How's my social story?
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| Thu, 08-24-2006 - 2:57pm |
David has GOT to get a haircut, and I'm trying my hand at social stories. Who knew there was so much involved in a haircut? I'm thinking of making each paragraph a separate page. I know this is long-winded, especially compared to the Carol Grey ones I've seen, but I don't think I can cut any of it out, judging from our past hair-cutting experiences.
What do you all think? David is 8.5, AS, and reads very well, although he tends to refuse to read anything that is non-fiction.
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Getting a Haircut
Sometimes I have to get my hair cut. If I just let it grow, then it gets in my eyes. It’s also harder to wash, and starts to look kind of funny. People with long hair usually comb it every day and get it trimmed once in a while so it stays nice and keeps a flattering shape. Since I don’t comb my hair, it makes sense to keep it short.
My mom takes me to the haircutting place at the shopping center. We go inside and my mom will ask if there is anyone available to cut my hair. Sometimes they are busy cutting other people’s hair, and we might have to wait. We can sit in the chairs, or stand around in the waiting area.
When it is my turn, the hairdresser calls my name, and I follow her to the chair at her work station. I climb into the chair and sit still while she drapes an apron over my body. The apron is to keep little bits of hair off of me. The hairdresser will probably ask my mom what kind of haircut we want, but as I get older, hairdressers may soon start asking me myself.
There are two different ways of cutting hair. One of them is the electric clippers. They are quick and easy for the hairdresser to use, and they give the kind of haircut that most boys have. The hairdresser can adjust the electric clippers, depending on how long the customer wants his hair. Usually boys will have their hair cut so that it is in the range of about ¼ inch to about 1 ½ inches long. The electric clippers do make a buzzing sound, and sometimes tickle a bit around the ears, but if I keep my head still, the hairdresser can work quickly.
The other way of cutting hair is with scissors. The scissors don’t buzz, but if the hairdresser uses scissors, she will have to comb up sections of my hair in order to cut evenly. She will sometimes want me to tilt my head a certain way, and will probably even gently move my head for me. I’m supposed to just keep my head where she puts it. This will help her cut my hair evenly and quickly. If I start to feel annoyed, I can try to think of things that amuse me, like Bionicles, or Shel Silverstein poems.
She may spray my hair with water once in a while, because damp hair is easier to cut evenly than dry hair. If I see her pick up a spray bottle, I know to expect to get sprayed with a cool mist.
When she’s all done, she might briefly turn on the hair drier to blow the little bits of hair away. If I see her pick up a hair drier, I know to expect a loud sound and a bit of warm air on me.
Sometimes hairdressers try to be friendly by asking questions, like, “How old are you?” or “What grade are you in?” or “Do you like school?” It’s polite to answer the questions. Often, our hairdressers are hard to understand because English is not their native language. If I don’t understand, I can say, “I beg your pardon?” or even, “huh?” It’s also okay for me to say, “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk”, and give a little smile so she knows I’m not trying to be unkind. Hairdressers usually understand that. Sometimes customers like to chat, and sometimes they don’t. The hairdressers will usually respect their customers wishes, because they want us to be comfortable so we’ll come again. I won’t growl at the hairdresser or make angry faces at her because that might make her feel uncomfortable and confused.
Often , our hairdressers like to talk to each other. If the hairdresser starts talking in a way that makes no sense at all to me, it probably means she’s talking in another language to someone that I cannot see from where I am. I can just ignore her.
When my hair is all cut, the hairdresser will remove the apron and tell me I can get out of the chair. I wait for a few minutes while my mom pays the hairdresser. They might offer me a lollipop or they might not. If they show me a box of lollipops, or ask if I want one, it is okay for me to take one. It’s also okay to say, “no thanks.” If I want a lollipop, but no one offers one, it’s okay to say something like, “Do you still give out lollipops?”
After we pay, we will leave the hair cutting place and you may choose to go to Starbuck’s, get a candy from See’s, or go straight home.
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So, there we are. It does seem ridiculously long to me. Any thoughts?
Evelyn :)

Its sounds really good other than being so long. The last paragraph was the only one you didn't use the first person in. I thought maybe you might want to change that.
Could you take him for a haircut at a place where you make an appointment? That way you could request an english speaking hairstylist, speak to her ahead of time and tell her he doesn't like to talk, & you wouldn't have to wait around. That way you could take those things out of the story and maybe make it less stressful for him.
Samantha
It sounds good, but it is long. He is 8.5 and reads well so that might help. could he take a bionicle to hold until the cape? or would that be more of a distraction and problem?
I agree that making an appointment and being able to talk to that person first might actually help in that she/he would already know that David might not want to talk or that he might be afraid of the clippers or might not like the comb on his head. If you had some one you could make an appointment with you might even be able to do in ahead of time so he could meet her and see her chair and feel more comfortable with the whole situation.
Betsy