Is your child about to start seeing a new therapist? Or maybe they're going to speech or occupational therapy for the first time. Or perhaps it's physical therapy or music therapy that they're going to. Or maybe it's teletherapy instead of regular in-person therapy.
Whatever the case, going to therapy for the first time can be an overwhelming sensory and/or social experience for some kids. And they might have a lot of questions about where they're going, what to expect, why they're going, and what they'll be doing there.
One thing you can do to prepare a child for their first visit or appointment is to use a social story. After all, social stories are beneficial for explaining new situations and experiences.
Below you will find a variety of free social stories about going to therapy. You can certainly use some of them as is, but remember, it's best to tailor and personalize the social story topics, as well as the accompanying images, to the individual.
Free Social Stories About Going to Therapy
Have you been looking for a social story about speech therapy, occupational therapy, teletherapy, or similar? Then look no further than these free printable social stories about therapy. Some require you to have a Pinterest account (which is free!) before you can look at the full story.
I've rounded up a variety of options for you to explore. That way you can find the best therapy social story for you and your child. Or, better yet, you can simply use ideas from different stories below to write your own custom story (free social story templates here to help).
Please note that just because a social story is listed here does not mean I endorse its content. After all, many social stories tend to be poorly written and/or teach autistic masking. Besides, I haven't read all of these stories word for word myself. So please read through the stories carefully before using them with your child.
1. Going to Therapy Social Story from Boston Medical Center - This story uses colorful clipart (and one photo) and talks about what it's like to go to therapy. It talks about waiting in the waiting room and what to expect during the therapy session. It's also available in multiple languages.
2. Social Story About Occupational Therapy from Boston Medical Center - Similar to the story above, this one outlines what you might do during an occupational therapy appointment. It uses a variety of colorful clipart and is available in three languages.
3. Social Story About Going to Speech Therapy from Boston Medical Center - This story is pretty basic. It is short too, but it explains a bit about speech therapy and what to expect. Like the stories above, it uses colorful clipart. It's only available in English.
4. Physical Therapy Appointment Social Story from Boston Medical Center - This story is available in three languages and uses colorful clipart. It talks about what to expect at a physical therapy appointment.
5. New Speech Therapist Social Story on WidgitOnline - Here's a story about having a new speech and language therapist. It looks pretty detailed and uses icons to support the text. Some kids may find all these icons/symbols visually overwhelming (it makes the page look super busy), but others may find it beneficial. I personally find these stories hard to read.
6. My First Visit to Speech Therapy from Small TALK Speech Therapy - This story was written for a specific speech therapy clinic, but you could easily adapt it to fit your needs. It includes a mix of clipart and photos specific to this clinic.
7. Occupational Therapy Social Story from Kristi Riddle on Pinterest - This one page story looks pretty detailed and includes some icon style clipart. Available just as an image, not a PDF or anything.
8. I Have Occupational Therapy Social Story from Kristi Riddle on Pinterest - This story is pretty much the same as the one above. It just has slightly different wording. Again, this is just an image, not a PDF or anything.
9. Preparing for Speech Teletherapy Social Story from Kidmunicate - This story was written for teletherapy during the pandemic and is geared towards a specific clinic. However, you could easily remove a couple of pages and/or adapt the text to fit your needs.
10. Why Does my Therapist Look Different? Social Stories from Autism Little Learners - These stories were written specifically for the pandemic and talk about wearing masks and face shields so they might not be as useful to you now. But I thought I'd include them here anyway. There are lots of stories available here and different language options as well. They use colorful clipart.
11. Therapy Social Story from Kindred Counselling - Here is a series of four images about going to therapy. I dislike the wording choice of "there is something wrong," but otherwise, this story is okay. It uses clipart.
Video Social Stories for Speech Therapy & Other Types of Therapy
Here are some video social stories that talk about going to speech, OT, teletherapy, or similar. You can uses these to prep your child for their first few appointments. Videos are always a great alternative to printing off a story.
Like the stories above, some of the wording in these videos aren't always great. Or they might be written about a specific clinic or therapist. They may also have mentions of COVID/pandemic and why therapy looks a bit different. But I wanted to make sure you had lots of different options for discussing what therapy is all about.
Can't Find Exactly What You Need? Try One of these Therapy Social Stories!
Didn't find quite the right social story above? Don't feel like writing one from scratch? Perhaps one of the following editable social stories from my shop will be just what you need!
Grab your copy of the speech therapy social story
Grab your copy of the occupational therapy social story
Whether you go the free or paid route, hopefully one of these social stories about going to therapy will work for your needs.
