Being a Flexible Thinker Social Story

This social story helps students practice flexible thinking when plans change, choices are different, or things do not go as expected. It is designed for students with autism, nonverbal learners, AAC users, and special education classrooms to support coping skills, communication, and positive behavior.

Slide Overview

Things Can Change
I Can Stop and Think
I Can Try Another Way
I Can Choose Something Else
I Can Hear New Ideas
I Can Use Calm Words
I Can Ask for Help
I Can Be Flexible

Teachers, SLPs, and parents can use this social story before challenging situations, during classroom lessons, in speech therapy, or at home to teach and reinforce flexible thinking.

This resource includes 8 simple student facing story pages with clear first person language and engaging visual supports. It is easy to use for individual instruction, small groups, classroom routines, and behavior support.

Keywords: autism, AAC, nonverbal, social skills, behavior support, special education, visual supports, routines, communication, classroom management.