Adapted Books vs Social Stories
Two tools that look alike on the shelf and do different jobs.
The short answer
A Social Story is a short text, written to Carol Gray's published criteria, that describes a situation for one person; an adapted book is an interactive book a student answers by matching pieces, so they do different jobs. The first explains what happens and why. The second gives hands-on practice with language, vocabulary and questions.
You do not have to pick one. A student can have a Social Story about a hard transition and also use adapted books to practice the words and questions around it.
What a Social Story is
Carol Gray created Social Stories and keeps the criteria that define them. The current version, Social Stories 10.4 (2023), says a Social Story accurately describes a personally relevant topic, often a context, skill, achievement or concept, according to ten defining criteria. The author writes for an audience, a child, adolescent or adult, and tailors the format to that person's abilities, attention span and interests.
A few features from those criteria are worth knowing. A Social Story uses first-person or third-person sentences. It answers the WH-questions about a situation, such as who is there, what happens and why. It mostly describes instead of directing, with a limit of one coaching sentence per story. And at least half of the stories written for any one audience are meant to celebrate achievements or established strengths, not just fix problems.
When the criteria write "Story" with a capital S, they mean a document that meets all of them. That is why the capital letters matter: a Social Story is defined by how it is written, not by how it looks.
What an adapted book is
An adapted book is a book with a hands-on response built into the pages. Pictures carry the meaning, the text is short and repeated, and the student answers by moving or matching pieces, on paper with Velcro or on a screen. The same layout repeats page after page, which makes it easy to practice one skill and to notice when a student needs less help.
Adapted books are made in advance for many students, not written for one. That is their strength, because you can pick one up and use it today, and it is the main difference from a Social Story.
Side by side
| Social Story | Adapted book | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Describe a situation, skill or concept so the person understands it. | Practice language and literacy skills, such as vocabulary, WH-questions and following directions. |
| Who it is made for | One person. It is tailored to that audience. | Many students. It is made ahead of time. |
| Who writes it | An author who knows the person, following Gray's criteria. | Written once and used by many teachers, therapists and families. |
| What the student does | Reads or listens. | Matches, moves, points and answers on each page. |
| Prep | Research the situation, write the story, tailor the format. | Print, laminate and add Velcro, or open the digital edition. |
| Best when | A particular student needs a particular situation explained. | You want repeatable practice and easy data on a skill. |
When to use which
- Use a Social Story when one student needs one situation explained, such as a new routine, a loud event or a hard transition, and you can write it for that student.
- Use an adapted book when you want a skill practiced many times in a predictable format, for a group or for a student who answers best by doing instead of listening.
- Use both when the topic is social and the student also needs the language for it. Read the story, then use a book on the same topic to practice the words and the questions.
The library has a behavior and SEL collection with books on common situations. Two examples are "We Use Kind Words" and "Keeping My Cool". Treat them as ready-made practice on those topics. They are made once for everyone, so they are not the same thing as a story written about one student's own situation, which is what Gray's criteria describe.
For how adapted books fit into the rest of special education, see adapted books for special education and adapted books for autism. For what research does and does not say about the format, read are adapted books evidence-based. We did not look at research on how well Social Stories work, so this page makes no claim either way.
Try an adapted book
Two books are free, each as a printable PDF and as a digital book. See the free adapted books. A membership covers 800+ printable books and over 300 digital books for $10 a month (40 printable downloads a month) or $99 a year (no monthly download limit), with unlimited use of the digital library on both. See membership options.
Source
- Gray, C., Faherty, C., Timmins, S., & Lanou, A. (2023). Social Stories 10.4 Criteria. carolgraysocialstories.com
Social Stories is Carol Gray's term. AdaptedBooks is not affiliated with Carol Gray or her publications.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Social Story and an adapted book?
A Social Story is a short text, written to Carol Gray's published criteria, that describes a situation for one person. An adapted book is an interactive book a student answers by matching pieces. One explains a situation, the other gives practice with language, and they work well together.
Is a social story the same as a Social Story?
Not always. "Social Story" with capital letters is Carol Gray's term for a story that meets her ten criteria. In everyday use, many people say social story for any short story about a social situation. If you need the first kind, check it against Gray's criteria.
Who writes a Social Story?
Under Gray's criteria, an author, often a parent, family member, friend or professional, writes the story for a specific child, adolescent or adult, called the audience. The story is tailored to that person's abilities and interests.
Can I use adapted books to teach social skills?
Yes, as practice. Books on topics like kind words, keeping your cool or friendship give a student something to read, point to and answer questions about. They do not replace a story written about one student's own situation. See the behavior and SEL collection.
Should I read the Social Story first or the adapted book first?
There is no rule. One simple order is to read the story that explains the situation, then use an adapted book on the same topic to practice the vocabulary and questions around it. Your student's team can adjust that.
Are the social story units in your library written to Carol Gray's criteria?
We do not claim that. They are ready-made interactive books on common situations, made for many students at once. Gray's criteria call for a story tailored to one person, which a book made once for many students is not.