Social Stories

Most of my loyal readers (all two or three) know that I write in hopes of professional publication. It's a difficult endeavor. It's also difficult to know exactly what God wants me to do with that desire. I believe the desire to write was put in me by Him, but to what end is sometimes hard to determine. I know, like all parts of my life, that it should glorify Him in some way. So not only is the purpose hard to discern, it is also hard to define.

But lately I've been doing some writing that is completely in His will, according to His purpose.

My oldest son has trouble sometimes in social situations. He has an autism diagnosis and doesn't always relate or respond in age appropriate ways. One tool that we use to help him is 'Social Stories'. I believe they have helped him, and I'm thankful that God has allowed me to be the one to write them. They are very plainly written and usually target one specific behavior. Here is one that I wrote tonight.

On the playground
I like to play on the playground.
I really like to play in the sand,
But I need to remember that I can't spend all my time in the sand.
Playing with my friends is more fun than playing alone.
There are lots of other fun things to do on the playground,
Like the slide, the pole, and the rock wall.
I play on everything, not just in the sand.
I find a friend to play with.
Sometimes we will play on things that I like,
And play games that I want to play.
Other times we will play what they like.
I might even ask, "What do you want to play?"
It's fun to take turns deciding what to play.
I love playing with my friends on the playground.