Stories

Personalized stories are a great resource for teaching children, esp. those on the autism spectrum what is expected of them in specific situations.  I have created many stories since becoming a speech language pathologist.  They range in topics greatly . . . riding the bus, ordering at a restaurant, circle time, going to the dentist, dinner time, etc.  These stories are very basic and tell how to do something or what is appropriate behavior in a very specific situation.  Below is a story that I created for a 4th grader who repeatedly brought toys to school.  It was becoming a problem in the classroom and at recess.  I included pictures of his house, his school, his toys, and him in the story to illustrate.  Children on the autism spectrum are concrete so using pictures of his things helped him to apply the story to himself. 

Title page: Toys at School-Boyd's Story*
Page 1: Toys are a lot of fun.
Page 2: But, they should not come to school. 
Page 3: I have fun toys to play with at home.
Page 4:  I should leave my toys at home so that they don't get lost or broken.
Page 5:  If I bring a toy to school, I need to leave it in my backpack.
Page 6:  I can only show my toy to a friend if my teacher says it is okay.
Page 7:  Then, I need to put it back in my backpack.
Page 8: My toys are for playing with at home.

We read this story during every speech therapy session for 3 months, until he stopped bringing toys to school and disrupting his class. 

*name has been changed