How to use Easy Social Stories

To make Easy Social Stories work best for my kids, I try to give them only 1 or 2 in a week and I started by giving them a booked paper copy (tied with a ribbon) usually just 1-3 days before the event. I want them to have enough time to prepare, but not enough time to get antsy. By now, my child is so adept at the iPad and phone that I download them to those devices and add the links to the ‘desktop’ before any given event.

For my non-verbal child, I gave her just 3 days with the Chuck E. Cheese birthday party story, leading up to the party, itself. For something big, like starting school, I’d rather give her 1-2 weeks, or so – maybe even more – so she can full wrap her mind around what is coming.

It’s a good idea to share these stories with teachers, therapy providers and other caregivers. I find when everybody goes over the story with my girl, she knows everyone is on board with this new thing and it seems to help her be calm, even more than when I just use them myself.

For a big change, I want to be sure I show her the story every day until she is just about bored with it, knowing every line by heart. I find it helps to have her read the story to me or at least repeat back the important bits. This way I know the information went through the brain as it goes from eyes or ears to the mouth. If you need help getting your child to read, see more about how we help kids learn to read with online resources.

When the big day comes I try to emulate the story as best I can – even using the exact phrases from the story, which gets her attention and helps her connect the story with the event.

Your stories will be delivered immediately
Download links for the stories you purchase will be emailed to you automatically, upon completion of your order. You can download these stories anywhere that has internet and have access to them right away.

File Formats
Your purchase gives you access to all printable and online viewing formats. Downloadable PDF files open on any device and are easy to share with other caregivers. If you need assistance in choosing a format, please check out our help page for more information.