof! Even now, we are doubling most recipes. We choose to set up each plate then put it on the table. I have found that serving family style allows my children to take less of the things I want them to eat. They are always welcome to seconds, but are also expected to eat the reasonable portions on their plate. But how much should each child be expected to eat? I have read in several places that a child under 5 years should eat 1 tablespoon of each food per year of life (http://life.familyeducation.com/nutrition/nutrition/36616.html). I also tend to not to put things like pretzels and chips on their plates. Those foods are a reward for eating the "good stuff" and can fill up a little belly pretty quickly. Also, we don't give our children milk at every meal or a even full cup of milk. Milk also fills the belly and two of my girls would prefer to only drink milk. This article from Parenting (http://www.parenting.com/article/got-milk ) states the U.S. dietary guidelines for dairy, milk and other dairy products, consumption. I tend to limit milk intake due to the fact that we are not currently able to buy organic or raw milk. The generic milk is expensive enough!
The third aspect of the meal is atmosphere. All you Martha Stewart types just got excited because you are expecting me to tell about how to make beautiful centerpieces out of things you have lying around the house or how to sew a tablecloth from scraps of cloth or old baby clothes. Well, you should probably try a different blog if that's what you're looking for! When I talk about atmosphere, I mean setting the tone for family time. There are times when we all watch a movie during dinner, but we limit those. Meals are a time to catch up with mom or dad on their day, to talk about what we learned in school, to schedule our day or week, and to make each other laugh. These are precious moments to me. Right now our children are dependent on us for transportation, do not have jobs, and enjoy being with their family. I hope the family meal lasts for the entire time they are in our home, but if it doesn't, we hope to have set the foundation for the relationships we have with our children. You've heard the commercials and the experts sing the praises of "The Family Meal". It really has been a bonding time for our family.
Our food is not fancy. Our table cloth is made of vinyl. Our chairs don't match.
But the time together is priceless.
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