social story for problem solving

Using Social Stories in Speech Therapy

What is it.

A social story is exactly what it sounds like: a brief, simple story designed to teach children about social situations and appropriate responses. Social stories were originally developed in 1991 by Carol Gray of The Gray Center. Gray had been a consultant to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) . Social stories were originally intended solely for use by those with ASD; however, they can also be helpful for improving communication in non-autistic children.

What Do Social Stories Address?

Children with autism typically have difficulty with reciprocal social interactions. That is, they cannot or do not wish to interact with their peers. They often have difficulty maintaining the flow of a conversation, they might offer inappropriate responses, or they might obsessively talk about one specific topic. Social stories are designed to address these communication issues.

How Do Social Stories Work?

Social stories are intended to work by providing frameworks for the child’s social interactions. They provide clear, easy-to-follow descriptions of social situations and the appropriate responses and behaviors. It has also been suggested that social stories may help children to organize social cues and reduce social anxiety. This might allow a child to more effectively concentrate on the social situation.

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Social stories might also help reduce inappropriate behaviors and teach problem-solving skills. However, it’s worth noting that some object to the use of social stories to teach appropriate social responses because of the possibility that this technique teaches just one response to a situation.

How Are Social Stories Written?

Social stories use simple descriptive sentences to provide basic details about a situation. They also use perspective sentences to describe possible emotional responses. Directive sentences inform the child of socially acceptable responses and behaviors. These are the basic types of sentences; some social stories may use others.

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Social stories are written from the child’s point of view, in first person. They are always written in the present tense. Teachers, parents, and speech-language pathologists (SLP) can customize a social story to match the child’s comprehension and vocabulary. Some examples of social stories are available at The Gray Center’s website.

How to Use Social Stories

Social stories should be read aloud with the child two or more times. The parent, teacher, or SLP will then use role-play to check the child’s comprehension. For example, you might say, “Let’s make-believe that we’re at the beach. What happens at the beach?” Each day, reread the social stories that you and your child and currently working on until your child no longer needs them.

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IRIE Classroom Social Problem-Solving Stories

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The IRIE Classroom Stories Book includes fourteen pictorial stories that include common problems faced by young children in school and how to overcome them (e.g. how to share materials, waiting for a turn, and working together). The stories are suitable for children aged 3-8 years and aim to promote children’s social and emotional skills. The stories have no words and the pictures are used to promote discussion and to encourage children to problem-solve. Each story has a one-page teacher guide giving guidance on the aims, key vocabulary, discussion points and suggested questions. The stories are available for download as a complete set or as individual books.

Alex and the Red & Yellow Truck

Two children want to play with the same truck. How do the children feel and what can they do to solve the problem?

Alicia and the Beautiful Dolly

Two children want to play with the same doll. How do the children feel and what can they do to solve the problem?

The Toy Shelf

One child wants a toy that another child is using. She asks to share but the other child says no. How does she feel and what can she do?

The Special Book

Two children want the same picture book. The teacher gives the book to one of the children. The other child is given a different book. How do the children feel? What can they do to solve the problem?

Jealous Jessica and the Test Paper

Two children have done a test. One did very well. The other one didn’t do well and she is jealous. What can she do?

The Building Bunch

Three children are playing with blocks. One child takes nearly all the blocks. How do the other children feel? What can the children do to solve the problem?

The Demolished Tower

Four children are building an amazing tower and they are feeling excited and proud. One child makes a wrong move and the tower falls down. How do the children feel and what can they do?

Patrick and the Puzzling Puzzle

A child is doing a very hard puzzle. He gets frustrated. What can he do?

Lunchtime Lesson

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The Shady Swing

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The Break Time Game

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Teasing Tristan

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Sad Shanelle

One child is crying. What should the other children do?

Naughty Natalie

One child hits another child. How are the children feeling? What should they do?

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30 Problem Solving Scenarios for Speech Therapy Practice

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Problem solving scenarios.

• Your friends came over to your house for a movie night. One of your friends brought another friend so there are more people than you planned for. You want to pass out the drinks but you only have five cans of soda and you need 6 for everyone to have one. What could you do?
• After basketball practice you go back to the locker room with your team to shower and change. When you are done dressing, you can't find your shoes. What could you do?
• You have been waiting all day for lunch to come because you are starving. Finally class gets over and you get to go to lunch. Except when you go to get to your lunch, it's not there. You probably left it at home. What could you do?
• There is a guy in your class who is always mean to you. He always bumps you when he walks by and he calls you names. He knocks stuff out of your hands and makes you feel stupid. You don't think you can take it anymore. What could you do?
• You really want to invite this new girl/guy to come to your birthday party, but you have never talked to them before. You are worried they will say no. What could you do?
• You rode the bus to school today and on the way in people are pointing and laughing at you. You go in the bathroom and see that you have pink gum all over the back of your pants. What could you do?
• You wake up and see that your alarm never went off. So you are starting your morning 15 minutes later than you planned. It is a really important day at school and you cannot be late. What could you do?
• You are giving a group presentation in front of class and it's your turn to talk. All of the sudden you sneeze. You cover it with your hand, but now your hand is full of stuff you sneezed out. What could you do?
• You are eating dinner at a fancy restaurant with your parents and their friends. You have a really messy dinner and accidentally flip a noodle into the lady's lap. They are busy talking and don't notice it. What could you do?
• You are taking a test and there is no talking allowed. You are writing your answers on the paper and your pencil breaks. What could you do?
• You are taking a test and the guy behind you asks you for help. He wants to know what you put for question number two. What could you do?
• You are at a birthday party and you have waited in line for a long time for your turn to hit the pinata. It is finally going to be your turn and it looks like the next hit will break the pinata. But you suddenly have to go to the bathroom. What could you do?
• You are hanging outside with your friend and she decides to pick your neighbor's flowers. She gives you the pretty handful of flowers and right then your neighbor opens the door. She asks you why you picked her flowers. What could you do?
• You borrowed your sister's skates one day without asking and they broke while you were using them. What could you do?
• You are eating at a friend's house and the mom piles your plate full of food. It looks really good and you want to eat it all but you can't because you just ate a snack. What could you do so you don't hurt her feelings?

