My Story, My Way: A Personalized Approach to Social Stories

Register today!

May 16, 2025
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM PT

Join Rebecca Matthews Carlson, M.S. CCC-SLP, for an interactive webinar on creating personalized social stories for individuals who benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with unique vision, access and language needs. Drawing from her experience at The Bridge School, Rebecca will explore how tailored narratives can foster social connections, establish routines, and build understanding around personal experiences and topics. She will share examples and videos of personalized stories and system design that have supported her students. Learn practical strategies for collaboration, content customization, and accommodation design, empowering caregivers and educators to create meaningful, accessible stories.

Participants will learn:

• How to integrate the traditional Social Story framework into a Personalized Story.
• How to collaborate with teams to select a topic and establish a purpose/ goal for their personalized story.
• How to integrate accommodations for vision, access and language into their personalized story to best meet the unique needs of the individual for whom the story is intended.
• How to write a personalized story using the traditional Social Story Framework while integrating vocabulary and phrases that are relevant and specific for the individual.
• How to integrate a personalized story to support social, expressive and receptive language for individuals who use AAC.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance communication and enrich lives through the art of personalized stories!

Presenter: Rebecca Matthews Carlson M.S. CCC-SLP

Rebecca Matthews Carlson is a dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She has extensive experience supporting individuals with complex communication needs through personalized interventions and collaborative teamwork. At The Bridge School, she works across roles, from direct service with Bridge to Life to transition support, tailoring communication systems and supporting self-determination curricula. Rebecca actively shares her expertise through national and international conference presentations including ASHA, ISAAC and Closing the Gap. She emphasizes interdisciplinary, family-centered collaboration to provide accessible, culturally responsive communication support.