Effectiveness of Social Stories Intervention on Social Competence of Children with Autism in Ibadan

This study evaluates the effectiveness of social stories as an intervention for improving social competence in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Ibadan, South West Nigeria. Social stories, developed originally by Carol Gray, are short, personalised narratives that describe social situations and appropriate responses in terms accessible to autistic individuals, aiming to improve social understanding and interaction. Despite substantial international evidence for social stories as a low-tech, teacher-implementable intervention, their application in Nigerian classrooms has not been empirically evaluated. This study employs a multiple-baseline across participants single-subject design with six children with autism from two special schools in Ibadan. Individually tailored social stories targeting identified social deficits are implemented over twelve weeks, with social competence assessed through direct observation of targeted social behaviours in natural school settings. Data are analysed using visual analysis and Tau-U effect size statistics. The study also surveys parent-reported generalisation of targeted social behaviours to home contexts, enriching the ecological validity of findings. Findings are expected to demonstrate significant improvements in targeted social competence indicators across participants, with effect sizes in the moderate-to-large range. The study provides original Nigerian-contextualised evidence for social stories as a practical, resource-efficient intervention tool. Recommendations include developing a Yoruba and Igbo-language social stories resource bank for Nigerian special educators working with autistic children. Keywords: social stories, autism, social competence, Ibadan, single-subject design.