SEE ALSO:   The Best Free App for Speech Therapy

• Your teacher was working at her desk.  You wanted to ask her a question, but she didn't see your hand raised. What should you do?
• You started to do your work, but you weren't sure if you were doing it right. What should you do?
• You were playing tether-ball and were the champion so far.  In the next game, you slightly touched the rope.  Only one student saw you touch the rope. What will you do?
• The teacher is giving directions, but your friend sitting next to you keeps talking.  You can't hear the directions. What should you do?
• You didn't do your homework.  Your teacher was upset with you. What should you do?
• You finished eating and felt a burp coming. What are you going to do?
• You were waiting to swing.  When it was your turn, another boy jumped in front of you and took the swing. What would you do?
• You waited a long time, but your mom didn't come to pick you up after school. What should you do?
• A bully threatened to beat you up after school. What should you do?
• A boy on the playground keeps pushing you and making you mad. What would you do?
• You were sitting in class doing your work and you hear the fire alarm. What should you do?
• An adult you didn't know came on to the playground and asked if you would help look for his lost dog. What would you do?
• You forgot your lunch at home. What would you do?
• The person sitting behind you keeps tapping your chair with his foot. What should you do?
• You finished your work early. What should you do?

This list of functional words was professionally selected to be the most useful for a child or adult who has difficulty with problem solving scenarios.

We encourage you to use this list when practicing at home.

Home practice will make progress toward meeting individual language goals much faster.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are only able to see students/clients 30-60 mins (or less) per week. This is not enough time or practice for someone to handle Problem solving scenarios.

Every day that your loved one goes without practice it becomes more difficult to help them. 

SEE ALSO:   The Best Books for Speech Therapy Practice

We know life is busy , but if you're reading this you're probably someone who cares about helping their loved one as much as you can.

Practice 5-10 minutes whenever you can, but try to do it on a consistent basis (daily).

Please, please, please use this list to practice.

It will be a great benefit to you and your loved one's progress.

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How to Write a Social Story + 13 Editable Stories

In 1991, Social Stories TM  were first created by Carol Gray. Social stories are a simple description of how to behave and what to expect in a particular situation or activity. They provide very specific guidance about a situation and directions for how to respond and behave in various social situations. A social story is meant to help explain expected social behaviors in a given situation. Social stories may use words or images or both to help present the expected circumstances in a situation for the individual student.

The following terms ‘social story’ and ‘social stories’ are both trademarks created and owned by  Carol Gray .

Types of Social Stories

The following are the different types of social stories that can be used to:

•  accomplish grooming and self-care skills (e.g., how to wash hands, brush teeth, or get dressed), social skills (e.g., asking for help, expected classroom behaviors, hitting, or joining a group) and academic skills.
•  explain how others might feel or behave in a particular situation (e.g., some people like loud music).
•  cope with changes to routine and unexpected or troubling events (e.g., absence of a teacher, fire drill, snow day).
•  help with expected and unexpected behaviors (e.g., what to do when you want to finish the assignment, how to cope with an annoying classmate).
• describing an upcoming event (e.g., doctor’s office, dentist, field trip).

Working on flexibility for students with autism with @jbauuuer – making subtle changes to task boxes and visual schedules.💡Powerful day! #explicitinstruction #socialstories #ConnectGrowServe @kyautism @NKCESKids1st @CCSchoo1s pic.twitter.com/EkHuvtXi0O — Dr. Merissa Waddey (@merissa_waddey) January 23, 2020

How can Social Stories Help?

Social stories can help provide students with autism a literal way to understand a difficult or confusing previous situation or activity. A social story can be modified and adapted to meet each student’s individual needs and learning style.

They can help with executive functioning, such as organizing and planning out a series of steps.    

In addition, social stories can provide the student with what to expect in a particular situation and guidelines for how they are expected to behave in that given situation. This can help reduce a student’s level of anxiety and reduce unwanted behaviors.

Grab the 13 Free Editable Social Stories & Easy How to Handout!

Who can use a social story™.

Social stories were originally created for the use with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, social stories can be beneficial for any child who struggles with social communication or social skills.

I’ve drawn some cracking social stories in my time, but today’s ‘When our friends hold the door for us, the correct response is not to lick them’ has to be in my top 2…how I kept a straight face for that one I do not know. 🤦🏼‍♀️ #teaching #teacherproblems #youcouldntmakeitup pic.twitter.com/SbJbvpvc7O — Lauren – (@laurenjo234) January 20, 2020

How to Write a Social Story™

Social stories are typically written in first person and from the student’s perspective. The story should answer the who, what, when, where, and why about the particular situation or the expected behavior you are trying to elicit from the student.

• Identify Situation: First, start by identifying a situation in which your student is struggling to understand or struggling to display the expected behavior in a particular situation.
• Two Main Sentence Types: There are two main types of sentences 1) descriptive and 2) directive.
• Factual Sentence : “The students are sitting.”
• Perspective Sentence : “It makes the teacher happy when I have safe hands”
• Cooperative Sentence: “If I need help, I can ask my tablemate first.”
• Affirmative Sentence:   Staying calm when I don’t finish my assignment is good.
• Create Possible Responses (e.g., “If I know the answer, I can raise my hand and wait quietly for the teacher to call on me.”)
• Help Guide the Student’s Behavior (e.g., “I can try to…”).
• Descriptive vs. Directive: While writing the social story try to keep a ratio of at least 2 descriptive sentences for every directive sentence. It is important to keep the story more descriptive than directive.
• Have Your Student Help: If your student is able they can be a part of the creation of the social story. This can help aide in the ownership of the story and increase compliance. You can use open-ended questions to help guide the student in creating their own social story. 
• Add Pictures: Use real-life photos of your student if possible or other visuals to help increase a student’s understanding. Place the pictures above the text and make sure they help to increase the overall understanding of the social story.

How to Introduce a Social Story?

• Read through the story with your student.
• The social story should be read often and before a difficult situation.
• As your student begins to perform the social story with appropriate social skills the story can be read less frequently.

