Working Quietly In Class Social Story for Young Adults

Work Quietly in Class – Social Story for Teens & Young Adults with Autism

Help teens and young adults with autism, developmental disabilities, or other support needs learn how to stay calm, focused, and on-task in the classroom. This ready-to-use, no-prep social story uses clear visuals, structured language, and age-appropriate symbols to teach learners how to manage distractions, follow classroom routines, and work independently. It is perfect for general education, special education, life skills, and vocational programs.

Why Educators & Therapists Love This Resource

This social story supports essential classroom life skills. Learners practice using a quiet voice and staying on task, managing frustration and coping with distractions, waiting their turn and following instructions, and understanding expected versus unexpected behaviors. These skills promote independence, confidence, and successful participation in classroom activities.

Resource Features

The resource includes two story versions – short and extended – for easy differentiation. It has clear, age-appropriate visuals and AAC symbols designed specifically for teens and young adults. The story teaches step-by-step strategies for working quietly, staying focused, and following classroom expectations while supporting self-regulation, attention, problem-solving, and perspective-taking. Two 3×4 static AAC displays using Adaptive Ed Symbols are included: one for functional classroom communication such as “please,” “thank you,” and “wait,” and one fringe vocabulary display focused on classroom strategies and coping skills.

Included Activities

Learners engage with WH questions in visual and open-ended formats, yes/no comprehension questions, matching and memory games, and sentence strip practice. Additional activities include sorting tasks for expected versus unexpected behaviors, coloring pages, inferencing exercises, predicting outcomes, perspective-taking questions, vocabulary word search, and AAC symbol displays for accessibility.

Available Formats

This social story is provided as a printable PDF for immediate use. Editable Canva and PowerPoint versions are included to customize visuals, text, and layout for individual learner needs.

Perfect For

It is ideal for general or special education classrooms, life skills and functional academic programs, 1:1 or small group instruction, social skills and self-regulation lessons, speech-language therapy, transition and vocational programs, and teaching focus, attention, and classroom independence.

Why This Resource Works

This engaging, age-appropriate social story helps learners stay calm, follow routines, and work quietly in the classroom. It also promotes functional AAC communication, real-world life skills, independence, confidence, and success in classroom settings.

✅ Pro Tip: Use this social story alongside behavior modeling and visual supports for maximum impact on self-regulation and classroom participation.