Читать книгу The New Social Story Book, Revised and Expanded 15th Anniversary Edition - Carol Gray - Страница 7
ОглавлениеI wrote this collection of Social Stories™ with you and the child or adolescent in your care (I refer to them as the “Audience” of your Stories) continually in mind. You may use the Stories in a variety of ways. They may be used directly from the book, or as a pattern to develop Stories of your own. This brief introduction will acquaint you with the resources in this book, specifically the Stories, the companion CD, and the Social Story™ 10.2 Tutorials.
This book contains 185 Social Stories™ that I wrote either for students I was working with directly, or for fellow parents and educators. The Stories are divided into chapters according to their subject matter: Learning with Stories, Change, Mistakes, Me and My Feelings, Celebrations and Gifts, People Skills and Friendship, Bullying, Understanding Adults, Home and Community, School, and Planet Earth. Whereas some chapters focus on specific contexts, others focus on some of the most challenging issues facing children with autism spectrum disorders. I did my best to include the Stories most requested by parents and educators, and ones that I felt, from my personal experience, had helped children the most.
Some of the Stories in this book are designed to be used in groups, in sequence. As examples, the Fort Able Stories (#56-59) describe an imaginary comfort zone (Come to Fort Able=ComFortAble). Each Fort Able Story describes a “room” in a “fort.” The bullying Stories (#95-102) are intended to be read/completed chronologically as well. You will discover other sets of sequenced Stories and related activities throughout the book.
One of the most exciting attributes of this revised edition is the companion CD. All of the Stories are in Adobe PDF format, exactly as the Stories appear in this book. You can print Stories for individual use in the home, or include a Story in a classroom presentation to teach a skill to a group of students— and those are only a couple of examples. (Copyright permissions/restrictions are explained in detail on the CD.)
Conversely, be aware that some students’ reactions to the imagery can negatively impact their understanding of a social situation or skill. They may think that the Story applies to the child in the picture, but not to them. So if your child or student thinks very concretely, and has difficulty generalizing the skills, you may want to edit the story, customized with his or her experiences, and use the pre-illustrated Stories from the book for your reference only.
Note that Stories are editable in Adobe Acrobat if you own the full version of this program. If you have the free or Reader version of Adobe Acrobat, you will not be able to edit using this system. You may copy the story you want to edit, and paste it in Microsoft Word. Then you can edit the story to your liking. While most of the Stories can potentially be used as they are written, there are some Stories in this book that have to be revised before they are shared with your Audience. These are the Stories for a fictional character (e.g., Trevor, Mason, Fletcher) that include sample descriptions of past events. You will need to review those Stories for ideas, and then edit the corresponding file on the CD, replacing existing details with your Audience’s experiences. The individualized Story will make the most sense to your Audience if it is written from a first-person perspective, as though Audience is talking.
Many of the Stories in this book are intentionally “over-written.” They include more text or longer sentences than I typically use when writing for students on my caseload. I did this to provide you with as many ideas and phrasing options as possible, while still maintaining sound Story structure. You, in turn, may review a Story and determine that it’s ready to use with the person you are caring for. Or you may decide to revise it, in which case you should have enough text to shorten and/or personalize the Story as you see fit.
Stories may be easily shortened for younger or more severely challenged Audiences. In some cases, it may be possible to use the first sentence of each paragraph and delete the others. Other options to simplify a Story include omitting commas to create two separate sentences, or splitting one Story into two or more Stories.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced author of Social Stories™, this book is designed to support your continued learning. The Social Story™ 10.2 Tutorials teach the art and science of developing a Social Story™. The tutorial section is your personal Social Story™ workshop to complete at your own pace. It includes an introduction to the tutorials, detailed descriptions of the 10.2 Social Story™ Criteria, and a practice activity for each criterion. Once you’ve completed the tutorials,, they are a handy reference to support your efforts in the months to come. I also encourage you to attend an official Social Stories™ training, where you can refine your Story writing and practice your skills with others.
The Internet is a wonderful resource. Unfortunately, much of the Social Story information online is outdated and inaccurate. Use caution. Many sites use the term Social Story without regard for its definition and emphasis on safety. They may use my name without my permission, making it seem as though I am in support of their information. Always look for the Social Story logo, which is a quality indicator. Trustworthy information is always available at CarolGraySocialStories.com and FHautism.com.
Thank you for your interest in Social Stories™. I am glad that this book has fallen into your good hands! Have fun exploring the Stories, completing the tutorials, and discovering the limitless uses of the CD. I sincerely hope that this resource will come to your aid, like an old friend, when you need support, and become a trusted volume in your library for many years to come. Best wishes to you and your Audience!