Social Story™ Example

Background information: Marcus is a 3rd grader who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and struggles when there is a substitute teacher at school.

• Descriptive: Sometimes my teacher is sick and there is a substitute teacher for one day or a few days.
• Descriptive: It can be scary when there is a new teacher because I don’t know them.
• Descriptive: When there is a substitute teacher I can ask them their name or questions about themselves to get to know them better.
• Descriptive: When there is a substitute teacher I will know first thing in the morning and can read my social story.
• Directive: When there is a substitute teacher and I am overwhelmed by the change I can ask for a break and go to the reading corner for 5 minutes.
• Descriptive: It will make my teacher Mrs. K happy to hear that when I was sad or overwhelmed I asked for a break and read a book.
• Descriptive: I like making Mrs. K happy!

Reading the Story

It is important to sit down with the student and read the story to him or her or have them read the story to themselves.  The children should be in a “ready to learn” state.  Read the book several times and have the children read it as well if possible.  Discuss personal experiences regarding the story to make connections to real-world situations.

After the Story

After reading the story with the student several times role-play the scenario and expected behaviors. When the child exhibits the expected behaviors provide them with positive feedback. Be sure to keep the social story in close proximity to the student so they can have access to it as needed.

Example Stories

Below are a few examples of the editable social stories that come along with this freebie! The freebie includes all of the following:

• Keeping my Fingers out of my Nose
• Taking Pictures at School
• Personal Space
• Having a Fire Drill
• Moving Around the Cafeteria (high school)
• Using my Cellphone at School (high school)
• Closing the Bathroom Door
• Mimicking Others (echolalia)
• Not Hitting Other People
• Popping Pimples
• Think Inside My Head ( social filter )
• Walking Down the Hallway
• Safe Zones at School

Social stories are used for a variety of reasons to help students better understand different social situations and how to act appropriately during those social situations. Be sure to grab your free editable social stories!

More, C. M. (2012). Social Stories™ and young children: Strategies for teachers.  Intervention in School and Clinic ,  47 (3), 167-174.

Carol Gray’s  The new social story book , 2015

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Solutions for Social Emotional Learning & Executive Functioning

Teaching Social Problem-Solving with a Free Activity

February 3, 2018 by pathway2success 5 Comments

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Kids and young adults need to be able to problem-solve on their own. Every day, kids are faced with a huge number of social situations and challenges. Whether they are just having a conversation with a peer, working with a group on a project, or dealing with an ethical dilemma, kids must use their social skills and knowledge to help them navigate tough situations. Ideally, we want kids to make positive choices entirely on their own. Of course, we know that kids don’t start off that way. They need to learn how to collaborate, communicate, cooperate, negotiate, and self-advocate.

Social problem solving skills are critical skills to learn for kids with autism, ADHD, and other social challenges. Of course, all kids and young adults benefit from these skills. They fit perfectly into a morning meeting discussion or advisory periods for older kids. Not only are these skills that kids will use in your classroom, but throughout their entire lives. They are well worth the time to teach!

Here are 5 steps to help kids learn social problem solving skills:

1. Teach kids to communicate their feelings. Being able to openly and respectfully share emotions is a foundational element to social problem solving. Teaching I statements can be a simple and effective way to kids to share their feelings. With an I statement, kids will state, “I feel ______ when _____.” The whole idea is that this type of statement allows someone to share how their feeling without targeting or blaming anyone else. Helping kids to communicate their emotions can solve many social problems from the start and encourages positive self-expression.

2. Discuss and model empathy. In order for kids to really grasp problem-solving, they need to learn how to think about the feelings of others. Literature is a great way teach and practice empathy! Talk about the feelings of characters within texts you are reading, really highlighting how they might feel in situations and why. Ask questions like, “How might they feel? Why do you think they felt that way? Would you feel the same in that situation? Why or why not?” to help teach emerging empathy skills. You can also make up your own situations and have kids share responses, too.

3. Model problem-solving skills. When a problem arises, discuss it and share some solutions how you might go forward to fix it. For example, you might say, “I was really expecting to give the class this math assignment today but I just found out we have an assembly. This wasn’t in my plans. I could try to give part of it now or I could hold off and give the assignment tomorrow instead. It’s not perfect, but I think I’ll wait that way we can go at the pace we need to.” This type of think-aloud models the type of thinking that kids should be using when a problem comes up.

4. Use social scenarios to practice. Give a scenario and have kids consider how that person might feel in that situation. Discuss options for what that person might do to solve the problem, possible consequences for their choices, and what the best decision might be. Kids can consider themselves social detectives by using the clues and what they know about social rules to help them figure out the solution. These are especially fun in small groups to have kids discuss collaboratively. Use these free social problem solving cards to start your kids off practicing!

5. Allow kids to figure it out. Don’t come to the rescue when a child or young adult has a problem. As long as it’s not a serious issue, give them time to think about it and use their problem-solving skills on their own. Of course, it’s much easier to have an adult solve all the problems but that doesn’t teach the necessary skills. When a child comes to you asking for your help with a social problem, encourage them to think about it for five minutes before coming back to you. By that point, they might have already figured out possible solutions and ideas and might not even need you anymore.

If you are interested in helping your kids learn social problem solving skills right away, consider trying out these Social Problem Solving Task Cards . They highlight real social scenarios and situations that kids can discuss. The scenarios include a variety of locations, such as in classrooms, with family, with friends, at recess, and at lunch. This set is targeted for elementary-age learners.

Of course, older kids need social problem solving skills, too! If you work with older kids, you will love these Social Problem Solving Task Cards for Middle and High School Kids. These situations target age-appropriate issues that come up in classes, with friends, with family, in the hallway, in the cafeteria, and with online and texting.

Remember that teaching social problem skills does take a little bit of planning and effort, but it will be well worth the time! Kids will use these skills to help them make social decisions in their everyday lives now and in the future!

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February 22, 2018 at 12:03 am

Thank you for sharing>

March 3, 2018 at 8:59 am

Good thought ful

March 20, 2018 at 9:24 pm

They are not free

March 21, 2018 at 8:58 am

They are! Here is the link (it’s listed under number 4): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Social-Problem-Solving-Task-Cards-2026178 I also have a paid version with a bunch more cards (for both elementary and older kids), but that will give you the freebie. Enjoy!

