Universally compatible with
all Apple devices
Stories2Learn
Compatible with all your Apple iDevices, Stories2Learn is a basic app for authoring social stories. Many children with autism get anxiety and frustration when they're not given advance notice of things to come. Many need a reminder about how to appropriately act in certain environments. Since most autistic kids can't comprehend or process verbal instruction, pictures are necessary. Before the iPhone we had to cut out photographs and glue or tape them into a notebook to form a social story. Much has changed, thanks to the iPhone and MDR Inc.
NOTE: Stories2Learn and Social Skills are two very similar apps put out by the same developer, MDR Inc. Both apps can serve the exact same purpose and do it in the same way, with the same interface, etc. These apps even have the same icon. In fact, the only difference between them is that Stories2Learn allows you to add your own stories, while Social Skills does not. But Social Skills comes pre-packed with 6 social narratives, while Stories2Learn comes with but a single one. In my opinion these apps need to be merged into one happy autism app. And judging from how similar they are already, I'm guessing that would be a pretty simple process.
The first thing that struck me about Stories2Learn is that it has a simple, clean, and extremely user-friendly interface. It couldn't be easier! Viewing a social story; piece of cake. Adding a story; Pie. Editing a story; [insert your favorite dessert here.] Every step of the way, it's all very easy. That's how I like my autism apps!
With Stories2Learn, not only can you digitize your social story and add text as usual, but you can add audio. You can speak it. This app allows you to record your own voice so when your child touches the picture (or slide) he hears your voice telling him about that picture or reading the text to him. That's a big step up from the days of cutting and gluing. Autistic kids who like high amounts of visual support and structure will benefit from this app. And quite honestly, just about every autistic child I know falls into that category including my own son.
If Stories2Learn were truly taking advantage of the multi-touch interface on the iPhone you could advance to the next 'slide' in the social story by swiping your finger across the screen. As it is now, to advance a slide you have to touch a little arrow button on the edge of the screen. It's not a big deal, but it'd still be nice to have the option to swipe. Also, once you start a story there's no way out until you reach the end or push the iPhone's home button to completely exit the app. I'd like to see the developer make use of a double or triple tap on the screen to take me back to the menu. Using a double or triple tap would ensure that my son couldn't accidentally exit the social story I gave him.
Some images, even some of them used in the pre-loaded social story about how to play a game with your friend, are stretched or compressed so the pictures look strange and out of proportion. When I inserted pictures of my own son to make a custom social story the image was stretched like a fun house mirror. Pictures should be constrained to their original proportions. In other words, no stretching and no compressing! If you're still unsure what I'm talking about; When an image is stretched everyone looks fatter. When an image is compressed everyone looks skinnier. That's what Stories2Learn unintentionally does to some images.
Despite its shortcomings, this autism app is still great. And when the little things are fixed this would easily garner 5 stars in my book. Stories2Learn does social stories right. Every autism mom and dad rejoice!
