The effects of parent-implemented social stories on teaching abduction prevention to individuals with intellectual disabilities

This study investigated the effects of parent-ımplemented social stories on teaching abduction prevention to individuals with ıntellectual disabilities. The study employed a multiple probe design with across participant probes, a single-subject research design. Three children with intellectual disabilities, ages 7 to 10, their parents and stranger who volunteered participated in the study. The study consisted of two independent variables and two dependent variables. The independent variables are a family education program developed to help parents of individuals with intellectual disabilities develop social story writing and implementation skills, and the parents' ability to implement social stories with individuals with intellectual disabilities. The dependent variables are the parents' ability to write and implement social stories with individuals with intellectual disabilities participating in the family education program, and the ability to protect themselves from abduction preventions. The results of the study indicated that parents participating in the family education program improved their social story writing and implementation skills. The developed family education program was found to be effective in equipping parents with the skills to write and reliably implement social stories. The social stories delivered by parents in the study were found to be effective in helping the child participants acquire, generalize, and maintain the ability to abduction preventions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participating parents to determine social validity. The results indicated that parents found the objectives addressed in the family education necessary and important, that the social story method was usable and useful, and that they also found the targeted skill important and necessary. It is believed that the findings will guide the relevant literature, experts and teachers working in the field, and parents. Future research involving different family members is recommended.