Social Stories for Church

Carol Gray has developed a technique called social stories to help a child with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) understand cues and actions for specific social situations. Social stories are an effective method of providing both guidance and direction to promote self-awareness, self calming, and self-management in responding to social situations. The technique involves creating a short story that describes the situation and includes appropriate actions and expressions. By creating a short story, the situation is described in terms of relevant social cues, anticipated actions and information on what is occurring and why. The stories are written according to specific guidelines based on Gray’s extensive use of this technique. The story is also customized for the individual and their circumstance (Attwood, 1998).

Adams et al. (2004) found that social story intervention decreases a variety of undesirable behaviors exhibited by children diagnosed with ASD. Results of their study support the notion that social story intervention is a useful too in decreasing inappropriate behaviors. Although the problem behaviors decreased, the participant’s use of oral language to express his needs/concerns increased. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that multiple behaviors serving one function can be successfully addressed in a single social story. Using one story instead of four stories to address behaviors appears to be more efficient and effective.






<=My Social Stories Book by Carol Gray









The New Social Story Book by Carol Gray=>
Limited preview







Social Stories for Church:

autismsocialstories.com- Going To Mass (with pictures)

autisminspiration.com- Going to Mass (scroll down to this)

aleteia.org- A Great Visual Tool That Helps Children With Autism During Mass

creativelearning4kidz.com- Going To Mass Social Story
This social story is about going to Mass. Things you might do at Mass. How to behave during Mass. This book also comes with a set of 12 PECS cards.

positivelyautism.com- Going To Church on Easter (scroll down to this)

autismrelgiouseducation.net- Mass Book, Prayer Book, Confirmation Book, etc.

teacherspayteachers.com- Social Story Going to Mass Book + PECS Autism

simplycatholic.net- social story about attending mass and receiving Communion




Websites that have Social Stories:

autismteachingstrategies.com- Free Social Skills Downloads

adders.org- Social Stories by parents

depts.washington.edu- Social Stories Downloads

kansasasd.com- Social Narratives

kidscandream.webs.com- Social Stories (look under Website Menu for more different kinds of social stories)

paaustism.org- Social Story Resource Collection



How to write Social Stories:

vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu- How to Write a Social Story

penandthepad.com- How to Write Social Stories for Children With Autism

classroom.synonym.com- Examples of Social Stories



Free Pictures to Make Social Stories:

do2learn.com- FREE Picture Cards to use to make social stories.

practivalautismresources.com- Browse through more than 100 pages of free printable items suitable for Social Stories (scroll down for these)

lessonpix.com- Social Skills pics

friendshipcircle.org- 12 Computer Programs, Websites And Apps For Making Social Stories

touchautism.com- Free Social Stories Creator & Library



*Some children do better with real pictures that can be taken with your digital camera or cell phone.

Children at Mass?

You know those looks; the outraged and discussed looks that parents receive when their child misbehaves in church. Yes, we’ve all seen it and unfortunately at times our children can misbehave as well at Mass. Children can run down the aisles, crawl under the pews, make so much noise that no one can hear what is going on, scream and cry as if they are being tortured, and even throw Cheerios at each other and some unfortunate parishioners nearby. The congregation consequently thinks that the child is extremely disruptive and with all their terrible behavior that they must be possessed. Meanwhile, the parents try to console their child and get them to stop, but to no avail. They therefore have to make a mad dash to the Cry Room with their child before some parishioner has a major conniption fit and lashes out at the priest after Mass.

Children at Mass is an extremely touchy subject among parishioners today. Some say if the child can behave appropriately and stay quiet, by all means let them come to Mass. But . . . (yes that dreaded word that parents loathe to hear) if they cannot control themselves in a respectful way and allow everyone to hear the Mass, please take your child to the Cry Room. Period.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me” and children need to be in Mass so they can learn about our faith and be part of the congregation so how can this be done without causing problems?


1. Prepare your child in advance. Teach your child about how they are to behave in church and why.

Say to your child: “How should you behave at church? What should you not do in church? Can you run in church? Why should we not run in church?” (It does not show respect to God and it is not good manners.) “God doesn't come to your house and run around. You shouldn't run around in his.” Discuss. “If you ran in church, what would other people do? Discuss other bad behaviors and manners that kids do in church. How would someone in church react if they saw you do something bad? Discuss. How would your parents feel? Discuss. Why are good manners important at church?” (Because you should respect God's house.) Etc. Discuss.


And/Or you can do:

Social Stories for Church- Social stories are an effective method of providing both guidance and direction to promote self-awareness, self calming, and self-management in responding to social situations. The technique involves creating a short story that describes the situation and includes appropriate actions and expressions. By creating a short story, the situation is described in terms of relevant social cues, anticipated actions and information on what is occurring and why. The stories are written according to specific guidelines based on Gray’s extensive use of this technique. The story is also customized for the individual and their circumstance.