July 15, 2018 at 3:41 am

Awesome way to teach the skill of social problem solving.

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Printable Social Stories for Kids

Social stories were a total game changer for us. They have helped my son get through things like attending a funeral for the first time and managing the sensory overload that comes along with filling up the bathtub.

However, searching for the perfect social story can be quite time consuming. (Speaking from experience here).

And even then, you might not find the right social story. It might use clipart instead of real photos. It might be missing key steps like the one we had years ago that was missing the important step of flushing the toilet! It just might not be detailed enough.

Then there are social stories that are far from neurodiversity affirming and have not-so-great wording and text. Seriously, there are so many problematic social stories out there!

And sometimes you're just looking for an inexpensive or free option and it doesn't exist or is impossible to find.

So that's why you'll find tons of neurodiversity affirming social stories here (both free and paid). You'll also find tons of free options that you can use in a pinch or as inspiration to write your own. It's why you'll also find some templates for writing your own.

There are hundreds of  printable social stories for kids  below. So, you're bound to find something that fits your needs!

This post contains affiliate links. Basically, I make a small commission when you use these links, at no additional cost to you.

What is a Social Story?

Social stories are short narratives that describe a social situation, skill, event, or concept in a clear and structured way. They use illustrations or photos to support the text while explaining a particular topic in detail.

These social narratives can be used to guide a child through a new or unfamiliar situation, such as a birthday party or funeral, or teach a specific skill, such as putting on deodorant or toilet training. They can also be used to improve the understanding of different social cues and abstract social concepts.

Seriously, social stories are a great visual tool that can:

• Teach different social skills
• Reduce anxiety about a new or unfamiliar situation
• Help with transitions
• Break down a task into smaller steps
• Improve communication (especially if they provide written scripts of things you can say)
• ...and so much more!

For a more detailed description, as well as tips for writing your own social stories, read more here .

Social stories are a great tool to use with any child, but they are most often used with autistic kids. They're also really wonderful to use with hyperlexic kids , in particular, given that they are visual learners and that their strength is reading. So social narratives are a great way to lean into a hyperlexic child's strengths .

Now that you know what social stories are, let's take a look at some printable social story examples (some are free and some are paid).

Free Social Stories for Kids

Not only have I created lots of beautiful and comprehensive social stories with real photos myself, but I've also compiled a lot of roundups of free options so you don't have to scour the internet for hours to find a story you need. That's what you'll find in this section.

There are so many free social stories here. And there are always more being added. So, be sure to save this page and check back frequently.

FREE WH QUESTIONS SOCIAL STORY

FREE WHAT TO WEAR SOCIAL STORY

FREE HYPERLEXIA SOCIAL STORY

FREE TRYING NEW FOODS SOCIAL STORY

FREE SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED SOCIAL STORY

FREE STIMMING SOCIAL STORY

FREE HANDWASHING SOCIAL STORY

FREE PIANO RECITAL SOCIAL STORY

FREE DEEP BREATHING SOCIAL STORY

FREE FIDGET SOCIAL STORY

FREE SIBLING IS AUTISTIC SOCIAL STORY

FREE MY FRIEND HAS AUTISM SOCIAL STORY

FREE I AM AUTISTIC SOCIAL STORY

FREE LOUD NOISES SOCIAL STORY

FREE CHEWING SOCIAL STORY

FREE SEEING SANTA SOCIAL STORY

FREE HUGGING SOCIAL STORY

FREE HIDE & SEEK SOCIAL STORY

FREE CROSSING THE STREET SOCIAL STORY

FREE BRUSHING TEETH SOCIAL STORY

FREE WEARING GLASSES SOCIAL STORY

FREE CARVING A PUMPKIN SOCIAL STORY

FREE TRICK-OR-TREATING SOCIAL STORY

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT HITTING

FREE PERSONAL SPACE SOCIAL STORIES

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

FREE BACK TO SCHOOL SOCIAL STORIES

FREE SOCIAL STORIES FOR TRANSITIONS

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT SHARING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT ASKING FOR HELP

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT DEATH & FUNERALS

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT LYING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT STEALING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT BULLYING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT HAIRCUTS

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT DIVORCE

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT MOVING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT MANNERS

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT A NEW BABY

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT PUBERTY

FREE SOCIAL STORIES FOR FIRE DRILLS

FREE SOCIAL STORIES FOR LOCKDOWN DRILLS

FREE SOCIAL STORIES FOR POTTY TRAINING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT BIRTHDAY PARTIES

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT GOING TO THERAPY

FREE SOCIAL STORIES FOR NOSE PICKING & NOSE BLOWING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES FOR CALMING DOWN

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT GROCERY SHOPPING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT GOING TO THE DENTIST

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT LOSING A TOOTH

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT GOING TO THE EYE DOCTOR

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT USING AN AAC DEVICE

FREE SOCIAL STORIES HOMEWORK & TESTS

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT GOING TO THE DOCTOR

FREE BEDTIME SOCIAL STORIES

FREE LIBRARY SOCIAL STORIES

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT GOING TO THE MOVIES

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT GOING BOWLING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT ARGUING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT DOING LAUNDRY

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT RUNNING AWAY

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT GRADUATION

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT SWIMMING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT THE WEATHER

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT SWEARING

FREE SOCIAL STORIES ABOUT GOING ON AN AIRPLANE

FREE HALLOWEEN SOCIAL STORIES

FREE CHRISTMAS SOCIAL STORIES

FREE WINTER SOCIAL STORY

Even more printable social stories for kids (aka the not free section).

Didn't find what you were looking for yet? Then maybe one of these printable social stories will be what you need!

Topics in this section include: playtime skills, conversation skills, library skills, sensory processing, self-advocacy, coping strategies, emotions, regulation skills, and more!

The following stories are all written by me, use full color photos that show diverse children, include written scripts as needed, and are extremely detailed. Some are editable and others are not. They are all paid resources.

