Our CDC Social Story

Everyone knows what a unique and challenging year it has been. Since the first closures following Chinese New Year, although many of our families have accessed our one-to-one services, many children have not yet returned to the CDC in person at all.

Bearing in mind that even the children who have continued to attend have not been in a group with other children for a long time, we set about writing a Social Story for when our groups resume. Although, as we publish this article, we may still not have an exact date for us all to be together again, we wanted to share the Going Back to the CDC Social Story with you so that you can have it to hand for your child when you need it.

Social Stories were conceptualised by Dr Carol Gray back in the 1990s. In a nutshell, they are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. By reading Social Stories to your child, you can prepare them for what’s ahead. This, in turn, can help with their behaviour as well as their anxiety.

Going Back to the CDC is written for the children attending our group programmes including Tigers, Teddy Bears, Early Intervention Groups (EIGs) Attention Groups and Social Stars. Once we have given you the date when our groups can resume, you can print it out and read it with your child once a day – it can help prepare them for their return to being in a group setting with their peers.

If Social Stories are new to you and you think they could be useful for your child for other situations or to address challenging behaviours, there are some resources online. Alternatively you can always ask your teacher or therapist at the CDC to help you to find or create one!

We’d love to know if you find our CDC Social Story useful!