Thinking and Children

Thinking and Children

The effectiveness of social stories in improving the communication skills of mildly mentally retarded students

Articles in Press

Document Type : Scientific- research

Authors
Mohammad Ali Vali Alghavaleb 1
hamid rahimi 2
1 MA, Department of Education, School of Humanity, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran
2 Associate Prof, Department of Education, School of Humanity, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran
Abstract
Abstract
The purpose of this research was the effectiveness of social stories in improving the communication skills of students with mild intellectual disabilities. This research in terms of the purpose, applied research and in terms of the method, is a quasi-experiment. The statistical population of the present study was made up of all students with mental disabilities in the city of Karbala. The sample was selected as available, and they were placed in two groups of 30 people (15 people in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group). The questionnaire Burton's communication skills (1990) were used to collect data. The data was analyzed in two levels using SPSS software. The results showed that the pre-test average of the communication skills of mildly mentally retarded students for the experimental group was 42.66 and the post-test average was 70.53. Also, the pre-test average for the control group was 44.93 and the post-test average was 41.60. In addition, the intervention of teaching social stories has been effective in improving the communication skills of mildly mentally retarded students. The educational course of social stories has improved the communication skills of mildly mentally retarded students. Therefore, the method of social stories can be used to improve the communication problems of mentally challenged students, and psychologists and counselors can use it in their treatment centers.
Keywords: Social Stories, Communication Skills, Mild Mental Retardation, Student, Intellectual Disabilities

Extended Abstract
Introduction: One of the most important problems of children with intellectual disabilities is poor communication skills. This problem affects many aspects of the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Dimensions such as social relationships, communication with friends, friendship skills, communication with classmates, and academic achievement can be affected by this weakness. In order to solve this problem, several treatment methods and educational programs have been proposed, one of which is likely to be effective is the use of social stories and story therapy. Research in this field has been limited both in Iraq and abroad. Through the studies conducted, it was found that no research has been conducted so far to investigate the effectiveness of this program on the communication skills of children with intellectual disabilities in Iraq. Therefore, the purpose of this research was the effectiveness of social stories in improving the communication skills of students with mild intellectual disabilities.
Materials & Methods: This research in terms of the purpose, applied research and in terms of the method, is a quasi-experiment with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of the present study was made up of all students with mental disabilities in the city of Karbala. The sample was selected as available, and they were placed in two groups of 30 people (15 people in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group). For the experimental group, social stories were taught for 8 sessions using the principles of Gray and Grand (2000), and the control group did not receive any training. The questionnaire Burton's communication skills (1990) were used to collect data.
Discussion & Result: The mean pre-test of communication skills of students with mild intellectual disability for the experimental group was 42.66 and the mean post-test was 70.53. Also, the mean of the pre-test for the control group was 44.93 and the mean of the post-test was 41.60. The values ​​(F=25.78) for the group source, which is significant at the P<0.01 level, can be stated that the social story teaching intervention was effective in improving the communication skills of students with mild intellectual disability and the social story training course improved the communication skills of students with mild intellectual disability. According to the eta coefficient, 74 percent of the changes in communication skills were affected by the independent variable of social story teaching.
Also, the F values ​​for the group source, which are significant at the P<0.01 level, can be said that the social story teaching intervention has been effective in improving the dimensions of communication skills of students with mild intellectual disability, and the social story training course has improved the feedback, listening, and verbal skills of students with mild intellectual disability. According to the eta coefficient, 77 percent of the changes in feedback skills, 64 percent of the changes in listening skills, and 74 percent of the changes in verbal skills were affected by the independent variable of social story teaching.
Conclusion: The results showed that social stories are effective in improving the communication skills of students with mild intellectual disability, and therefore, this educational model can lead to an increase in the communication skills of students with mild intellectual disability. In explaining this finding, it can be stated that students with intellectual disability lose or reduce a wide range of abilities and skills due to the injuries and damages they suffer. In other words, the problems of intellectual disability are not limited to weak mental abilities and their effects also appear in learning, reasoning, decision-making, problem solving, planning, abstract thinking, understanding complex concepts, judgment, understanding life matters and other abilities. Students with mild intellectual disability are slower in acquiring developmental stages than others and acquire social, communication and daily life skills later.
In explaining the effectiveness of social stories on the communication skills of students with mild intellectual disability, it can be argued that the main foundation of social stories is on the theory of mind, which leads to strengthening the understanding of mental processes including emotions, perceptions, thoughts of oneself and others. Also, the content of the stories used during these eight sessions is aimed at improving the social cognition of students and facilitating the better understanding of the individual's social conditions in society. Accordingly, the use of indirect methods such as games and stories in teaching skills is considered a necessity. It seems that since the teachings and advice become well understandable and meaningful to the child during the story, the possibility of its application and generalization by the child in similar fields increases. On the other hand, due to the specific conditions of childhood, in terms of cognitive ability and children's lack of interest in participating in therapy sessions, children can benefit more from the storytelling method. In fact, children's proximity and proximity to important interpersonal events in everyday life and their immersion in the sensory and objective aspects of experiences cause these events to have a stronger influence on their life stories. Considering the importance of social skills throughout life and their impact on the individual and social aspects of individuals, teaching these skills through attractive and efficient methods seems essential for children.
Keywords: Social Stories, Communication Skills, Mild Mental Retardation, Student, Intellectual Disabilities
Keywords
Social Stories
Communication Skills
Mild Mental Retardation
Student
Intellectual Disabilities
Subjects
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Thinking and Children

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 June 2026

  • Receive Date 09 February 2025
  • Revise Date 11 May 2026
  • Accept Date 16 May 2026
  • Publish Date 20 June 2026