The holiday season brings joy and celebration, but for many individuals it can also come with overwhelming emotions. Especially so for children and adults with anxiety disorders, autism, or ADHD. Between the disrupted routines, crowded gatherings, sensory overload, and social expectations, the holidays present new triggers and challenges that may require new coping strategies.
This is why, families and professionals alike, use tools, such as social stories, to reduce anxiety and prepare individuals for new or stressful situations.
Do Social Stories Really Help?
The answer is: it depends.
Research consistently shows that social stories reduce anxiety, improve social understanding, and increase positive behaviors particularly for neurodivergent individuals. They work because they provide predictability. When neurodivergent individuals know what to expect, their nervous system shifts and they can respond less intensely to situations that have been previewed and rehearsed mentally.
For social stories to be effective, they must include:
- Clear descriptions of the setting and situation
- Explanation of relevant social cues and expectations
- Perspective sentences showing what others might think or feel
- Directive statements suggesting appropriate responses
- Affirmative sentences that reinforce positive outcomes
Yet, more than a handful parents will say that they do not get the needed support out of social stories. This can be echoed by the professional community as well.
The reality is that social stories will not work for everyone, but they do work best when they are personalized, come with visuals, and are often reviewed.
Personalized social stories matter because they incorporate personal details, preferred language, and known elements, forging a stronger connection between the story and the individual.
Visual processing often works better than verbal processing alone for many neurodivergent children. Images engage multiple cognitive pathways, strengthening comprehension and recall.
Social stories are meant to be repeated. Repetition is part of the learning process. Even more so—they need to be integrated as part of routines as a sense of familiarity reduces the novelty stress response.
It is very important to remember that social stories are not an isolated practice. They need to be a part of a comprehensive treatment plan that may include therapy or other interventions.
AI-powered Platforms Like Emona.ai Are Revolutionizing Social Story Creation
The traditional method of creating social stories requires significant time, expertise, and often professional support. It would take hours to write, customize, illustrate or look for an image to tailor to each situation and individual.
AI has transformed this process by enabling instant generation of personalized social stories tailored to specific situations. With the right AI platform for social stories, a simple prompt with basic details, description of the situation and the individual, along with preferred colors, objects, or names, results in a carefully tailored social story in under a minute.
Social stories created with AI bring numerous advantages. Parents and professionals can generate specific stories for each situation. No more generic description, no longer vague narratives. Instead, they now can have a social story with the right context for any daily interaction. For many families, the accessibility of AI has democratized a resource that was previously available primarily to those able to afford regular professional support. This is a great positive of the recent technological advancements.
Emona.ai is purpose-built to quickly generate trusted and personalized social stories. The stories are generated quickly, come with consistent visuals, and can be accessed anytime for real-time support or a quick review. With support for multiple languages, Emona helps create social stories that also incorporate diverse cultural traditions and reflect various family structures, becoming invaluable for communities that have limited resources.
It is fair to note that social story AI tools complement and do not replace professional guidance. They are an assistive tool and may require testing and refinement. The first version generated by AI might not be perfect, but a quick iteration can produce the desired result.
Creating Effective Holiday Social Stories with AI to Navigate Emotions
To maximize the effectiveness of AI-generated social stories for holiday anxiety, consider addressing each specific situation separately rather than focusing on general scenarios. Visiting Santa is one story, smelling different foods at the holiday table is another. Knowing how to go into a quiet corner when feeling overwhelmed is a third story. You can, and should, create social stories for visiting grandparents, attending a party, and experiencing holiday travel as well.
Watch: Using Social Stories to Prepare for New Experiences
A social story can include all sorts of sensory details about sights, sounds, and experiences, along with the respective coping strategies. Introduce the social stories early, and revisit them a few times to build consistency and reinforce the narrative. Professionals will often ask questions and brainstorm additional coping strategies together. This is a practice that families can adopt as well and have more active preparation. Don’t forget to celebrate success no matter how small the step.
Beyond the Holidays
While holiday anxiety is a specific concern, the principles of AI-powered social stories apply to countless situations throughout the year including visits to the dentist, keeping hands to self, medical appointments, school transitions, adjusting to new teachers or changing classrooms, social events like birthday parties, community outings, and just about every daily scenario and activities.
Emona.ai has a library of personalized social stories, which are free to browse, thus giving everyone an access to a support system.
You can also try Emona and create a social story this holiday season and hopefully in the year that comes.