Review: Saying Thank You and

Saying Thank You (a social story)
and
Supporting the Play Development of Young Children with Special Needs

published by Special-Learning.com

Why did I pick these texts: I agreed to read and review them as part of my monthly Applied Behavior Analysis supervision requirement (they were provided as a free download during National Autism Month at Special-Learning.com).

Did I enjoy these texts: I loved the social story!  For those of you who don’t know, a social story is a handy little tool behavior analysts use to teach ambiguous concepts to our clients.  They break down certain skills, or teach when certain behaviors are appropriate and when they aren’t.  Basically, a social story provides real life examples, much like a child’s board book, only without the silly animals and fuzzy pages.

This social story, Saying Thank You, was about when to say thank you, and it was great! The language was simple, the pictures were appropriate, and it even came with a handy check list to print out for further practice.  Good stuff!

The article about play development was not quite as impressive.  I honestly don’t mean this to sound as awful as I fear it’s going to, but it read like an eighth grade research paper.  It was not new information for me (nor would it be for anyone in the Special Education field), and I suppose I was just hoping for more.  Having said that, though, the bullet pointed play skill ideas would be a great introduction for educators or therapists who have never worked with a special needs population.

Would I recommend it: I absolutely recommend the social story – not just for special education purposes, either… I’m going to print out a copy & read it to my son!

The play development article is a nice summary and a great starting point for people new to facilitating special educational play.

Will I read it again: Well, I have a thirteen month old, so I’ll probably read the social story nine thousand times before lunch tomorrow. I’ll pass on re-reading the article.

Happy reading wherever you are and whenever you get a free chance!!!