Social Stories

boy reading book

"Social stories" are stories that teach a child the expected behavior in a given circumstance. Usually they are written from the child's point of view and work really well with kids on the autism spectrum though can also be used with other children as well.
FYI Carol Gray invented them so I have to give her a shout out!
http://www.thegraycenter.org/social-stories

I like to write my own but you can also find alot of websites that have pre-written ones!

Here's the basics for writing one:
Name the child and where they live or go to school.
Discuss the problem they are working on.
Discuss the expected behaviors for addressing the social problem. Include details /steps if needed
If necessary, name the unexpected/undesired behavior you do NOT want to see
Provide encouragement/praise for expected behavior

Here's an example Im making up right now for a child who needs to make their bed. Im going to make it really short but it can be longer and should include PICTURES. Photos of the child are the best if you can do that!
"Hello my name is Patience. I live in PA and work (normally you would write where the child goes to school  for instance, or where the child lives like town or with which parents/grandparents etc). I am working on making my bed. I need to make it EVERY morning when I wake up before I leave the house. I have to pull up the covers and smooth out the blankets.  If I make my bed my parents will be happy! It will make my room look nice and neat. If I DON't make my bed my mom and dad will be sad and my room will be messy. I will have to make my bed when  I get home if I forget to do it in the morning. I am doing a good job learning to make my bed! Mom and dad are proud of me!"
(disclaimer- I dont actually make my bed and my parents don't know about it! :) )
I hope that helps!
Here are some websites with some stories:

http://www.ccsd.edu/LittleTor.cfm?subpage=5804
http://www.thewatsoninstitute.org/teacher-resources2.jsp?pageId=2161392240601226415747290
http://blog.autismspectrumdirectory.com/2011/02/01/list-of-social-stories-and-visual-scripts-for-daily-living-and-social-skills/
http://kidscandream.webs.com/page12.htm

With the new technology out there now people are making social story Videos on youtube, also power point slides of stories, and even ones for the ipad! There are apps with social stories too. 

I can write an individualized story for your child if needed.