Social Stories™
Freemantles is a Social Storiestm Satellite School. Accredited by Carol Gray.
We currently offer a package of training which covers Social Stories™, Comic strip coversations and Social Context. Some of these sessions will be for professionals and others for parents. for more details click here.
What are Social Stories™?
Social Stories™ were developed by Carol Gray.
A Social Story™ describes a situation, skill, or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses in a specifically defined style and format.
The goal of a Social Story™ is to share accurate social information in a patient and reassuring manner that is easily understood by its audience. Half of all Social Stories™ developed should affirm something that an individual does well.
Although the goal of a Story™ should never be to change the individual’s behaviour, that individual’s improved understanding of events and expectations may lead to more effective responses.
Carol Gray is the Director of The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has completed over 22 years of employment with Jenison Public Schools in Jenison, Michigan, initially as a teacher with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and in recent years as a consultant to students with ASD in inclusive educational programs. In 1991, Carol developed Social Stories™ and Comic Strip Conversations strategies that are used worldwide with children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). She has published several resources on topics related to children and adults with ASD, including articles on bullying, death and dying, and how to teach social understanding. (Carol’s complete three-part series of articles, Gray’s Guide to Bullying Parts I-III, 2000-2001, was reprinted under one cover in a special edition of the Jenison Autism Journal, Vol 16 #1, 2004). She is the recipient of the Barbara Lipinski Award for her international contribution to the education and welfare of people with ASD.
How can I write Social Stories™?
Social Stories™ are written with a set of ten very specific criteria. These ensure the social, emotional and physical safety of the messages that the stories contain. Therefore we recommend that all authors consult training which is ratified by Carol Gray and the Gray institute, before undertaking the writing of a story. This can be done a number of ways:
- Training provided by Freemantles, as a Social Stories™ Satellite School (see below)
- Training provided by Carol Gray and Team Social Stories™: http://carolgraysocialstories.com
- Books written by Carol Gray
Our Social Stories™ training team
The Social Stories™ trainers at Freemantles have been trained by Carol Gray. We do not write Social Stories™ on request, as it is important to gather evidence first-hand and know the audience. We can check over Stories that others have written and give advice on writing stories within the ten criteria.
Vanessa Clark (Assistant Head - Community): vclark@freemantles.surrey.sch.uk
Justin Price (Executive Head teacher): jprice@freemantles.surrey.sch.uk
Sam Tedder (Class Teacher): stedder@freemantles.surrey.sch.uk
Accredited Social Stories Training
Why do children and young people with autism struggle to negotiate the social world and what can we do to support them?
Social Understanding - At Freemantles School
Why do children and young people with autism struggle to negotiate the social world and what can we do to support them?
Autumn 2-day course:
Tuesday 22nd October & Wednesday 6th November 2024
Summer 2-day course:
Wednesdays 23rd & 30th Apr 2025
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Day 1 Social Context Comic Strip Conversations
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A look into the issues around context blindness faced by many of our young people and the social context teaching which is needed to help this. |
| A training package designed to enable staff and parents to use Comic Strip Conversations effectively to support social understanding. | |
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Day 2 Social Stories |
The full Social Stories™ accredited training package, delivered on behalf of Carol Gray by members of the Freemantles Social Stories Satellite School. Social Stories are a social learning tool that supports the safe and meaningful exchange of information between parents, professionals, and people with autism of all ages. |
This training is intended for parents or professionals working with young people with autism.
The cost for professionals is £210. The cost for parents is £50.
Lunch will be provided on both days.
The full Social Stories™ accredited training package, delivered on behalf of Carol Gray by members of the Freemantles Social Stories Satellite School. Social Stories are a social learning tool that supports the safe and meaningful exchange of information between parents, professionals, and people with autism of all ages.
Booking: https://www.trybooking.co.uk/BGPZ
It is also possible to book accredited trainers to deliver whole team training in your own setting. This is subject to availability of our trainers. For more information, contact Vanessa on vclark@freemantles.surrey.sch.uk
For all training sessions:
Please note that all places are allocated on a first come first served basis. Places will not be confirmed until full payment is received.
In the event of low numbers, we will contact delegates and offer a place on an alternative course. In the event of high interest, we may add further dates.
Freemantles reserves the right to cancel sessions due to adverse weather conditions, but alternative dates will be offered.
The information you provide will be used for the purposes of the administration of training bookings and will be shared in line with the Freemantles Privacy Notice for Training and Conferences (click here to read). We will not use your information for any other purpose unless we have your consent or the law allows us to do so. We are committed to protecting your information and will handle it in line with the Data Protection Act 2018. For further information about how we handle personal information and your rights, visit our website at: http://www.freemantles.surrey.sch.uk/Data-Protection/
