Social Stories were devised as a tool to help autistic individuals better understand the nuances of interpersonal communication so that they could "interact in an effective and appropriate manner".
[1] Although the prescribed format was meant for high functioning people with basic communication skills, the format was adapted substantially to suit individuals with poor communication skills and low level functioning (e.g. children who are struggling with understanding social situations or when coping with change[2]).
[9] Individuals with an ASD have significant impairments in the social domain as defined by the nature of the diagnosis as cited in the DSM-IV.
[10] There is a great emphasis placed on the importance of teaching social skills to individuals with an ASD as it has been identified as one of the best indicators of positive long-term outcomes.
[18] While the primary mode of presentation of Social Stories remains written text, other formats have been trialled with younger children and people with intellectual disabilities.
[18] It was suggested originally that this method should be used with only higher functioning individuals who possess basic language ability;[17] however, these guidelines were expanded to include children with more severe learning disabilities.
[8] The American Psychological Association has identified two levels of criteria which are used to consider an intervention "empirically supported".
[24] Reviews of the use of Social Stories have found that the reported effects were highly inconsistent,[8][14][24][26] that they allow for stimulus control to be transferred from teachers and peers directly to the student with an ASD,[13] and that there was substantial variation in the delivery of the intervention.
Social stories which explain loud noises, needing a break and moving through a crowd were made available prior to the performance.