Social Story Templates — How it all started
My name is Ainy- Mum to a beautiful girl who insists that if carrots have vitamin C, then pineapples must have vitamin P. She was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at five, loves sushi, and — oddly enough — enjoys visiting doctors (every parent’s dream, right?).
Life on the Spectrum
Imagine
- Traveling in the tube during Christmas season
- Walking past a playground or an ice cream truck and not stopping
- Watching birthday boy/girl blowing out birthday candles
- Loud hand dryers in public toilets
If you’re a parent to a child on the spectrum, I bet you can relate to at least a couple of these!
These everyday situations were huge challenges for my daughter, when she was younger. And since she was non verbal, all I could get was screaming and tantrums regardless of time and place.
The Idea
I first learned about Social Stories through the Early Bird Program by the National Autistic Society and from chatting with SEN (Special Education Needs) professionals. Before long, I was creating Social Stories for my daughter using Canva.
But as I sat there, trying to write these Social Stories and struggling to find words and images, reality hit me:
Writing a good Social Story isn’t just about putting sentences and pictures together — it requires structure, relevance, and decent drawing skills or tech skills (or both!)
Around the same time I started my Master’s in User Experience Design. For my dissertation, I chose the topic:‘Creating Interactive Social Stories for Autistic Children’.
I brought together parents and SEN teachers for user interviews, focus groups, and participatory design activities, and finally designed an app concept to help parents create Social Stories with ease.
In 2024, I graduated with distinction — a little feather in my cap!
What UX Design Taught Me
User Experience Design isn’t just about making things look pretty — it’s about understanding real people, their challenges, and their emotions by stepping into their shoes.
It also taught me how to:
- Design for everyone, including people with disabilities, different cultural backgrounds, and varying levels of tech literacy
- Identify problems, create solutions, and test them with real people to make sure they actually work!
The Training
Recently, I took formal training in writing Social Stories because I wanted to do it right.
I enrolled in a course taught by Carol Gray — the creator of Social Stories. By the end, I wasn’t just confident in their effectiveness — I also gained a solid understanding of how to write Social stories correctly.
The Evolution of the Idea
With all the research, user insights, and design work in place — plus my fresh knowledge of how to write effective Social Stories — I started thinking:
Wouldn’t it be amazing if there were a simple, user-friendly tool to help parents and teachers create personalized Social Stories without the struggle?
So, I listed my top priorities:
- Pre-written Social Stories covering hundreds of topics
- A customisable main character (because kids relate better when they see themselves in the story!)
- On-request Social Stories for specific situations
- An easy-to-use interface designed for parents and teachers with limited digital skills
Based on this list, I started refining my design. I decided to keep it as simple as possible, following gov.uk accessibility guidelines to ensure it remains usable for people of all digital skill levels.
Now, I just needed someone to bring it to life.
Luckily, I had an in-house (literally!) software developer — my husband!
After relentless pestering (and maybe a few bribes) he finally gave in. Over Christmas break of 2024, he built me a beautiful, fully functioning website — and just like that, Social Story Templates was born!
What You’ll Find Here
On this platform, you’ll discover
- Pre-made Social Stories on tons of topics
- You can personalise the main character to look like your child, print it out, and stick it on a bedroom or bathroom door (or wherever magic happens in your house)
- If you cannot find a story on a specific topic within the platform, I can make it for you in 2- 4 business days.
Do and let me know how you find it
Oh, and Social Story Templates won the Bright Ideas Competition! So, you’re in good hands.
Let’s make Social Stories easier, faster, and more personal — because our kids deserve support that fits them perfectly.
Got questions? Need a Social Story? Just want to chat? I’d love to hear from you!
