A social story about following directions

A social story about following directions is written in first person or third person, and it never says you. The story below is a coat on a low hook and shoes on a mat, plus the words a child can use when the next move is unclear.

First person or third person

Carol Gray's 10.2 criteria say a social story uses first-person or third-person statements only. Second-person statements are out (Social Stories 10.2 Criteria, accessed October 31, 2026).

Her quiz on following directions marks this sentence as one that would never appear in a social story: "You should try to listen and follow directions." It is second person, and it uses "should," which she treats as vocabulary a social story does not use. A first-person sentence she accepts is "I am learning about directions." A miss, if you need to mention one, goes in third person, not as "I do that a lot" (Answers to the Social Story Quiz, accessed October 31, 2026).

The same quiz says "tell" is the accurate verb when the child has no choice. "Ask" fits only when you mean to offer a choice. A made bed is another one-step job.

Third person, for a child who does better hearing about "a child" than about "I":

Sometimes a child hangs a coat on the low hook by the door. An adult may point at the coat, then at the hook. When the next move is unclear, that child may say, "Show me." Shoes go on the mat after the coat is on the hook.

Coat on the hook

I Am Learning About Directions

I am learning about directions at home.

A direction tells the next move. Mom may say, "Coat on the hook."

The hook is the low one by the door. My coat goes there.

If the next move is unclear, I can say, "Show me." Mom can point at the coat, then at the hook.

I hang the coat. A second direction can start after that: shoes on the mat.

Sometimes a child wants to stay with the crayons. That child may not move to the hook right away. The coat still has a hook.

The direction is finished when the coat is on the hook and the shoes are on the mat.

"Show me" is the coaching sentence. The other sentences describe the hook, the order, and a child who may want the crayons. The describe-and-coach count, and why describing leads, is in what a social story is.

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How to say it so the words match the social story

The CDC's notes on directions match the social story only if the spoken words match what you wrote.

• Come close, say your child's name, and get eye to eye. Squatting helps.
• Use a statement. "Coat on the hook." A question such as "Want to hang the coat?" offers a choice the social story does not offer.
• Say "let's" only if you will hang the coat together. If the child will do it, name the child's action and skip "let's."
• Point at the coat, then at the hook, so the words have a place.
• Give the shoe direction after the coat is hung, not in the same breath.

The CDC also says inability is different from refusing. A young child can take an adult's hand at a curb. That same child is not ready to mop a floor. A direction the child cannot do yet is the wrong size, not a failed social story (Tips for Giving Directions, accessed October 31, 2026).

Praise the real action in a short statement: "Coat on the low hook." If that praise did not happen, leave it out of the social story.

Two photos, hook then mat, can be printed as a two-step picture strip. A finished no, when the answer will stay no, is the social story about accepting no.

The coat-and-hook social story, and later ones, go out from the Social Stories email list.

When directions need a pediatrician or a hearing check

Most children miss some directions. Call the pediatrician if your child does not respond to a voice in a quiet room, if a one-step direction they are able to do still falls apart on most days after you have been close and clear, or if anyone gets hurt. Ask for a hearing check, and ask whether a speech-language pathologist should look at the words.

FAQ

Does a social story about following directions ever say you?

No. First person ("I hang the coat") or third person ("a child hangs a coat"). The sentence "You should try to listen and follow directions" is the kind Gray's quiz rejects.

What can a child say when a direction is unclear?

"Show me." Then an adult points at the coat and at the hook. The social story names that sentence so it is ready before the doorway rush.

Why make the direction a statement?

Because a question offers a choice. Use a question only when either answer is acceptable. "Coat on the hook" matches a social story in which the coat has one hook.

When is it time to call about directions?

Bring the social story and one direction that fails at home. Ask for those two things to be sorted apart: hearing, and understanding the words.