Читать книгу The New Social Story Book, Revised and Expanded 15th Anniversary Edition - Carol Gray - Страница 4
ОглавлениеIn Appreciation: The People of
Social Stories™ History
I initiated the Social Story™ approach nearly twenty-five years ago. Since then, I have met thousands of wonderful, talented, interesting people. I am very impressed by the company that Social Stories™ keep. This book is the sum of their efforts, and I am grateful to each of them. Here, I’d like to describe the contributions of a few of them. I believe they are excellent representatives of the people—from all walks of life and all areas of Planet Earth—who write, read, or support Social Stories™—and add to their history each day.
Eric and Tim. Separated by fifteen years and 150 pounds difference in their silhouettes, Eric and Tim were both on my consultant caseload as the school year began in the fall of 1990. Eric was close to leaving his program at the high school; Tim was entering kindergarten. Eric and Tim never met, yet they each played an important role in Social Story™ history. A conversation with Eric caused me to see things from a far more accurate perspective; it was a paradigm shift. I was determined to put what I had learned from Eric into practice. One week later, I wrote the first Social Story™ for Tim. In my time, I’ve had many teachers; to date, however, Eric and Tim have been the most influential.
My husband, Brian. In the fall of 1990, I was having a lot of success writing stories for students on my caseload. To say I was hesitant to share that success with others is definitely an understatement. Despite my many protestations, which sprang from my innate shyness, my husband, Brian, encouraged me to share the success of Social Stories™ with others. The result was the first presentation on Social Stories™ in Indianapolis, Indiana. There was plenty of interest in my presentation, but I hid in my hotel room for the remainder of the conference. Two complete days of room service! Brian has been my coach—and, as always, my best friend—throughout the unique twists and turns of Social Story™ history.
Joanna Carnes and Barrett Gray. Brian and I are blessed with two incredible children, Joanna and Barrett. They definitely know—and are a big part of—Social Story™ history. Looking back, I’m impressed by their patient, calm support.
Joanna’s maiden name is Gray, of course. She is now married to Mark, and they are the parents of our grandson, Ryan. Joanna may not realize this, but her comments have helped to bring this book to completion. At a critical point in the development of the manuscript, I was beyond overwhelmed; there were too many Stories, not enough minutes in the day—and too many other demands. Joanna listened to my frustration and, with a calm confidence that I will never, ever forget, she said, “You have to set some limits. Sometimes, you just have to say, ‘That doesn’t work for me right now.’” Suddenly, I saw them: the things that did not work alongside the goal of completing this project. I am very grateful to her, and I have been happily saying, “That doesn’t work for me,” (at the right times, of course) ever since. She’s right. It works.
My son, Barrett, attended some of my earliest presentations. I remember one in particular, in Albuquerque. Barrett had the stack of evaluations in hand as we drove north from the conference. A hazy purple thunderstorm framed the horizon. Barrett was reading the comments on the evaluations to me. The majority of them were great, but it was the critical statements I took to heart. Praise didn’t count. Barrett decided to throw the evaluations with negative comments into the back seat. Don’t get me wrong—I value constructive criticism and feedback. But whenever I encounter criticism that I think is especially undeserved, in my mind I see a crumpled piece of paper, heading for the back seat, illuminated by flashes of lightning against a purple evening sky. Years later, over a glass of wine in a local bar, Barrett transformed the original Social Story™ ratio into the current Social Story™ Formula.
Joy Garand and Edna Smith, Ph.D. After the first presentation on Social Stories™ in Indianapolis, I met Joy Garand, a young special education teacher from Ohio, and Edna Smith, Ph.D, at the time Director of Missouri’s Project ACCESS. Joy had attended my Indianapolis presentation, and she wrote to me a few months later to share her success with Social Stories™. I remember being surprised—not only did Social Stories™ work for me in Michigan, they were now working in Ohio, too! Joy and I co-authored the article, “Social Stories™: Improving the Responses of Students with Autism with Accurate Social Information,” and Edna helped us submit it to the journal Focus on Autistic Behavior, where it was published in 1993. Meeting Joy and Edna led to the formal introduction of Social Stories™ to the field of autism.
Dr. Tony Attwood was one of the earliest professional supporters of Social Stories™. Tony contacted me for feedback on a portion of his new manuscript, titled, Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide to Parents and Professionals. He wanted to be sure that his description of Social Stories™ was accurate. Just as I had been surprised by Joy’s success with Social Stories™, I was intrigued that a noted autism professional, from another country, was writing about my work. Not only that, but Tony genuinely understood Social Stories™. His description expanded my own understanding of them. (Today, Tony is a valued friend of mine, and I deeply respect his contributions to our field. I was thrilled and honored when he agreed to write the Foreword to the 10th Anniversary Edition of this book.)
