Effects of perspective sentences in Social Stories™ on improving the adaptive behaviors of students with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities

This study examined the effects of adding perspective sentences to Social Stories™ on improving the adaptive behaviors of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related disabilities. In Study 1, two students with ASD read two different types of Social Stories: Social Story without perspective sentences (SS without PS) and Social Story with perspective sentences (SS with PS). ABC or ABCA designs were used, with an SS without PS presented in the B phase and an SS with PS presented in the C phase. A visual inspection revealed that Social Stories were likely to be effective in reducing inappropriate behaviors even without perspective sentences. In addition, adding perspective sentences appeared to have no impact on further improving the target behaviors. In Study 2, a perspective sentence was added, characterized as specific, valuable, and contingent to a Social Story in the SS with PS condition. An AA 'BA 'CA' design was utilized, with a permanent visual step poster in the A' phase, an SS without PS in the B phase, and an SS with PS in the C phase for a student diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A visual inspection revealed that adding a perspective sentence to a Social Story contributed to further improvement of the target behavior. Based on these findings component and parametric analyses on Social Stories are recommended in future research.