Description
Book SynopsisAs children grow up and spend more and more time away from home in schools and colleges, life often seems to get increasingly complicated. Autism makes the challenges they meet in these new environments even more difficult to navigate. Social Stories™ is a highly regarded strategy that parents and teachers can use to help young people with autism understand the new social situations they face during this time. Writing an effective Story takes a special set of skills, and in this fully illustrated book Dr Siobhan Timmins explains how to acquire and hone these techniques and put them into practice.
Following on from her book on writing Social Stories™ for young children, this book on the next age group up includes 160 illustrations and clear examples based on the author's own experiences of raising a son with autism. She explains how to identify the underlying issues, and articulate the key ideas so that young learners can find connections between Stories to build a greater understanding of relationships, the adult world and their own identity. The book is an invaluable guide to creating bridges between young people and the parts of life they find most difficult.
Trade ReviewThe context-setting, that helps further understanding of autistic thinking is superb, as are the examples of the social stories themselves. If this were a 'must-have' for every school and college, life for autistic children would be that much better. -- Jude Ragan, ex-head of Queensmill School, freelance autism education specialist
As a professional who works with young adults with autism in a day setting, I found this book very useful.
It was great to see examples of the social stories and even better to read about real life experiences the author has had with her son.
-- Lisa Faulkner
Most children are able to interpret and respond to social contexts and cues in school with incredible speed and without effort. For others, like those diagnosed with autism, the events and interactions of each day hold elusive meanings and unforeseen pitfalls. Social Stories are like a magic wand that replaces confusion with information and fear with confidence, to build social competence one Story at a time. -- Peter Vermeulen, PhD. Senior lecturer at Autisme Centraal, Belgium. Author of over 15 books on autism including Autism as Context Blindness, 2012
Table of ContentsForeword by Carol Gray. Acknowledgements. Dedication. 1. Understanding my child's perspective at school. 2. Introduction to Social Stories through the school years. Part One: The Classroom. 3. Stories about growing up. 4. I am learning to listen to the teacher. 5. Stories about calm. 6. Stories about help in the classroom. 7. What is practice? 8. What is a spelling test? 9. Stories about teachers. 10. What is the role of the LSA in secondary school? 11. Stories about intentions. 12. Stories about handwriting. 13. Stories about homework. 14. What is revision? Part Two: Going Home. 15. Viv is picking me up from school today. 16. Mum and Dad are going to a meeting. Part Three: Break Time. 17. What happens at break time? 18. Who is the owner of a game in the playground? 19. How to join a game in the playground. 20. What is a chasing game? 21. What does home mean in a game? 22. What does the whistle mean in the playground? 23. What is lining up? 24. Who is in charge of the playground? Part Four: Winning and Losing. 25. Stories about raffles. 26. What is an award assembley? 27. What is a good sportsman? 28. What is a worthy opponent? 29. What is my personal best? 30. Stories about Markachu II's Chill Attack. Part Five: School Events. 31. Sports day happens once a year. 32. What are the four houses in school? 33. What happens at a swimming gala? 34. Stories about the school trip. 35. I am moving up a level to year 3 (Transition Story). Part Six: Noise in School. 36. What is a fire drill? 37. Why do senior teachers use loud voices? 38. What volume is best for headphones? 39. What is a Social Article? (Story for diagnosis). 40. What is a Social Article (Alternative format). Part Seven: Building Resilience. 41. Thinking on the positive side. 42. What is plan B? 43. I am learning to self-reflect. 44. Moving from unsettled back to settled. References.
