New experiences can be exciting, but they can also feel overwhelming for many children. Whether it’s visiting a new clinic, starting a school year, or dealing with a change in routine, the unknown can bring up anxiety, worry, or frustration.

One incredibly helpful tool to support children in these moments is social stories.
In this blog, you’ll learn what they are, how they work, why they’re useful, and you’ll get a step-by-step guide to creating an effective social story for your child.

At the end, we’ve also included a small example of how we at Neuronaut create personalised social stories for a child’s first visit to our office.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• What is a social story

• Benefits of social stories

• What a social story is not

• How to create a social story: practical steps

• How to use a social story

What is a social story?

A social story is a written or visual resource that describes a situation, routine, or activity a child will experience.

The goal is to help your child understand what will happen, who will be there, what they can expect, and what actions they might take, all in a clear, literal and supportive way.

It’s not a generic story or abstract explanation. A good social story is specific, concrete, and tailored to your child’s real experience.

Benefits of social stories

Social stories help children to:

• Reduce anxiety about new or unfamiliar experiences

• Understand what will happen step by step

• Feel more confident and prepared

• Improve communication between children and their adults through shared discussion

• Build independence by providing clarity around routines and expectations

What a social story is not

To work effectively, a social story should never:

• Include threats or punishments

• Use vague or abstract language

• Give unnecessary or irrelevant details

• Be generic or disconnected from your child’s actual experience

How to create a social story: practical steps

Step 1: Define the goal

What do you want your child to understand or practise?
For example: attending an appointment, taking public transport, starting a new class.

Step 2: Break the experience into small steps

List each part of the experience from start to finish.
For example: arriving, greeting someone, waiting, participating, finishing, heading home.

Step 3: Write clear, concrete sentences

• Use positive, literal language

• Keep sentences short and easy to understand

• Whenever possible, use first person like:

  “I will walk into the room and say hello to the person who will help me.”

Step 4: Add visual supports

• Real photos if you can

• Simple illustrations

• Icons or symbols that match the actions in the story

Step 5: Organise and review

• One idea per page or section

• Check that the story is clear, relevant, and easy for your child to follow

Step 6: Review with your child and family

• Share the story before the event

• Encourage questions

• Read it together several times

How to use a social story

• Read it calmly together

• Re-read it in the days leading up to the event

• Point to pictures as you read

• Highlight key messages and invite your child to make comments

• Use the story as a gentle guide during the activity, never as pressure or correction

A practical note

At Neuronaut, we create a personalised social story for each child’s first visit to the clinic, complete with photos of our space and our team. This helps children feel familiar with the environment and reduces uncertainty.

Remember: social stories are not just for clinic visits. You can make one for school, for a trip, for sports, for birthdays, for anything that might bring a sense of unpredictability for your child.

Conclusion

Creating social stories is a simple and powerful way to support your child through new and sometimes challenging experiences. With clear steps, concrete language, and visual supports, you can help your child feel safe, understood, and prepared for whatever comes next.

If any of these sound familiar, we’re here to help!

Need support? Get in touch!

Have questions? Feel free to reach out or drop them in our question block below—we’d love to help!

If you think your child would benefit from working with an occupational therapist, feel free to fill out our referral form, and we’ll be in touch to support you on this journey.

Join the conversation

If this article has inspired you or raised questions, we’d love to hear from you. Share it with others who might also benefit from these ideas and help us spread the message further.

Together, we can celebrate differences and build a society that embraces neurodiversity in all its forms.

This content has been created for informational purposes only and should not replace professional evaluation. The article has been reviewed by our editorial team.

References

• Gray, C., Faherty, C., Timmins, S., & Lanou, A. (2023). Social Stories™ 10.4 Criteria. Carol Gray Social Stories. https://carolgraysocialstories.com/social-stories/social-stories-10-4-updates/ 

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