Social Stories: A Positive Behavior Intervention for Typically Developing Preschoolers

Abstract

The purpose of this research-to-practice summary is to discuss the impact that social stories can have on challenging behavior within preschool classrooms. Past research has focused on social stories as an intervention for children with disabilities. The current study extended the research to look at the effect of social stories on children who are typically developing.  Results showed that the children experienced a decrease in challenging behavior (e.g., hitting, biting) and an increase in prosocial skills (e.g., sharing, expressing emotions). The participating teachers reported that social stories were easily embedded in preschool classrooms, were positive supports for children with challenging behaviors, and were easy to implement. Social stories are a small investment with a big return; reducing challenging behavior in the classroom helps to provide a better learning environment for all of the children in the class.