The Gray Center News

Visit our office to speak with our staff or peruse our bookstore or resource library. Please check our online calendar for a listing of our summer hours. Click here to access our GRAY CENTER CALENDAR. (If you would like to arrange to visit at another time, please contact annmary@thegraycenter.org or call 616-954-9747. If you wish to return library materials when our office is closed, you may use the box located outside our office door).

LOCATION: 4123 Embassy Dr. SE, Kentwood, MI  49546

We’ve added several NEW resources to our ONLINE STORE! Click here to shop. You can also download our order form to be printed here.
If you have benefited fromThe Gray Center's programs and resources, we encourage you to show your support by making a tax-deductible donation! Click here to donate safely and quickly online.
Do you ever SHOP ONLINE? Now your purchases can benefit The Gray Center! Join at NO COST at www.iGive.com/graycenter, and up to 25% of your purchases will go directly to The Gray Center to enable us to provide information and support to those affected by ASD! (Don't forget to log on through that page whenever you do your online shopping!) First-time purchases (made within the first 45 days after registering) through this program enable The Gray Center to receive an additional $5.00!

 

Following the trademark statement are Frequently Asked Questions that may help you in writing Social Stories™.

TRADEMARK STATEMENT: The words "Social Story" and "Social Stories", and their uncapitalized variants, are trademarks originated and owned by Carol Gray.

"Social Stories" written following Carol Gray's Social Story Guidelines are distinctively associated with Carol Gray's name and reputation as an educator of persons with autism spectrum disorders, their parents and the professionals working with them.  Among writers, professionals and parents concerned with autism spectrum disorders, the terms "Social Story", "Social Stories" and their uncapitalized variants have an understood reference to Carol Gray as the originator and chief exponent of Social Stories as effective tools in the education and counseling of persons with autistic spectrum disorders.

Carol Gray's own examples of Social Stories™, and her discussions of them, can be found in her books published by Future Horizons, Inc. and Jessica Kingsley Publishers, in numerous articles written by her for The Morning News and the Jenison Autism Journal (formerly published by the Jenison Public Schools, Jenison, Michigan), in The Social Stories™Quarterly (published by The Gray Center) and on the web site operated by the Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding at http://www.thegraycenter.org/.

No individuals, corporations, organizations or web sites other than those named above (or in Team Social Stories(TM)) have been authorized by Carol Gray to give trainings, or sell, distribute or publish any Story, book, compilation or other item as a Social Story or Social Stories.  Designating any presentation/training, Story, book, compilation or other item using the terms "Social Story", "Social Stories" or their uncapitalized variants, without the express permission of Carol Gray is a deceptive trade practice and an infringement of her exclusive right to use those words, coined by her, to mark written materials produced by her or by licensees of her in careful compliance with her original methods and standards.  Trademark infringement exposes violators to legal liability for monetary damages and injunctive remedies.

* We frequently receive questions about what's acceptable and what is not acceptable. Our Executive Director, Laurel Hoekman, shares a few guidelines that may be helpful:

1. Social Stories™ are not intended to be sold for profit, and may not be marketed for purchase by anyone other than Carol Gray. Anyone offering to sell a Social Story™that they have written does not have permission from Carol Gray to do so, and is in violation of this trademark information. Social Stories(TM) may be shared at any time, as long as the Stories are not exchanged for a fee.

2. Only Carol Gray and other members of "Team Social Stories(TM)" are authorized to offer Social Story™ training sessions or workshops. To clarify and explain this: There are a few options available for those who would like to receive Social Story(TM) training. 

  • First, there is the video workshop, Writing Social Stories™ with Carol Gray which guarantees that the guidelines are presented the same each and every time an audience is trained.  Also, no one is prevented from sharing with others what THEY have learned about how to write Social Stories™, but we encourage people to always refer an audience and others to refer to the guidelines as described in Social Stories 10.0 the revised guidelines and criteria written by Carol Gray.
  • Attend a presentation by Carol Gray (check here for her speaking schedule)
  • Attend a presentation by a member of the newly formed "Team Social Stories™" a handful of people selected and trained by Carol to teach others how to write Social Stories™ (A complete list of these individuals with their biographical information is coming soon...in the meantime, please contact christy@thegraycenter.org if you are interesting in possibly having a member speak for your conference or other event).
  • Brush up on your skills using Social Stories (TM) 10.0 the updated guidelines and criteria for writing a Social Story™.
  • Learn more about using Social Stories(TM) in conjunction with other instructional methods--and about the research required to write a proper and effective Social Story(TM) using Revealing the Hidden Social Code by Marie Howley and Eileen Arnold.
3. Can I publish a book or chapter with reference to Carol Gray's Social Stories™? I'd like to use this vehicle for instructing others how to use this valuable tool. We appreciate people's love for

Social Stories™, as well as their desire to share them with others. However, improper use of references to Carol Gray and Social Stories™ can expose an author and publisher to the potential for legal action. We highly recommend that potential publishers and/or authors send their manuscript to The Gray Center for review prior to publishing. Due to the high volume of such requests, The Gray Center now charges a fee for this service. Click here for more information.

4. Can I get help? I've been trying to write a Social Story™, but I'd like to know if I'm on the right track.  We appreciate (and share!) your love for Social Stories™, as well as your desire to share them with others. We also understand the occasional difficulty in finding the right words to use in writing a Social Story™ and in ensuring that it adheres to the guidelines and criteria as defined by Carol Gray.

Gray Center staff is available to review your Story and provide feedback, or assist in researching the topic (or need) for a Story. As appropriate, you will also receive suggestions for modifying or structuring the environment and/or expectations in order to promote successful outcomes for individuals on both sides of the social equation.

Due to the high volume of such requests, The Gray Center now charges a nominal fee for this coaching service. After paying for this service, you will be contacted by Laurel Hoekman (Executive Director of The Gray Center and an endorsed trainer of Social Stories™) to make arrangements for reviewing your Story. Click here for more information. 

5. Will a Social Story™ fix a problem behavior that my child/student is currently exhibiting? According to the guidelines and criteria for writing a Social Story™, the intent of a Story should never be to change a behavior or "fix" a problem. A Social Story™ is written because a parent or professional recognizes that an individual may be missing basic social information. This lack of information can frequently lead to behaviors or actions that are undesirable. Therefore, the use of a Social Story™ may lead to a change in behavior or actions as understanding increases, but the goal is to provide the information, not to effect change. Remember also that half of all Social Stories™ should be written to applaud an accomplishment or to provide encouragement.

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