Peter Vermeulen, Ph.D., author of Autism as Context Blindness (2012), has expanded my thinking on the challenges that context presents to people with autism. In turn, his ideas are having an important impact on Social Stories. I have tremendous respect for his work. It’s fun for me, too, to have him as a new friend.
Diane Twachtman-Cullen, Ph.D., CCC-SLP introduced me to Wayne Gilpin, President of Future Horizons. Diane encouraged Wayne to sit in on one of my earliest presentations. At first, I don’t think Wayne believed that stories could have such a positive impact. I was impressed that he stayed and listened to my entire presentation that day … and changed his mind. Ultimately, he offered to print and distribute the very first book of Social Stories™, titled The Original Social Story Book—even though it had been turned down by several other publishers.
Keith Lovett, Director of Autism Independent (UK) brought Social Stories™ to the United Kingdom, and has sponsored Social Story™ workshops ever since. Keith is concerned for the education and welfare of people on the autism spectrum, and that includes protecting the quality of the instructional techniques that are used on their behalf. If Social Stories™ had a dad, it would be Keith. He looks out for the approach, informs me of any misinterpretations of it, and has steadfastly worked to ensure that high-quality Social Story™ workshops are held on his side of the Atlantic.
Team Social Stories™ (T.S.S.) and Social Stories Satellite Schools and Services (S.S.S.S.S.) Coaches work with me protect the integrity of Social Stories and conduct workshops. I remember when I was working for Jenison Public Schools, and I was talking with the personnel director. We were discussing the increasing number of my Social Story™ workshops and presentations. I asked, “How long can it possibly take to teach the world to write a Social Story™? This can’t last forever.” Now, I think it might. I am blessed to work with such a talented group of people. For information about T.S.S./S.S.S.S.S. go to CarolGraySocialStories.com.
My Cottage Friends are reflected in the pages of this book. They were the only “social norm” I had available to me, at our cottage, where most of the Stories in this book were written. I usually refer to them as the “cottage people,” and they helped me research many of the Story topics. Often, I would ask them unusual questions about social concepts and skills. For example: What is the difference between a one- and a two-person hug? My questions led to discussions with little agreement, always framed by the unique personalities and unshakable mutual respect that defines this incredible group. I am indebted to them for their candid contributions to this book. I’d like to thank Paul and Pat, Granny, Jim and Maureen, Jeff and Marci, Sheri, Andy and C, Keith and Sandy, and Prudy and Jim. They make life on Planet Earth continually intriguing and interesting, easier, and a heck of a lot of fun. In my next life, I want to have them as my friends again.
Hank and Emma, my basset hounds, and my friends at Shaggy Pines Dog Park, in Ada, Michigan, played an important role in this second revision. At Shaggy Pines, friends are both canine and human, and randomly come and go to create a unique, un-orchestrated, and dynamic assortment of personalities and temperaments. We’re not just walking and chasing balls there, we’re sharing life’s human and canine stories—from triumphs, to tragedies, and everything in between. Hank, Emma, and Shaggy Pines bring a clear and calm perspective to each and every day. Paws and people are better than chocolate.
The Boy at Barnes & Noble came up to me at a critical point during the first revision of this book. I wish I knew his name, so that I could thank him properly. Approaching the completion of the rough draft of the manuscript, I had been writing non-stop, eyes-open to eyes-shut, for over two weeks. I needed a change of writing venue, so I decided to head to the Rivertown Crossings Mall near our home. I worked on location. It was there that I wrote the Stories in this book about the up escalator and eating at a food court. I decided to head to Barnes & Noble, to write a Story about eating in a quiet bookstore cafe. However, the place was wall-to-wall people. I couldn’t get to the cafe. So I sat down in an overstuffed chair, took out my laptop, and wrote the Story, “This Place is Busy!”
That’s when he appeared: a boy about nine years old with curly brown hair. He was on his own— with his mother nearby—and approached me. Well, no, he approached my computer. He had many of the qualities of children on the autism spectrum. He read what I had written on the computer screen, looked up and around, and then turned to me and asked, “Does it help you to write a story about what is going on here?”
I was at a loss for an answer. I have it now. Yes, it does. Writing Stories about what is going on helps me because of the wonderful people, the incredible people, that it introduces me to. People like those whom I have listed here, people like the boy at Barnes & Noble, and people whom I have never met … but I know I would like if I did. Social Stories™ do keep the best company, and I have been—and will continue to be—honored to work alongside them.