FULL SOCIAL STORY COLLECTION

CONVERSATION SOCIAL STORIES

PLAYTIME SOCIAL STORIES

LIBRARY TIME SOCIAL STORIES

TAKING A BREAK SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

LISTENING TO MY BODY SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

SENSORY OVERLOAD SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

UNDERSTANDING MY SENSES SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

SENSORY TRIGGERS SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

MY SENSORY TOOLS SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

SPEECH THERAPY SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

USING A CALMING CORNER SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

KEEPING MY CLOTHES ON SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

USING A WEIGHTED BLANKET SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

WHEN THINGS THINGS SMELL TOO STRONG SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

WHEN THINGS ARE TOO BRIGHT SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

CLOTHING SENSITIVITIES SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

SELF-ADVOCACY SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

WEARING HEADPHONES SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

WEARING A LIFE JACKET SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

SUNSCREEN SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

LIBRARY RULES SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

GOING TO THE LIBRARY SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

LIBRARY STORYTIME SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

CHOOSING LIBRARY BOOKS SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

CARING FOR LIBRARY BOOKS SOCIAL STORY (EDITABLE)

DEODORANT SOCIAL STORY

ANGER SOCIAL STORY

WHEN I'M SAD SOCIAL STORY

EMOTIONS SOCIAL STORY

GREETING OTHERS SOCIAL STORY

ARGUING SOCIAL STORY

BRAGGING SOCIAL STORY

PERSONAL SPACE SOCIAL STORY

RUMORS & GOSSIP SOCIAL STORY

TELLING JOKES SOCIAL STORY

PLAYING TAG SOCIAL STORY

PLAYING SIMON SAYS SOCIAL STORY

PLAYING BOARD GAMES SOCIAL STORY

ASKING A FRIEND TO PLAY SOCIAL STORY

PLAYING RED/GREEN LIGHT SOCIAL STORY

PLAYING ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS SOCIAL STORY

BEING BOSSY SOCIAL STORY

RECESS SOCIAL STORY

INDOOR RECESS SOCIAL STORY

TAKING TURNS SOCIAL STORY

WHEN I'M BORED SOCIAL STORY

WHEN MY FRIEND IS BOSSY SOCIAL STORY

TIME TO GO SOCIAL STORY

PLAYING AT THE PLAYGROUND SOCIAL STORY

BEING A GOOD SPORT SOCIAL STORY

GOING ON A PLAY DATE SOCIAL STORY

HAVING A PLAY DATE SOCIAL STORY

BEING FLEXIBLE SOCIAL STORY

PLAYING MR. WOLF SOCIAL STORY

STAYING ON TOPIC SOCIAL STORY

STARTING A CONVERSATION SOCIAL STORY

THINK IT, DON'T SAY IT SOCIAL STORY

NO COPYING OTHERS SOCIAL STORY

LYING SOCIAL STORY

SAYING GOODBYE SOCIAL STORY

ASKING FOR HELP SOCIAL STORY

SAYING SORRY SOCIAL STORY

NICKNAMES & NAME-CALLING SOCIAL STORY

INTERRUPTING OTHERS SOCIAL STORY

INTRODUCING MYSELF SOCIAL STORY

BEING POLITE SOCIAL STORY

ACCEPTING NO SOCIAL STORY

ACCEPTING CRITICISM SOCIAL STORY

EYE CONTACT SOCIAL STORY

ENDING A CONVERSATION SOCIAL STORY

ASKING QUESTIONS SOCIAL STORY

EAVESDROPPING SOCIAL STORY

BEING A GOOD LISTENER SOCIAL STORY

COMPLIMENTS SOCIAL STORY

TATTLING VS TELLING SOCIAL STORY

VOICE VOLUME SOCIAL STORY

PERSPECTIVE TAKING SOCIAL STORY

ANSWERING THE PHONE SOCIAL STORY

WHEN PEOPLE DON'T RESPOND SOCIAL STORY

Free templates for writing your own social stories.

Still didn't find exactly what you need above? Thinking about writing your own social narrative? Well, we've got a template for that...

FREE SOCIAL STORY TEMPLATES

Okay, I know there were a lot of printable social stories for kids here, but, hopefully, you were able to find one (or two or three...) that works for your needs.

Need one-on-one support? I can help!

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Nonprofit Management

Using story to solve social problems.

How narrative intelligence can help everyone design solutions and generate useful data.

• order reprints
• related stories

By Denise Withers Sep. 17, 2013

Last week I was in a meeting with a dozen leaders of social agencies and enterprises, exploring options for a joint event in the coming year. Though the group was keen, we didn’t have a facilitator, and the conversation wandered. An hour later, we still hadn’t identified a goal for the event or even clarified why we wanted to do it. So I threw one of my favorite questions out to the table: “What would ‘happily ever after' look like to you if we made this happen?”

The query drew several smiles—and brought the discussion into sharp focus. Within a few minutes, we’d shared our desired future stories and identified a small set of guiding criteria to use as planning goals going forward.

This idea of applying a story framework to strategic planning is a new-school take on old-school ways. A relatively simple approach, it has the advantage of making problem-solving tangible and accessible. People like to frame their challenges in terms of good guys, bad guys, and happily-ever-afters; it’s familiar, intuitive, and comforting. And there’s a good reason for that. It’s called narrative intelligence.

An emerging concept, narrative intelligence is ill defined and unfamiliar to many. Through my graduate research, I came to understand it as our innate ability to analyze, learn from, and remember information and experiences as stories. Others, such as artificial intelligence expert Michael Mateas at UCSC, use the term more specifically to refer to technical capabilities in computer-generated storytelling. Though definitions vary, the biological evidence for such intelligence is compelling and well described by Kendall Haven in his book Story Proof: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story .

Are you enjoying this article? Read more like this, plus SSIR's full archive of content, when you subscribe .

The basic idea is that we are exposed to information in story format from the time we are born. This causes our brain to establish and fortify neurological pathways that lead us to develop an ability to use story structure to process incoming information. So we learn from a young age how to think in terms of problems, quests, and solutions—the basic story structure I discussed in my previous post . As we develop these pathways, researchers suggest that we also improve our math and logic abilities. Over a lifetime, we each develop our own unique story “library”—a sort of human database of our life experience that we use for solving problems.

