Center for the Study of Autism Social Stories Written by Meredyth Goldberg Edelson, Ph.D. Dept. of Psychology, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon Many persons with autism have deficits in social cognition, the ability to think in ways necessary for appropriate social interaction. For example, theory of mind describes the difficulty autistic individuals have in assuming the perspective of another person. This can be addressed by a technique which is used to help individuals with autism 'read' and understand social situations. This technique, called 'Social Stories,' presents appropriate social behaviors in the form of a story.
Descriptive sentences describe what people do in particular social situations.
Directive sentences direct a person to an appropriate desired response. They state, in positive terms, what the desired behavior is. Given the nature of the directive sentence, care needs to be taken to use them correctly and not to limit the individual's choice. The greater the number of directive statements, the more specific the cues for how the individual should respond. A third type of sentence used in social stories is the perspective sentence.