2. Do this lesson with your child: Church & Respect


3. Bring quiet activities for your child to do during Mass (books, coloring, etc.) if needed. Give praise to your child for good behavior.


4. Sit in the back so you can easily get to the Cry Room if your child (or the parent) needs a break.


5. Expect good days and bad days. No one is perfect and remember to take one day at a time.

Bedtime at Our House/Prayers

Back in the dark ages when my son was small, we had a bedtime routine that we adhered to vigilantly. He knew what was expected each night and it helped calm him down which made bedtime easy and without any problems. At bedtime (specified at a specific time that was the same time every night) we always read a Bible story or short book in his bed. Afterwards we would practice a prayer he was working on by adding a new line each week. Before long he would know the prayer and could recite it by himself. This was a great way for our son to learn about God and to learn his prayers. It also was great family time that I will never forget.

What To Give For Christmas

I’m not much for shopping and I really don’t need anything, but Oprah has the right idea about what to give for Christmas . . . love.

These heartfelt gifts are the ones you will cherish forever and will never forget.




Gratitude Boxes

All you do is get a container or box and decorate it. Then have everyone write a special note for that person to put inside. To make it easy, Oprah has made printable note cards for you.

What I love about you . . .

Thank you for . . .

My holiday wish for you . . .


Print these notes out and write your special message to that “special” person.


'Tis the season to let someone know how much you appreciate them and making it a wonderful Christmas for years to come.

Family Time

With today’s hectic life we spend less and less time together as a family. Most families are having a hard time making ends meet, but there are many activities they can do that won’t dent the budget. Here are a few just to get your creative juices going.


1. Play a favorite game or board game.

2. Pop some popcorn and watch a movie or DVD.

3. Make some cookies from scratch.

4. Watch a home movie/DVD or look at family photos.

5. Play a fun game outside.

6. Make an obstacle course and see who can get through it the fastest.

7. Make up a board game on poster board and play it.

8. Play a video or computer game and have teams.

9. Make something as a family (craft, toy, bird house, garden, etc.)

10. Rake the leaves into a pile from your yard and jump into it.

11. Ride bikes or go for a hike.

12. Go fly a kite.

13. Read a book or a Bible story together.

14. Plan and cook a dinner together to eat as a family.

15. Go camping (you can even do it in the back yard).

16. Make ice cream the old fashioned way.

17. Go pick berries, apples, oranges, etc.

18. Go fishing.

19. Make a calendar using family pictures to give to relatives.

20. Go to the park.

21. Do a family life blog. Fill it with family news, musing, tips, etc.

22. Volunteering for community service together as a family is a wonderful way of creating a special bond and lasting memories for families.

23. Walk the dog together.

24. Do a Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt.

Scavenger Hunt- Make a list of things to find. Divide the family into teams. Set a time to find as many things as possible on the list. The team with the most items from the list at the end of that time wins.

Treasure Hunt- Plan a Treasure Hunt for the family by hiding something and making a map that everyone must work together to find it.

25. Make your own putt-putt course and play it.


~*~
Successful Family Activities
familieswithpurpose.com

Planning fun and successful family activities shouldn't be a chore for busy parents. Most just require a little fore thought and a little planning to be successful. So don't get bogged down in the details or overwhelmed with the planning. The first thing to spoil family activities is a stressed parent, so go slow and ease into your routine.

*Alternate between planned and unplanned family activities. Not every family activity has to be an elaborate outing. Sticking around home and just "hanging out" can be just as fun. Just don't let the TV, computer, and video games become a distraction.

*Be flexible. Sometimes family activities don't go as planned. The baby is tired, the car had a flat tire, or it rained when it was supposed to be sunny and hot.

*Make sure the family activity is something everyone will enjoy or at least tolerate. Talk over the family activities ahead of time and get everyone's input. This will help prevent resistance later on.

*Schedule your family activities on the family calendar. Plan out for a month when the family will be together and schedule the family activities accordingly.

Lunchbox Love Notes

My son has special needs and had a very hard time in elementary school so I would hide a little “Love Note” in his lunchbox every day to let him know how special he was to me. It really brightened up his day and he looked forward to them each and every day. I made my own back in the dark ages, but now they have some online that you can print, cut out, sign, and keep nearby so you can put one inside your child’s lunchbox every day. Even if your child does not bring a lunch, you can put a "Love Note" in their book bag to bring a smile to their face.





For the above “love note” and 3 others designed by Theresa Sheeley, click on this for a FREE download to print out.



*Here are FREE Lunchbox Love Notes Links so you can print them out for your kids.


hubpages.com- Lunchbox Notes For Your Child: Ideas and suggestions for all ages.