The Four Rules Behind Our Autism Visual Planner Design
3 min read
Social Stories
A Story About Online Safety for a child who takes people at their word.
Your child is online and takes everyone at face value, which is a wonderful quality in a person and a genuine vulnerability on the internet.
Free 7-day trial · No email or credit card to start · Built by an autism dad and a licensed SLP
Why it works here
Why a social story helps with a story about online safety
Online risk relies on inferring intent from text, which is exactly the judgment that is hardest for many autistic children. Concrete rules that do not require reading intent are far more protective than general advice about being careful.
You will recognize this if
- Your child assumes people online are who they say they are.
- They share personal details without hesitation.
- They play games with open chat with people they do not know.
The setup
How to set it up for a story about online safety
Takes about five minutes. Use it as written, or keep only the steps your family needs. A short setup that gets used beats a complete one that gets abandoned in week two.
- 1 Give absolute rules that need no judgment, such as never sharing your address
- 2 Explain that people online can say things that are not true
- 3 Name the specific requests that always mean tell an adult
- 4 Say clearly that they will never be in trouble for reporting something
- 5 Explain that secrets from parents are a warning sign in themselves
- 6 Review the actual platforms your child uses rather than the internet in general
The mistake most families make
Rules that require judging whether someone seems trustworthy put the burden on exactly the skill that is hardest. Absolute rules work far better.
In the app
Built into the routine, not bolted onto it.
The Social Stories lives inside the same routine your child already follows, so a story about online safety is a step with a visible length rather than a separate tool somebody has to remember to open.
- Attach it to any step in any routine
- Works for pre-readers, gestalt language processors, and AAC users
- Same setup at home, at school, and in therapy
Set this up for your child.
Five minutes to build, and your child sees it every time a story about online safety comes around.
$6.99/month after the free trial · Cancel anytime · Also at app.vizyplan.com
Common questions
About a story about online safety
What rules work best?
Absolute ones needing no interpretation. Never send a photo and never share where you live can be applied without judging anyone's intent.
Should I ban online gaming?
It is often where friendships genuinely happen, so removing it has real costs. Supervision plus concrete rules usually beats prohibition.
How do I keep them telling me things?
Make it explicit that reporting never brings trouble, and hold to that even when what they report is uncomfortable.
VizyPlan supports routines and communication at home and school. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose or treat any condition. Talk to your child's care team about clinical questions.
