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build self-esteem! The same criteria apply to Stories that praise, as they do to other Stories, including the requirement to gather information. If Authors only write stories that describe challenging situations, concepts, or skills, they are ignoring an important and required part of the writing process. They are not writing Social Stories^™.

      ACTIVITY

       Criterion 2 Activity: Two-Step Discovery

      Directions: Read each passage below. Is it TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)?

      1. A Story topic is like a sewing pattern. When writing a Social Story, start with the topic.

      T F

      2. Some Social Story topics are discovered; others are an Author’s “best guess.”

      T F

      3. In the process of gathering information for a Social Story, an Author may discover an alternate solution where no Story is needed.

      T F

      Answer: Two-Step Discovery underscores the importance of carefully gathering quality information prior to identification of a topic, which makes the first statement FALSE. The second statement is TRUE. While we would love to be able to discover the very best Story topic each and every time, Authors often have to sit down, review the information that they have gathered, and make the best guess. The final statement is TRUE. Authors may discover the nature of a problem or concern and its counterpart solution simultaneously. No Story required.

      FINAL NOTES

      Compared to many of the other Social Story Criteria, the 2^nd Criterion is a relative newcomer. It was introduced in 2010 when the original ten Social Story Criteria (Social Stories 10.0) were revised and reorganized to include the processes that create and implement each Story document. In the short time since its introduction, it has quickly gained prominence and detail. This is because it represents a critical first step that is all too often a missed or miss-step. In each Social Story 10.2 workshop there is a quote that aptly summarizes the role and contribution of the 2^nd Criterion: Get this right and the Story will almost write itself.

The 3rd Criterion: Three Parts and a Title

      DEFINITION

       A Social Story/Article has a title and introduction that clearly identifies the topic, a body that adds detail, and a conclusion that reinforces and summarizes the information.

      DISCUSSION

      Similar to all good stories, Social Stories^™ have roots in sound structure and organization: a title and introduction; a body; and a conclusion. When we recognize the purpose of a Social Story^™ and its unique Audience, these “story basics” take on increased importance. Select two or three Stories in this book to review, and note how each includes these important story elements.

      Writing with the introduction, body, and conclusion in mind helps Authors efficiently identify (introduction), describe (body), and reinforce (conclusion) the most important concepts in a Social Story^™. The introduction focuses attention on the first challenge: clearly stating the topic. A single sentence may complete the task: “If I lose a toy, people can help.” Sometimes, we may recruit the child’s attention first, “My name is Jeremy,” and then announce the topic. The body immediately follows the introduction, adding further description and/or explanation with statements like, “Mom or Dad knows how to find my toy. We will try to think and look.” The conclusion refers us back to the beginning— the concepts, situations, and/or achievements that initiated the Story. It restates the original purpose with the benefit of additional information, “People can help me look for my toy.” Collectively, the introduction, body, and conclusion guide the development of Social Stories^™ regardless of their complexity or length.

      In addition to organizing and sequencing our thoughts while writing a Story, the structure provided by the title, introduction, body, and conclusion clarifies information for our Audience. For any child, knowing what a Story is about first (the title and introduction) provides a frame where all subsequent details (the body) can be placed. As the Story draws to a close, important details can be reinforced and in some cases, personalized to the child’s experience (the conclusion). The same is true of Social Stories^™, with one difference. The Audience has an inherent difficulty conceptualizing, sequencing, “getting the gist” or the bigger picture, and applying information to their own experience. This increases the critical role of clear organization within each Story.

      ACTIVITY

      Answer: In order to have a clear and meaningful introduction, body, and conclusion, a Social Story^™ has a minimum of three sentences … The title, of course, doesn’t count.

      FINAL NOTES

      Before moving on stop a moment and try to recite the first three criteria. Yes, now—before reading a word further. They are: One Goal, Two-Part Discovery, and Three Parts and a Title. To this point, we’ve discussed the Goal, and explored what is meant by Two-Step Discovery. We’ve also covered basic story structure, and why every Social Story^™ has Three Parts & a Title. “FOURmat Makes it Mine!” is next!

       Criterion 3 Activity: Three Parts and a Title

      Directions: Considering the 3rd Criterion, complete the sentence below:

      A Social Story^™ must have a minimum of sentences.

The 4th Criterion: FOURmat Makes It Mine!

      DEFINITION

       The Social Story™ format is tailored to the individual abilities, attention span, learning style and—whenever possible—talents and/or interests of its Audience.

      DISCUSSION

      In a Social Story^™, format refers to the individualization, organization and presentation of text and illustration. There are several ways to tailor text and illustration to the needs of the Audience. Several individualized factors are considered, including the length of the Story, sentence structure, vocabulary, font and font size, tailoring to Audience talents and/or interests, and the organization of the text and illustration. The art and science of every Social Story^™ is selecting format elements that are most likely to be meaningful for the Audience. In other words, format is developed from an understanding of the Audience, so that in turn it may help the Audience understand.

      AGE AND ABILITY

      The age and ability of an Audience is central to Story format. For a younger child, the time required to peruse each page—or an entire Story—needs to be brief! Generally, a Social Story^™ for a young child will contain 3-12 short sentences. In addition, eliminating commas to create two or more shorter sentences is recommended. This matches the duration of many of their other interactions and activities throughout the day. Shorter Stories are challenging to write. A struggle often ensues between the opposing goals of covering the topic and keeping the Story brief. A good solution is to “write everything down” first, then edit the text back to the desired length.

      Sometimes, a topic will be impossible to cover in a short Story. To meet the demands of the topic and respect the attention of the child, information can be broken down into two or more shorter Stories. Called Social Story Sets, this format limits the length of each Story while making it possible to include important details and link concepts.

      Longer Stories are often more suitable for older or more advanced Audiences. These Stories will contain twelve sentences or more—up to and including extensive Social Articles. Considering the unique and complex topics that often accompany increased age and skill, having more time to explain the “ins and outs” that are involved is a welcome and necessary freedom! In this case “25 words or less” isn’t desirable or necessary; covering the topic takes a

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