When we come across a problem, we subconsciously start to analyze it and ask ourselves, “Have I run into a problem like this before?” If the answer is yes, we go searching through our mental database and retrieve the solution to the problem, which is filed in the form of a story from earlier in our life. If the answer is no, then we go off on a quest to develop new knowledge and skills that will help us solve this problem. Once we have a solution, we file the new story away, adding it to our database.

Given that we all have this ability to analyze and unpack complex situations as stories, what would happen if we reversed the process of story deconstruction—and used our narrative intelligence to construct or design solutions to problems through a story framework? Then we could really start to tap the power of story in innovative ways.

The process of story design, as practiced by established writers, is quite similar to strategic design and other “design thinking” processes. In fact, all design processes are essentially methods to solve problems. So why not use the intuitive framework of story as a problem-solving process for challenges such as strategic planning? Inspired by the Business Model Canvas , I developed a Story Canvas as a tool to do just that. A relatively simple template, the Story Canvas functions as both a dashboard, and a guide for planning and solving problems.

This spring, I put the Story Canvas to the test with seven social entrepreneurs who are part of an Innovation Hub in Vancouver, Canada, run by the ISIS Research Centre at the UBC Sauder School of Business. All were struggling with complex challenges, including pricing, customer development, and scaling up. The goal of our work was to use the canvas as a story framework to analyze their situations and zero in on their core problems. (Defining the problem clearly is an essential step in design but impatient planners often skip it.)

After spending less than an hour with the canvas, one of the entreprenuers discovered that she didn’t have a pricing problem (as suspected). What she had was a disconnect between her value proposition and service offering. Once she’d clarified this, she was then able to use the canvas framework in a relatively agile, risk-free way to map out a plan for alignment.

Clearly, this kind of story design process won’t replace or compete with established strategic tools. However, experiences like this show that it can offer an intuitive planning framework that makes it easier for us to wrangle and resolve complex challenges.

The scientific method itself is actually a problem-solving process that mirrors story design. When you describe the way a research project unfolded, you tell a story, complete with a problem (hypothesis), quest (methodology), and solution (findings). When we listen to this story and analyze the quest, we can learn a great deal.

In fact, this is where we find story’s greatest potential to drive innovation: story data. If every story contains knowledge about how a problem was solved, then imagine what we could learn by analyzing stories about specific topics in a methodical way. We’d be able to leverage the resulting story intel to create a powerful platform for change that’s agile, affordable, and accessible. I’ll dive into that in my next post.

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Read more stories by Denise Withers .

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Social Stories for Adolescents and Young Adults

Written by:

  Rebekah Pierce

Filed under: Social Skills

Published:  August 28, 2020

Last Reviewed: May 2, 2023

READING TIME:  ~ minutes

For young children with autism, social stories have long been used as a tool to help children learn how to behave and engage in various social interactions. Not only can social stories teach new social skills, but they can also educate learners on the best ways to regulate their behavior.

Until recently, social stories have long been used as an instructional tool only for very young children (those in preschool, elementary, and even middle grades). However, social stories are increasingly being used as effective tools for older students – even those who are beginning to explore the transition out of adolescence into adulthood.

But are social stories for adolescents the same as they are for younger children, both in terms of their execution and their efficacy? Here’s what you need to know.

The History of Social Stories

Social stories are often used as programming recommendations for individuals with autism or other pervasive developmental disorders. They can be used by both a family member, a teacher, a coach , or any other person in a student’s life to help enforce the development of various social skills .

The term “social story” was first coined by Carol Gray in 1991. The stories are designed to share information about how to react appropriately in a given setting. Social stories work because they address specific issues that children with autism might have, such as play skills, the use of body language, social communication , and understanding emotions.

Social stories have long been regarded as one of the best tools educators and parents have for producing positive long-term outcomes for individuals with autism. Initially, social stories contained four types of sentences with a “sentence type ratio.” These stories had descriptive, directive, perspective, and affirmative sentences. These stories were usually presented via written text.

Today, social stories can exist in other formats, like storytelling, singing, computer-based presentations, and even videos. They tend to have a few more additional components but always contain the four descriptive, directive, perspective, and affirmative sentences.

All social stories, at their core, should contain language that is at least 50% positive . Most sentences should be descriptive and not utilize terms like “you should” or “you need to.”

How to Implement Social Stories

At the core, a social story has several basic components. It will tell the viewer what the people in a particular situation might be thinking, doing or feeling, along with an appropriate sequence of events. The social story will also identify significant social causes and their significance and provide a script of what to say or do.

An effective social story covers the who, what, when, where, and why of a given situation. It can be used to meet several goals: to help a child understand a rule or routine, to prepare someone for an upcoming event, to solidify an abstract concept, or to reaffirm expectations.

For a long time, it was believed that social stories only worked with children who were higher functioning. However, now, we know that social stories can also be beneficial for students with more severe learning disabilities as long as those differences in ability are accommodated for in the delivery of the story.

For example, a social story for a child with a severe reading impairment might contain just one concept at a time with pictures added in for extra meaning.

It only makes sense that social stories can also work well for older children – even those approaching adulthood.

What’s crucial in creating a social story for an older child is that it is relevant . You need to start by thinking about the main goal of the social story. Usually, a social story is meant to directly teach a social rule or cue. You will need to be able to provide accurate information of the concepts that need to be learned.

Then, try to gather some information on the topic. Think about the following factors:

• When it occurs
• Where it occurs
• Who is involved
• What to do in the situation
• Why people behave in certain ways

You need to have a concrete, clear idea of the answers to each of these questions. If you can’t envision the correct answer yourself, how can you expect your student to be able to learn that concept?

Then, tailor the text. A social story will contain several core aspects. It will be written from a first-person perspective, ideally in three parts consisting of an introduction, body, and conclusion. It will use positive language (try to avoid terms like “do not” and “shouldn’t”) and will have at least two to five descriptive, perspective, and affirmative sentences.

