Going to the Dentist Social Stories

Today is my 3-year-old son's first visit to the dentist, so I found a few social stories on the topic. I read him the first story listed below, and then showed him the dentist office photos found here: http://daily-autism-freebie.blogspot.com/2010/11/dentist-appointment-photos-good-for.html and explained to him what was happening in each picture. He actually seemed a little nervous after reading the first story, but after looking at the photos linked above, he seemed excited about going. Of course, each child is different, so the first story might work better for your child.

Story 1: http://leechbabe.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/dentist-social-story.pdf (written with a specific child's name, PECS images)

Story 2: http://www.handsinautism.org/pdf/StrategyAtWork_VisitToDentistSocialStory.pdf (includes photos and clip art)

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Dentist Appointment Photos (Good for Social StoriesTM)

Right after Halloween seemed like a good time for this one. The link below contains a wide variety of pictures of dentist offices, dental equipment, and children having a dentist appointment. These could be used to create a SocialStoryTM or to show to your child to ease their fears about going to the dentist.

http://dentistry.about.com/od/childrensdentistry/ig/Dentist-Appointment-Photos/

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Going to the Dentist Book

Autism Speaks Dental Tool Kit

Daily Freebie for August 4, 2010

"Oral health is a very important component of healthy daily living. But for some children with autism, oral health habits can be challenging. Autism Speaks has teamed up with Colgate and Philips-Sonicare to create a dental guide and video to provide tips for improving oral hygiene at home, as well as information about how parents and dental professionals can make a visit to the dentist's office less stressful and more productive. Our hope is that this guide will provide information for families to help begin a lifetime of good oral care."

Get the tool kit at: http://www.autismspeaks.org/community/family_services/dental.php


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