Social Stories and Visual Supports Interventions for Students at Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Antecedent interventions are often used preventatively to address engagement, but few studies have evaluated their effectiveness with students at risk for disability. This study evaluated the effectiveness of two commonly recommended antecedent interventions that have limited empirical support for use with students at risk: social stories and visual supports. Both interventions were evaluated separately in the context of two single-case alternating treatments designs across five elementary students at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Social stories were not effective for improving students' levels of engagement during targeted activities; visual supports resulted in increases in students' engagement relative to baseline conditions. Future use of visual supports for students at risk should include evaluations of the feasibility of implementation by teaching staff.