Abstract
Social narratives, or story-based interventions, are defined as stories that describe social situations, appropriate social behaviors to display, and when to display the specified behaviors. Social narratives are a commonly implemented and empirically evaluated procedure used to improve social behavior and decrease the probability of aberrant behavior for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Although social narratives are a commonly implemented and evaluated procedure, recommendations about their use and effectiveness is conflicting. This paper reviews six interventions that fit the definition of social narratives (i.e., Social Stories™/social stories, social scripts, cartooning, comic strip conversations, power cards, and social autopsies). Fifteen articles were analyzed across multiple methodological dimensions to determine the level of evidence (i.e., convincing, partial, or not convincing). Results of the analysis indicated that the majority of social narrative studies did not demonstrate convincing evidence. Recommendations for clinicians and future research are discussed based on the results of the literature review.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, L., Gouvousis, A., VanLue, M., & Wladron, C. (2004). Social story intervention: Improving communication skills in a child with autism spectrum disorder. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19(2), 87–94.
Ahmed-Husain, S., & Dunsmuir, S. (2014). An evaluation of the effectiveness of comic strip conversations in promoting the inclusion of young people with autism spectrum disorder in secondary schools. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 60(2), 89–108.
Angell, M. E., Nicholson, J. K., Watts, E. H., & Blum, C. (2011). Using a multicomponent adapted power card strategy to decrease latency during interactivity transitions for three children with developmental disabilities. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 26(4), 206–217.
Baer, D. M., Wolf, M. M., & Risley, T. R. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(1), 91–97.
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2014). Professional and ethical compliance code for behavior analysts. Littleton: Author.
Bieber, J. (1994). Learning disabilities and social skills with Richard LaVoie: Last one picked...First one picked on. Washington, DC: Public Broadcasting Service.
Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Campbell, A., & Tincani, M. (2011). The power card strategy: Strength-based intervention to increase direction following of children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 13(4), 240–249.
Coogle, C. G., Ahmed, S., Aljaffal, M. A., Alsheef, M. Y., & Hamdi, H. A. (2017). Social narrative strategies to support children with autism spectrum disorder. Early Childhood Education Journal, 46, 445–450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-017-0873-7.
Cook, B. G., & Cook, S. C. (2011). Unraveling evidence-baased practices in special education. The Journal of Special Education, 47(2), 71–82.
Daubert, A., Hornstein, S., & Tincani, M. (2015). Effects of a modified power card strategy on turn taking and social commenting of children with autism spectrum disorder playing board games. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 27, 93–110.
Davis, K. M., Boon, R. T., Cihak, D. F., & Fore, C. (2010). Power cards to improve conversational skills in adolescents with Asperger syndrome. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 25(1), 12–22.
Dollaghan, C. A. (2007). The handbook for evidence-based practice in communication disorders. Baltimore, MD: Brookes
Ganz, J. B., Kaylor, M., Bourgeois, B., & Hadden, K. (2008). The impact of social scripts and visual cues on verbal communication in three children with autism spectrum disorder. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 23(2), 79–94.
Gray, C. (1994a). Comic strip conversations: Illustrated interactions that teach conversation skills to students with autism and related disorders. Jenison: Jenison Public Schools.
Gray, C. (1994b). Social stories. Arlington: Future Horizons.
Gray, C. A., & Garand, J. D. (1993). Social stories: Improving responses of students with autism with accurate social information. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 8, 1–10.
Horner, R. H., Carr, E. G., Halle, J., McGee, G., Odom, S., & Wolery, M. (2005). The use of single-subject research to identify evidence-based practice in special education. Exceptional Children, 71(2), 165–179.
Hundert, J., Rowe, S., & Harrison, E. (2014). The combined effects of social script training and peer buddies on generalized peer interaction of children with ASD in inclusive classrooms. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 29(4), 206–215.
Hutchins, T. L., & Prelock, P. A. (2006). Using social stories and comic strip conversations to promote socially valid outcomes for children with autism. Seminars in Speech and Language, 27(1), 47–59.
Hutchins, T. L., & Prelock, P. A. (2008). Supporting theory of mind development: Considerations and recommendations for professionals providing services to individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Topics in Language Disorders, 28(4), 340–364.
Hutchins, T. L., & Prelock, P. A. (2012). Parents’ perspective of their children’s social behavior: The social validity of social stories™ and comic strip conversations. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 15(3), 156–168.
Kazdin, A. E. (2011). Single-case research designs: Methods for clinical and applied settings (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Keeling, K., Myles, B. S., Gagnon, E., & Simpson, R. L. (2003). Using the power card strategy to teach sportsmanship skills to a child with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18(2), 105–111.
Kennedy, C. H. (2005). Single-case designs for educational research. Boston: MA: Pearson Education, Inc..
Leaf, J. B., Oppenheim-Leaf, M. L., Leaf, R. B., Taubman, M., McEachin, J., Parker, T., Waks, A. B., & Mountjoy, T. (2015). What is the proof? A methodological review of studies that have utilized social stories. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 50(2), 127–141.
Loveland, K. A., & Tunali, B. (1991). Social scripts for conversational interactions in autism and down syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 21(2), 177–186.
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097.
National Autism Center. (2015a). Evidence-based practice and autism in the schools (2nd ed.). Randolph: Author.
National Autism Center. (2015b). Findings and conclusions: National standards project, phase 2. Randolph: Author.
Parker, D., & Kamps, D. (2011). Effects of task analysis and self-monitoring for children with autism in multiple social settings. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disorders, 26(3), 131–142.
Pierson, M. R., & Glaeser, B. C. (2005). Extension of research on social skills training using comic strip conversations to students without autism. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 40(3), 279–284.
Pierson, M. R., & Glaeser, B. C. (2007). Using comic strip conversations to increase social satisfaction and decrease loneliness in students with autism spectrum disorder. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 42(4), 460–466.
Reynhout, G., & Carter, M. (2011). Evaluation of the efficacy of social stories™ using three single subject metrics. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 36, 445–469.
Rhodes, C. (2014). Do social stories help to decrease disruptive behaviour in children with autistic spectrum disorders? A review of the published literature. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 18, 35–50.
Roth, M. E., Gillis, J. M., & DiGennaro Reed, F. D. (2014). A meta-analysis of behavioral interventions for adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Behavioral Education, 23(2), 258–286.
Styles, A. (2011). Social stories™: Does the research evidence support the popularity? Educational Psychology in Practice, 27, 415–436.
Van Houten, R., Axelrod, S., Bailey, J. S., Favell, J. E., Foxx, R. M., Iwata, B. A., & Lovaas, O. I. (1988). The right to effective behavioral treatment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 21(4), 381–384.
Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K., Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., et al. (2013). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism Spectrum disorder. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Autism Evidence-Based Practice Review Group.
Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. A., Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., Brock, M. E., Plavnick, J. B., Fleury, V. P., & Schultz, T. R. (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A comprehensive review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(7), 1951–1966. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2351-z.
Zimmerman, K. N., & Ledford, J. R. (2017). Beyond ASD: Evidence for the effectiveness of social narratives. Journal of Early Intervention, 39(3), 199–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/105381511770900.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical Approval
This article does not contain any studies with human or animal participants performed by any of the authors.
Informed Consent
As such no informed consent was needed in this study.
Conflict of Interest
None of the authors have any conflict of interests with the information presented within this article.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Leaf, J.B., Ferguson, J.L., Cihon, J.H. et al. A Critical Review of Social Narratives. J Dev Phys Disabil 32, 241–256 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-019-09692-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-019-09692-2