While social stories for young children are usually quite short, those for older kids can be a bit longer. Usually, they’re about one to two paragraphs, written on a single page. You can use pictures, but keep them age-appropriate. The student should always be the main character. Make sure you take the reading level of your student into consideration, too.

Beyond these basic guidelines, you have some liberty to be a bit creative. You can tailor the social story to the needs of the student with which you are working, along with his or her personality and background.

Does the student enjoy comics? Make a social story that is a comic strip! Are videos more ideal? That’s another option you can explore. Some of the most commonly used social stories for teens and young adults include:

• How to avoid peer pressure
• How to say “no” to a date
• What to wear to a job interview
• How to react in various bullying situations
• How to ask relevant questions
• Internet safety
• How to accept a job offer

It can be awkward to initiate a social story with a teen. To be fair, starting a conversation about any of these relevant topics for teens can be awkward! Try to use the social stories as conversation starters and steer the conversation in the appropriate direction to cover all of your student’s needs.

Here’s a good formula to follow when creating a social story:

• Begin by explaining the current behavior. What’s going on? What’s the problem?
• Next, explain the targeted behavior.
• Offer alternatives to the behavior.
• Resolve the situation in a positive way.

Best Alternatives to Social Stories

While some research states that the research that states that the effectiveness of social stories is questionable, most practitioners agree that social stories are not ineffective .

Simply put, social stories shouldn’t be one piece in the puzzle. Social stories are most effective when used in conjunction with other interventions – and that’s true of using social stories both with young children and with young adults.

There are other alternatives to using social stories as behavioral interventions. One is Cool vs. Not Cool. This program is a discrimination program that is meant to be played at a structured indoor game. It works best with a group, but involves role playing and is a fun way for students to learn play skills.

As you might expect, this strategy works best for younger children, although it could work well with older students depending on the context and cognitive level of the students in question.

You might also want to consider strategies like social cartooning , which can help define and describe social expectations in a more accessible way.

One of the common trends among all of these alternatives, social stories included, is that they provide students with clearly structured social situations and well-defined expectations. When students know what to expect, they are better able to react and behave appropriately in a given situation. Teaching skills like imitation and context clues can be effective.

Another effective – yet often overlooked – strategy? Find peers who model strong social skills and pair your child with them. This will not only provide peers with strategies for communication and response but it can also help keep the skill development as natural as possible.

Leave a comment below to let us know what your favorite strategy is.

How to Transition Out of Using Social Stories

Much of the effectiveness of a social story has to do with the delivery. There is a significant amount of research that shows that strategies like priming, positive reinforcement, imitation, and prompting are effective ways to teach students with autism. Therefore, your use of social stories should include all of these methods as well.

Social stories are most effective when they are simple and used to describe single behaviors. They are also most effective when children are allowed to read the stories on their own and ideally, right before they are expected to engage in the target situation.

There will come a time when social stories are no longer effective – or realistic – for certain students. Therefore, it’s important that the transition out of the use of social stories starts automatically – from the very beginning of their use.

While you are using social stories, it’s important that you don’t neglect other parts of communication that will be essential for success in adulthood. For example:

• Teach context clues and how to reference the behavior of those around you for clues on what to do (for example, if everybody is clapping, you should clap, too)
• Celebrate strengths of a student and teach the student how to use those strengths in everyday social interactions (if sense of humor is a strong point, teach appropriate use of humor in various social situations)
• Teach empathy and reciprocity – often, students with autism have trouble “reading a room,” so to speak, and need specific training in how to adjust their behavior given certain cues
• Make training in positive social interactions a regular part of everyday routines – instead of occasional lessons

Examples and Case Studies to Help You Get Started

There are all kinds of apps and programs you can use to create social stories. A few worth mentioning include Pictello , Book Creator , and Pic Collage , all of which can help you put together multiple photos and chunks of text to create an engaging social story.

These are great introductory tools, but if you would like to be formally trained on how to create social stories, you should check out this training module . It’s a great way to train yourself on how to develop effective and applicable social stories for learners of all ages.

Still not sure where to start?

Just enter your email below to receive social story templates.

In the first template, I’ve provided you with a worksheet that can be used to create your own social story. You’ll be able to walk through each step to figure out which components are necessary in your story.

In this second template, you will find an example that is a bit more specific. This template deals with a common situation for adolescents with autism – the tendency to be late for classes or jobs.

You can change this template to meet the specific situation you are trying to address. You can also simply change the name and background information of the student in question to match the profile of the student with whom you are working.

Do Social Stories Work For Adolescents and Young Adults?

If you are considering using social stories with older children and young adults, don’t be deterred by the assumption that these techniques are only effective for very young children. While social stories don’t work with everyone – and should rarely be used as a sole intervention tool – they can definitely be one piece of a very effective puzzle.

Thinking about trying social stories? Use a few of the examples we’ve given you above. Make sure you consult with the key people involved in a situation, too, to help give you a better idea of how you can make the social story more effective.

A social story is most effective if you have an idea of why an individual is engaging in a specific behavior. Conducting a detailed behavioral analysis and meeting with other stakeholders will help you figure out why a child is struggling with a certain behavior so that you can create a more targeted, more effective social story.

Don’t forget to evaluate your success afterward, too! Whether you’re a parent or an educator, the best thing you can do when implementing social stories for an adolescent – or for a child of any age – is to be constantly revisiting, reviewing, and revising your approach as needed. Good luck!

Further Reading

• Life Skills Advocate blog: How To Write a Social Story (Step-by-Step Guide)
• Carol Gray: The New Social Story Book
• Carol Gray: Comic Strip Conversations
• Carol Gray: A Social Story for the Rest of Us
• All titles by Carol Gray
• Pandemic Social Stories Direct Access by Carol Gray
• Jean Hamersky: Cartoon Cut-Ups: Teaching Figurative Language & Humor
• Beverly Vicker: Behavioral Issues and the Use of Social Stories
• Nebraska Autism Spectrum Disorders Network at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Social Stories
• Behav Anal Pract: The Effects of the Cool Versus Not Cool Procedure to Teach Social Game Play to Individuals Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Anastasia Kokina, Lee Kern: Social Story Interventions for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis
• Cool vs. Not Cool curriculum
• Life Skills Advocate: Using Social Stories to Teach Internet Safety Skills to Teens

About The Author

Rebekah pierce.

