An evaluation of the components of a Social Stories™ intervention package

The present study examined the effectiveness of Social Stories™, and Social Stories paired with a differential reinforcement procedure on disruptive behaviors of two elementary school children diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We implemented a multiple-baseline design across target behaviors, whereby the Social Story was implemented first, followed by the pairing of the story and a differential reinforcement of zero behavior (DRO) procedure. Results indicate that while the use of a Social Story was effective in decreasing problem behavior when compared to baseline levels, the pairing of the story with a DRO procedure resulted in lower average levels of the target behaviors across both participants.

► Examined the effectiveness of Social Stories™ and Stories paired with DRO to decrease disruptive behavior of two children with PDD-NOS and ADHD.
► Implemented a multiple baseline across target behaviors.
► Social Story™ was implemented first, followed by the pairing of the Story and DRO.
► The Story was effective in decreasing problem behavior; but pairing the Story with DRO resulted in lower average levels of problem behavior.