Once Upon a Time.. The Use of Social Stories in Paediatrics.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Reflections/Conclusion

My Reflections

So now ends my social stories tale! I have enjoyed the opportunity to further research and extend my knowledge of social stories through using this blog. When I was first heard about social stories and references to Carol Gray on my paediatric placement, I had no idea what or whom the occupational therapist was referring to. I saw on my placement the occupational therapists and parents alike using them with children and heard positive responses regarding their use. For one boy in particular, saw I how effective they were for reducing his anxiety when there was a change to his routine or a new situation. I have learnt through research that the effectiveness of using Social stories may vary from child to child, but for those it is effective for -it appears to be a valuable tool that can assist a wide range of children who would further benefit from the need to understand social situations to enable them to participate in everyday activities.

I discovered through this blog the wide range of topics and subjects that could be created and developed into a social story, which demonstrates the endless possibilities of their use. I also discovered that there is a range of resources that can be brought or accessed online for free, or programs that can assist in parents creating their own individualised social stories for their children.

I hope that this blog will also assist parents, teachers, occupational therapist and other professionals alike, in informing them about whether social stories are appropriate for their child and will have given them the tools that are required to use this intervention in the future.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

What is the evidence for Social Stories?

A review of the Evidence..

There is a number of anecdotal evidence on the effectiveness of social stories with children, However, there is a lack of conclusive evidence based research. The research on the effectiveness of Social Stories for social development has been inconsistent and highly variable at times, often conducted with other interventions, and further research is needed to determine their effectiveness in isolation. There is evidence to support the use of social stories, and it's effectiveness may vary on the individual child, construct and delivery of the social story.

Reynhout and Carter (2006) conducted a single subject meta-anaylsis review of 16 research studies on the effects of Social Stories on children with autism spectrum disorder. In nine studies, the researchers reported a reduction in reported behaviour and in of the eight studies, the researchers reported an increase in appropriate behaviour. Two studies showed no change in behaviour and two other studies showed an increase in disruptive behaviours. Not all of the studies strictly followed the Social Story construction criteria, however, it is unclear how important it is to follow these guidelines as the effectiveness of the stories did not seem to relate to how well they conformed. Overall the studies showed a modest improvement in behaviour, and was about 50%, indicating that for approximately half of the children, their behaviour improved following the use of Social Stories. Social stories were most effective when they used more than recommended consequence-related sentences combined with positive reinforcement of desired/correct behaviour.

In another systemic review of six studies, (Karkhaneh, Clark, Ospina, Seida, Smith & Hartling 2010) Five of the six studies showed statistically significant benefits for a variety of outcomes related to social interaction when using Social Stories. A study by Ozdemir (2008) found that social stories appeared to be effective at decreasing disruptive behaviours in children with Autism. In another articles of reducing anxiety and he by Gilman (2009) it discusses her personal experience of using social stories with one child, and the benefit of helping this child communicate more effectively in social settings.

These literature reviews and qualitative study show the benefits of using social stories with children. They also indicate that the effectiveness of social stories may vary from child to child, so other intervention strategies may also required.

References:

Gilman, S. (2009). "Social stories": Pathways to inclusion. English Quarterly Canada, 39(2), 33-45.

Karkhaneh, M., Clark, B., Ospina, M. B., Seida, J. C., Smith, V., Hartling. L. (2010). Social Stories™ to improve social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Autism, 14(6), 641-662.

Kokina, A., & Kern, L. (2010). Social story interventions for students with autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 40(7), 812-826. doi:10.1007/s10803-009-0931-0

Ozdemir, S. (2008). The effectiveness of social stories on decreasing disruptive behaviours of children with autism: Three case studies. Journal of Autism Development Disorders, 38(9), 1689-1696

Monday, July 14, 2014

Examples of Social Stories

As mentioned earlier - social stories can be used to teach and help children understand a range of different social situations. Here's a few examples in a few different formats and media you can use, to give you an idea about what you can do:

Learning to Play

From: www.autismservice.org/en/scientific.html

Crossing the Street -Video

How to Brush Teeth in book form

Or as a visual board:

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.