Write it as a reporting and self-advocacy story, never a compliance story. The student learns what teasing is, that it is not their fault, and exactly which adult to tell. Roughly 44% of school-aged autistic youth report being bullied, so this comes up often. It is also the story most likely to go wrong, because the fast version quietly asks the student to change instead of the environment.
Why is this story easy to get wrong?
Because the shortest version puts the burden on the student. Under time pressure, the sentences that come out first are "I can ignore it" and "They are probably just joking." Both teach a targeted student to absorb the behavior and stop telling adults. A 2025 Frontiers in Psychiatry review of autism, bullying, and mental health notes that communication differences already leave autistic students more vulnerable to peer victimization and to the depression and anxiety that follow. A story that discourages reporting can make that worse.
The prevalence numbers make this a caseload issue rather than an edge case. A widely cited systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 studies found about 44% of school-aged youth with autism reported being bullied, with verbal victimization close to 50%. If you carry 50 students, this story is relevant to a large share of them.
What should the story actually teach?
Three things: recognition, attribution, and a reporting route. Recognition means the student can tell the difference between friendly joking and teasing. Attribution means the student understands the behavior is the other person's choice. The reporting route is the one directive sentence in the whole story: who to tell, and where that person is.
| Page | Sentence type | What goes here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Descriptive | Where this happens: recess, the bus line, the lunch table |
| 2 | Descriptive | What teasing looks and sounds like, in concrete terms |
| 3 | Perspective | Teasing usually says something about the person doing it, and it can feel bad to hear |
| 4 | Affirmative | It is not the student's fault, and they are allowed to feel upset |
| 5 | Directive (the only one) | Tell a named adult, in a named place, as soon as it happens |
| 6 | Cooperative | What that adult will do next, stated specifically |
Page 6 is the page most stories skip and the page that makes reporting stick. "My teacher will listen and write it down, and then she will help" is a promise the student can test. Keep it accurate, because an unkept cooperative sentence teaches the student that reporting does nothing.
What sentences should never appear?
Anything that asks the student to change to avoid being targeted. Cut "I can ignore it." Cut "They are only joking." Cut "I will try to act like my classmates." Cut any variation of "if I do not react, they will stop." Those sentences train masking and silence.
Also cut "I will not cry" and similar emotional-suppression lines. A student is allowed to be upset about being teased. Replace suppression with a control sentence the student chooses, such as "When my chest feels tight, I can hold my card and walk to Mrs. Lee's door."
From our 2024 community survey (n=16): "Getting suitable pictures is 90% of the work." For this story specifically, resist the urge to illustrate the teasing itself. Photograph the safe places instead: the doorway, the adult's desk, the bench where the student can wait. The visuals should show the route out, not the harm.
What has to happen alongside the story?
Adult action, or the story is a placebo. A social story may help with recognition and reporting, which sit in the social and safety skill domains where a 2026 Frontiers in Psychology meta-analysis of 21 studies found significant effects. It cannot change another student's behavior, and nothing in the evidence base suggests it can.
Pair the story with the parts that do change the environment: increased supervision at the specific time and place named on page 1, a documented report route so incidents are logged, and separate work with the peers involved. Loop in the family early. Parents often learn about teasing from a story going home, and that conversation goes better when you have already told them.
How do you personalize it without singling the student out?
Personalize the setting and the adult, not the incident. Name the real hallway, the real staff member, the real time of day. Do not narrate what happened last Tuesday, because a story that replays the incident can function as an unwanted rehearsal, and it also creates a record that follows the student.
Keep the story to 4 to 6 pages and 8 to 12 sentences for a K-5 student, with at most one directive sentence. Read it before recess or before the bus line, not during a difficult moment. Plan for at least six readings before you judge whether reporting behavior has changed, since dosage was a significant factor in the ASSSIST-2 randomized trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you write a social story for a student who is being teased?
Yes, but only as a reporting and self-advocacy tool alongside adult action. The story teaches the student what teasing is, that it is not their fault, and exactly who to tell. It should never ask the student to change themselves to avoid being targeted.
How common is bullying for autistic elementary students?
A widely cited systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 studies found roughly 44% of school-aged youth with autism reported being bullied, with verbal victimization near 50%. Autistic students are substantially more likely to be targeted than non-autistic classmates, so this is a caseload-level issue, not an edge case.
What sentences should never appear in a teasing social story?
Anything that assigns responsibility to the student. Avoid "ignore it," "they are only joking," "do not act different," and "be more like your classmates." Those sentences teach a student to mask and to stop reporting, which is the opposite of the goal.
Can a social story stop bullying by itself?
No. A social story may help a student recognize and report teasing, which falls under the social and safety skill domains where the evidence is strongest. Stopping the behavior requires supervision changes, peer-level intervention, and staff follow-through. The story supports the plan, it is not the plan.
How should the story handle the student's autism diagnosis?
Follow the family's lead and the student's existing self-knowledge. The story does not need to mention the diagnosis to work. If the family has already discussed it and the student uses that language, a neutral affirmative sentence about being autistic and belonging can help. If not, keep the story about the behavior.
How many pages should a teasing social story be for a K-5 student?
Four to six pages, roughly 8 to 12 sentences. Keep at most one directive sentence in the whole story, and make it the reporting step. Everything else should be descriptive, perspective, affirmative, or cooperative.
Who should read this story with the student?
Whoever the student is being asked to report to, if possible. A 2026 meta-analysis found the implementer's identity did not significantly change effect size, so consistency matters more than credentials. Having the named adult read it makes the reporting step concrete rather than abstract.
A practical stack for sensitive scenario stories
One approach for school SLPs short on time is a 5-tool stack: a one-page sentence-type checklist so the single directive stays the reporting step, a reusable slide template you fill in per student, a folder of photos of safe places in your building, an AI text drafter (ChatGPT, Claude, MagicSchool, or Emoquest for one-sentence-in story output), and a documented report route you can name accurately on page 6.