The Double Empathy Problem: Rethinking Social Skills
4 min read
Social Stories
A Story About Sharing that admits sharing is hard.
Your child does not want to share and every adult response has been that sharing is nice, which is not an argument that has landed even slightly.
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 sharing
Sharing is usually taught as a virtue and experienced as a loss, which is why it does not stick. A story that names the loss honestly, and explains that sharing is temporary rather than permanent, addresses the actual objection.
You will recognize this if
- Your child resists sharing regardless of what the item is.
- They appear to believe the item is gone forever.
- Adults keep explaining that sharing is kind, with no effect.
The setup
How to set it up for a story about sharing
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 Say plainly that sharing can feel hard and that is normal
- 2 Explain that sharing is temporary and the item comes back
- 3 Use a visible timer so the return is a fact rather than a promise
- 4 Name which things never have to be shared, and mean it
- 5 Explain the difference between sharing and taking turns
- 6 Practice with items your child cares about only moderately
The mistake most families make
Requiring everything to be shared, including genuinely precious items, teaches your child that nothing is safely theirs, which increases resistance across the board.
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 sharing 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 sharing comes around.
$6.99/month after the free trial · Cancel anytime · Also at app.vizyplan.com
Common questions
About a story about sharing
Should my child share everything?
No. Having some items that are never shared makes sharing the rest considerably easier, because it establishes that ownership is real.
Why does sharing feel so hard?
For many children it registers as permanent loss rather than temporary lending, particularly where time perception makes the return date meaningless.
What helps most?
A visible timer, so the return is observable rather than promised. That single change does more than most explanations.
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.
