Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of lifelong developmental and neurological disorders that significantly affect an individual’s communication, social relationships, and perception and understanding of the environment. The main characteristics and diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorders include deficits in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Individuals with ASD are particularly vulnerable in the social domain. Social skills can be developed in individuals with autism spectrum disorders through various types of interventions. Among the most extensively studied and evidence-based approaches is the social stories paradigm. Social stories are individualized short narratives used to help individuals with ASD understand social situations by describing and explaining appropriate behavior.
In the treatment, teaching, and encouragement of socio-emotional skills, the use of social stories has proven to be a highly effective approach. In the framework of the present research, this method was implemented with an emphasis on developing three selected areas: social reciprocity, social participation, and the reduction of socially undesirable behavior. The qualitative research was based on an evaluative approach involving two case studies. The participants were twin students, both 15 years old, attending a special education program. Initially, by using the Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP) scale and examining existing documentation, we identified the social domains in which the students showed the greatest difficulties. Based on these findings, individualized social stories were created targeting the selected areas of social skills (social reciprocity, social participation, reduction of socially undesirable behavior) and subsequently implemented. The intervention employed author-developed social stories following the ten-criteria model proposed by Gray (2015). During the implementation, a variety of methods were used, such as listening activities, discussions, role-play, visual materials, and video recordings. Upon completion of the intervention, the previously mentioned scale was re-administered to assess the students’ progress. The results indicated that both students showed remarkable improvement in the observed behavioral domains. Moreover, progress across the areas of ASD-related deficits occurred simultaneously. Student A demonstrated significant changes in maintaining personal hygiene, respectful communication, and peer collaboration. Student B made notable progress in personal hygiene, playing with classmates, and allowing peers to approach him. The research served as an example of good practice, as both students achieved progress in the selected domains (social reciprocity, social participation, reduction of socially undesirable behavior). A limitation of the study was the time component—results could have been even more substantial if more time had been available for the development of each area. The main contribution of our research lies in the creation of five new social stories, designed to support students in understanding social situations.
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