The Use of Social Stories to Promote Independent Behaviors in Novel Events for Children With PDD-NOS

Abstract

This study investigated a previously undocumented use for Social Stories (Gray, 1994, 2000): preparation for a novel event. Three children With pervasive developmental disorder—not otherWise specified (PDD-NOS) participated in novel activities Within the routine setting of their Weekly speech—language therapy sessions. During intervention, Social Stories Written for the novel activities Were used to prepare the participants for the upcoming events. Independent participation during the novel events Was calculated using event recording of the presence of five different skills Within each session. The effectiveness of the strategy Was documented through a WithdraWal design With counterbalanced presentation of novel events. Results indicated that the use of Social Stories produced a 15% to 30% increase in participation during novel events for all three participants.