The Effect of Social Stories on the Social Interactions of a Student with ASD in Unstructured School Activities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether using social stories would impact the social interactions of a student with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during unstructured times at school, specifically during centers and lunch. Observations were conducted before, during, and after the intervention to determine the mean frequency with which the student engaged in conversations. Descriptive statistics also were compiled from surveys to determine the quality of the student’s conversations with assigned lunch buddies. The only significant change in the frequency of conversations was between the pre and post phases during center times. Student perceptions of the number of conversations were not always consistent, but their perceptions of the intervention and the quality of conversations were generally quite positive. Conducting future studies over more extended periods of time and using larger samples might help more fully assess the effectiveness and perceptions of using social stories to facilitate social interactions among students with ASD.