Staying Safe and Safer Strangers - A Stranger Danger Social Story app for iPhone and iPad

This app is made up of two community safety social stories. One story focuses on safer strangers and buildings, and the other focuses on what to do if you are lost.

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The “stranger danger” style of story sometimes frightens children, and causes them to not ask for help if they are lost, for fear that all strangers are bad. Safer strangers and safer buildings focuses on which strangers are “safer” and good to go to for help, such as police officers, check-out clerks, librarians or paramedics.

The app opens up to table of contents to choose which of the two stories to read.

Knowing good community safety skills can be difficult for any child, and may be especially difficult for children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome or other special need.

Children with special needs often need more direct instruction of social skills like how and who to ask for help.

Teaching community safety skills to any child may be easier and less stressful when visual supports, like social stories are used. This social story explains accurate safety information and ensures that your child will know what to expect and what to do if they are lost.

Social stories are an important type of visual support often used with children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome or other special need. This social story uses simple text and descriptive pictures to explain why and how to ask for help.

Social stories were first defined by Carol Gray in 1991 and are commonly used to break down a task or social situation into small and easy to understand steps, often accompanied by descriptive pictures. Social stories are incredibly easy to implement and are used by many professionals for a wide range of behaviors.