I think Baron-Cohen/Hill/Golan/Wheelwright's Mind Reading program looks like an exciting new technique to assist people with autism in understanding emotion, especially those who are either high-functioning or Aspie. But as someone who has spent the last several years working in the field of PDDs and Autistic Spectrum Disorders, I can tell you sincerely that Carol Gray's social stories are as necessary to our line of work as a calculator is to an accountant. I can also tell you that there is no ONE technique that is the end-all-be-all of autism support and treatment-- there are no hard and fast rules here as all people with autism are as different from each other as anyone else, and will all respond differently to various methodologies. Professionals, parents and caregivers know that to help a person with autism succeed, they must furnish them with many tools-- social stories being only one of these. But anyone who thinks that social stories are redundant or are too "touchy-feely" for any practical use has obviously not spent any quality time teaching people with autism to perform all of the day-to-day activities that you and I take for granted.

Simply put: social stories couldn't be more practical. Two of the defining characteristics of autism are difficulty perceiving social cues/functioning in social settings and a prevalence toward visual learning. Pairing a very visual setting (i.e. pictures of the social situation) with a breakdown of the social exchanges may help a person with autism see the target behavior more clearly than just "telling" him or her how to behave, or simply expecting them to know how to perform in social situations. Adding upon social stories with other techniques such as role-play, what-if scenarios, contingencies and options mapping can give very positive results. And one of the most rewarding results is the increased level of self confidence that emerges from knowing what to expect in social situations. Predictability in autism is everything, after all.

There is a great deal of information and "serious research" on the use of social stories available to anyone who is willing to look it up. Carol Gray's method has been with us for a long time, and for good reason-- it works.

39 of 41 found the following review helpful:


Covers all the basics!  Apr 08, 2002
As the parent of an 8 year old with AS, I am constantly wondering if I am handling ALL the basic every day living skills. This book has it ALL! Social skills, interacting with people (community, school, and at home), and personal hygiene. The only chapter of the book, I felt didn't address the subject, was 11. My son had SO many questions as we read each story in that chapter. I guess that was good to some degree, we would then do some research to answer his questions. Some stories seemed so "common sense" when I first read them, but then I realized, what is common sense to me isn't common sense to a child with AS. I initially wanted to just quickly browse through this book when it arrived, but I found myself reading page after page for a little more than half an hour. My son and I are constantly picking up this book and going over stories together, even the ones he has already mastered. He enjoys the fact that he knows the answers, and every once in a while will add a tidbit. I find this book is great for the whole family to enjoy. This ia a must for any parent who has a child with AS.

21 of 26 found the following review helpful:


TRAVELING THROUGH PARTS UNKNOWN  Jun 06, 2003 By BeatleBangs1964
There are a lot of good points that are covered in this book. Many people with Asperger's, which is a neurobiological condition that is on the same spectrum as autism often miss social cues. Facial expressions, expected responses and nonverbal nuances are often not readily obvious to people with Asperger's. Many people with Asperger's Syndrome find having tasks broken down into a sequence of steps a helpful approach in processing information.

Carol Gray's book does accomplish this. This work also covers "empathy," a concept that many people with Asperger's find challenging. Empathy, or the ability to mentally and emotionally put oneself in the place of another person is something that many people with Asperger's have to be taught cognitively. This is not to suggest that people on the autism spectrum do not care about people; such is not the case at all. Empathy or being able to "see" from the vantage point of another is yet another skill that is broken down into manageable steps in this book.

Adults on the spectrum might find this a helpful tool. It provides a clear picture of how people navigate through social territory and often find mountains and road blocks instead of a clear path.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Gives visual insight to struggles  Jun 16, 2006 By Jen
This well illustrated book not only helps those with ASD, but also those of us who come in contact with them on a daily basis. As I read the stories and illustrations, it helped me to understand that even things which we may consider simple, can be a challenge to a person with ASD . Tasks such as chewing gum, sharing, knowing when to say "excuse me", chewing food properly, and so many more are illustrated in this book. Good job!

See all 18 customer reviews on Amazon.com