How Are Special Educators Using Social Stories™ in Rhode Island?

Background: Carol Gray created the Social Stories™ method in the early 1990s. This method has since become very popular and is often used to help students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) better understand social interaction, the perspectives of others and to impact behavior. Despite significant research exploring the efficacy of this method, little has been published on this method’s implementation in schools. While some have proclaimed this method an evidence-based practice (NPDC, 2009), others remain skeptical (Test et al., 2011). Despite a growing literature, there has only been one peer-reviewed study (Reynhout & Carter, 2009, in Australia) that has surveyed teachers’ use of Social Stories. It is therefore vital to understand how this method is being used with American students with ASD.

Objectives: The purpose of this research is to survey special educators and related service providers in Rhode Island to gather information regarding how Social Stories are used in public schools, how effective this method is perceived to be, if Gray’s guidelines are being followed, how professionals were trained and other relevant questions.

Methods: A descriptive research design was implemented using both a web-based questionnaire and interviews. The target population was special education teachers and related service providers currently working in Rhode Island public schools. A questionnaire was created using SurveyGizmo and the survey link was sent to Rhode Island special education administrators to send to their personnel. Follow up personal interviews were held with a convenience sample to gain in depth information regarding social story practice.

Results: 84 participants (93% female, 90% Caucasian) completed the questionnaire. Over 70% of respondents who use Social Stories were either special educators or speech-language pathologists working at the elementary level. While 90% use Social Stories with students with ASD, more than 70% also use them with learners with other disabilities. Considering training, only 17% reported being trained via the methods that Carol Gray has outlined and 20% reported having had no training. Also, only 44% said that they follow Gray’s methods when writing Social Stories. Finally, more than 90% agreed or strongly agreed that Social Stories help students to change behavior, help students to better understand social interactions and were usually or sometimes an effective intervention. The interview portion of the study is still being conducted (16 interviews have been conducted to date). The findings from these interviews will be shared.

Conclusions: This study provides an initial snapshot of how teachers in Rhode Island are using Social Stories. These results should help practitioners to reflect upon their own use of Social Stories and compare how they may or may not be different. Hopefully this reflective practice will help to improve (a) Social Story training, (b) how stories are written and (c) implementation and thus, as a final outcome, improve the lives of students with ASD. Limitations include a small sample size and possible bias in self-report. Future research is needed to gain the input from students with ASD and their families about this method.