Based on the student’s needs and interests, and based on the targeted skill and related concepts, what type of social narrative should you develop – a situational story, coping comic, thought story, and/or coping card?
Use social narratives as appropriate for this student: base the integration of this type of visual support on the student’s interests, reading skills, and attention span. Situational stories are great for explaining when sarcasm or idioms may be used and why, but tend to be a little more text-heavy than coping comics or thought stories (but always remember you can add icons, images, and photographs to situational stories when needed!). Coping comics and thought stories can visually depict elements of attribution and perspective-taking. Additionally, coping cards may be used to help a student when confronted with stress around misunderstanding what someone says and seeking clarification.
This thought story set reveals how the same statement can have different meanings, depending on the circumstances. As you discuss this social narrative with the student, clarify how the speaker’s tone might sound different when he says “good job” in the first vignette, versus the second.
"Interpreting Idioms And Sarcasm - Social Narrative - Thought Story 1"
A coping card can provide a short phrase for the student, and perhaps even be combined with a simple script if necessary:
How can you visually or thematically incorporate the student’s interests and preferences into this social narrative to increase motivation and engagement?
What additional visual clarity cues (e.g. images, bolding, highlighting) might you add to the social narrative to support comprehension and to promote attention to key details?
Can you design the narrative so that it might not only be used in practice settings, but also reviewed independently by the student in generalized settings?
Key phrases or images from social narratives make for great visual cues. For example, if the student finds a particular idiom or image from a social narrative funny or interesting, edit it for future general reference:
In order to align this intervention topic area with the unique needs of the student, do you need to create a social narrative in the View2do program?