Like many others, upon hearing the news of this horrible event....I cried and asked how something like this could happen? As a parent, I worried about how my children would respond to the news.....especially my ASD son. I struggled with the "do I tell them or do I not?" question.....and decided that I would do my best to keep them from seeing the news reports and all of the stuff that has been online this weekend. Some may argue that it was the wrong choice...but at the time, I questioned whether or not they would understand it all and if hearing the news would scare them to the point that they wouldn't want to return to school.
I've thought about it all weekend.....I've thought about the precious children who died that day....I've thought about the staff members at the school and the first responders. I've cried, I've prayed, and I haven't really slept since hearing the news on TV. Today as I thought about it, I decided that I would rather have my children hear about it from me versus some kid on the bus or someone at school. But how do you explain something like this to a child....especially a child with Autism? After spending some time trying to decide what I would say, I began to look online for some clip art....and created the following social story.
*Disclaimer* -- Please keep in mind, all of the social stories that I write are done so for my son and protected by the copyright I have. I do NOT own the clip art however, so please respect all copyright laws and do not duplicate this social story for profit purposes or any other "negative" purposes. You may print a copy for personal use only. I am sharing this one here because it may help someone else with explaining to their child what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary. Any questions please ask.
Ok, so here is the social story:
******(page 1)******
in Newtown , Connecticut .
******(page 2)******
A man went to the Sandy Hook Elementary School with a weapon.
The man killed 6 adults and 20 children.
*************(page 4)*************
Although 26 people died, many people were kept safe because of what several heroes did on that day. Do you know what a hero is?
He can NOT hurt anyone else.
The danger is OVER. You are SAFE, you do NOT have to feel scared.
Some people were angry.
How do you feel?
1. Follow the rules.
2. Have practice drills.
3. Listen to your teacher & other adults.
What other things can you do to stay safe?
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