It's not uncommon for a gestalt language processor, who uses a lot of echolalia to communicate, to pick up on swear words when they are little. (Cue the flashbacks to when my son was like 3 or 4 and muttered the f word...)
It's especially not surprising given how emotionally charged swear words can be. And gestalt language processors definitely gravitate towards scripts or phrases that are emotionally charged (see point #12 here).
So what can you do to teach kids about swear words and why they're not appropriate to use? Besides the obvious advice of making sure you don't model accidental swear word gestalts in the first place! (It happens).
Well, you can use one of these free social stories about swearing, curse words, and profanity as a starting point. Many offer up suggestions of alternative phrases or ideas for calming down when angry. And others explain why swearing might get you in trouble at school (or elsewhere).
Some of the social stories (and a song) are geared more towards younger children, while others are better for older kids or teens. But, as always, feel free to use these stories as inspiration for writing one that's tailored specifically to your child and their needs.
Free Social Stories About Swearing
Have you been looking for a social story about cursing, profanity, and inappropriate language? Then look no further than these free printable swearing social stories. Some require you to have a Teachers Pay Teachers account (which is free!) before you can download them.
I've rounded up some options for you to explore. That way you can find the best swearing related social story for yourself or your child. Or 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.
1. Swearing Social Stories from Happy Leaners - Here are two text only social stories about swear words. One is called "If I Swear" and the other is called "Swearing." No images are included with these stories.
2. Swearing is Not a Good Idea Social Story from Social Stories: Power Tool for Autism - This story talks about a variety of instances when you might hear people use swear words and why it's not a good idea to swear at school (or elsewhere), among other things. It includes two clipart images.
3. Curse Word Calm Down Social Story from Sarah Mitchell on TPT - While this story is primarily a calm down story, it does touch on not using curse words and offers up other calm down strategies to try instead. It is a super short story (only 3 pages) and uses space themed images.
4. Using my Words & Swearing at School Social Story from Behaviorist Tool Box on TPT - This story targets the f word and why you shouldn't say it at school. It also offers different words to use instead and includes some clipart and photos to accompany the text.
5. Social Story: I Need to Use Nice Words from Learning Knows No Bounds on TPT - Here's a story that is geared towards kids who use curse words or "bad words" when they are angry. It uses a lot of random clipart and comes as a Word document so it should be editable.
6. Kind Words - Swearing Social Story from Boardmaker - A short social story that uses Boardmaker images and talks about how swearing can get you into trouble.
7. No Swearing Social Story from Boardmaker - A pretty basic story that uses Bitmoji images to accompany the text.
8. I Won't Repeat Bad Words Social Story from Bx Support on TPT - This story uses random clipart art and simple sentences. It talks about not repeating certain words that you might hear.
9. Using Appropriate Language Social Story from Karissa's Speech Korner on TPT - Here's a super simplistic story that you can use as a template. It's text only by the looks of things, but comes as a Word document so it should be editable.
10. Appropriate Language Social Story for Middle School from Social Story Speechie on TPT - It looks like this story should touch on swearing and using appropriate language (the preview and description don't really go into much detail). The story itself looks pretty basic (especially for middle schoolers!) and uses random clipart.
11. Potty Words Social Story from Speaking of Speech - This story talks about different words to say in different situations and uses lots of colorful clipart. It looks like an account is required in order to download this story.
12. Middle Finger Social Story from Speaking of Speech - While not about swear words in particular, this story talks about why you shouldn't use your middle finger. Again, you might have to create an account first.
Video Social Stories About Swear Words
Here are some video social stories that talk about not using swear words. You can use these in teletherapy sessions, social skills groups, at home, and/or classroom settings. 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. But I wanted to make sure you had lots of different options for helping your child understand how swearing or using curse words might get them into trouble.
So that's it for the list of free social stories about swearing. Hopefully, you're able to find a couple that will work for your needs.