Rebekah is a New York writer and teacher who specializes in writing in the education, gardening, health, and natural food niches. In addition to teaching and writing, she also owns a farm and is the author of the blog J&R Pierce Family Farm .

Related Posts

How to write a social story (a step-by-step guide), comfort, stretch and panic zones in social skills development, how to make planning a date executive function friendly.

Life Skills Advocate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Some of the links in this post may be Amazon.com affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, Life Skills Advocate will earn a commission. However, we only promote products we actually use or those which have been vetted by the greater community of families and professionals who support individuals with diverse learning needs.

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Social science takes the stage in a live storytelling event at the Cantor Arts Center

Stanford researchers shared stories of psychotic breaks, economic disparities, and criminal justice reform at an event Tuesday hosted by Stanford Impact Labs in collaboration with The Story Collider.

Dr. Rania Awaad retells the event that encouraged her to pursue a career in psychiatry. (Image credit: Christine Baker)

Late one night years ago, Rania Awaad and her husband were at home when they heard a loud and sudden knock at their front door. When they opened it, Awaad saw a young woman she’d met before at their local Muslim community center.

“Before I could say anything, she runs right past me into the apartment,” Awaad, now a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford’s School of Medicine, recalled on Tuesday evening at a show titled Testing Ground Live! Social Science on Stage , held at the Cantor Arts Center.

Awaad shared how she and her husband found the woman ducked behind their couch, her eyes wide and terrified. “I need to speak to the imam, my religious leader!” the woman said. Awaad told her that the imam was not in their apartment.

Moments later the woman ran out of the apartment to the community center across the street, still searching for the imam. After deliberating on how to help the woman, some members at the center began to pray for her. Meanwhile, Awaad’s husband contacted a community elder.

“This is a psychotic episode,” the elder said. “She needs to go to the emergency room.”

The woman eventually got the help she needed, but the event left a lasting impact on Awaad, who was struck that no one at the center recognized the woman’s psychiatric emergency and her need for medical attention.

It made Awaad, who was a fourth-year medical student studying to become an obstetrician, realize the importance of mental health, and led her to switch her studies to psychiatry.

Tuesday’s event was hosted by Stanford Impact Labs (SIL) in collaboration with The Story Collider . It featured Stanford researchers like Awaad, a former SIL design fellow , sharing stories of pivotal moments in their lives that changed how they approached their work in mental health, digital literacy, and criminal justice reform, among other societal issues.

SIL is a cross-university initiative that launched in the 2019-20 academic year as part of the university’s  Long-range Vision  to train and support researchers to serve the public good by using data-driven, social science research to develop actionable ways to address pernicious and pervasive social problems.

Hannah Melville-Rea, a PhD student from Australia, shares what she’s learned about America’s home insurance system and the impact it has on various communities. (Image credit: Christine Baker)

Wild wild west

Another presenter was Hannah Melville-Rea, a PhD student from Australia. At Stanford, she’s studying environment and resources at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, and was a 2023 SIL Summer PhD Fellow . Taking the stage, she shared that to better understand America’s home insurance system and how (or whether) it serves communities impacted by significant flood risk, she attended two local events. The first was a workshop in Menlo Park for residents to learn how to get the most out of their insurance. She recalled expensive cars parked outside the event. Inside were tables with Tiffany-blue tablecloths and appetizers.

“I look around the room at the other attendees. Everyone is white. Everyone is over the age of 65. I think everyone knows each other because they only asked me to introduce myself,” Melville-Rea recalled.

“I realize this [event] is only applicable if you’re a homeowner with insurance,” she said.

A couple of weeks later, Melville-Rea attended a crowded community meeting in East Palo Alto where residents shared their frustration with flooding and a lack of support from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, tasked with responding to natural disasters.

“I cannot get over how different these two community meetings were [and] only three miles apart,” she said. “Up the hill, a bunch of homeowners with good insurance, who honestly, probably could weather a storm without it. Down the road, a bunch of renters who we now know had no insurance, who are really at the frontlines of these climate impacts, and now they’re being ghosted by FEMA.”

She said that as an Australian, she assumed the government would always step in to provide quality security for residents, regardless of their economic status. But she was surprised to learn the opposite was true in the United States.

“We live in the wild west. It is up to the individual. Everyone needs their own safety net,” she said. “And we urgently need to get everyone insurance.”

Alex Chohlas-Wood speaks at Testing Ground Live! Social Science on Stage at the Cantor Arts Center. (Image credit: Christine Baker)

High stakes decisions

Alex Chohlas-Wood is the executive director of the Computational Policy Lab (CPL), which has twice been funded by SIL and where he uses technology and data science to support criminal justice reform. He spoke about a pilot project he worked on for the San Francisco District Attorney’s office focused on “race-blind charging.” The idea, he explained, was to develop an artificial intelligence tool that could automatically redact race-related information from police reports that prosecutors review when deciding whether to charge or dismiss a crime.

His team got to work developing an algorithm for redacting potential indicators of race in police reports, including names and addresses. By the summer of 2019, they had a reliable system, but the project was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials in Yolo County, California expressed interest in the system, so Chohlas-Wood’s team developed one for their district attorney.

“He was so excited about this idea, that he got his own legislator to write a bill mandating that all prosecutors across the state of California use race blind charging by the beginning of 2025,” Chohlas-Wood said.

In 2022, the bill passed unanimously in both state houses and Governor Newsom signed it into law. Chohlas-Wood said he was excited to see his work lead to such meaningful policy changes.

“At the same time, I felt a real sense of responsibility to make sure this thing was done right, and to make sure that we could actually evaluate its impacts and charging decisions – really high stakes decisions – that prosecutors make, that can have profound impacts on people’s lives,” he said.

The next steps CPL is taking to evaluate and scale race-blind charging across California have been funded by a Stanford Impact Labs Stage 2 investment .

In total, six storytellers shared five stories on stage at Tuesday’s event. Recordings of each will soon be available on SIL’s website .

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