What is the Proof Now? An Updated Methodological Review of Research on Social Stories

Abstract

One intervention that has been evaluated in numerous empirical investigations and has been implemented clinically is Social Stories. Social Stories are a systematic form of intervention where a text is written describing a situation (e.g., social situation) and how the learner should respond during that situation. Previous reviews and analysis have shown that the literature on Social Stories have serious methodological flaws (e.g., Leaf et al., 2015; Styles, 2011) and/or are ineffective (e.g., Leaf et al., 2015; Reynhout & Carter, 2011). One reason for the methodological flaws is the lack of functional relations shown between the Social Story and the targeted behavior; usually with poor implementation of the experimental design. The purpose of this review was to evaluate if researchers implement both single subject designs and group designs in the correct manner, which show a convincing functional relation. Additionally, we evaluated studies where Social Stories were compared to another intervention (e.g., the Teaching Interaction Procedure) and if Social Stories were added to another intervention (e.g., differential reinforcement). Clinical implications as well as future research is discussed.