Comic strip conversations, created by Carol Gray, are simple visual representations of conversation. Comic strip conversations are visual representations of the different levels of communication that happen in a conversation. Stories should appeal to the interests of the person they are written for and avoid using words that may cause the person anxiety or distress.

The basic tools are paper and pencils, but you might also use crayons, coloured pencils and markers. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why. The content and presentation of social stories should be appropriate to the person's age and level of understanding. Comic strip conversations can help people with autism to understand concepts that they find difficult. Children can also recognize that, although people say one thing, they may think something quite different―another concept foreign to "concrete-thinking" children.

Comic strip conversations use symbols to represent social interactions and abstract aspects of conversation, and colour to represent the emotional content of a statement or message (Gray, 1994). Carol is the director of The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding, a non-profit organization that serves people with ASD, and currently works privately with students, parents, and professionals in a variety of educational and vocational settings. They can help with sequencing (what comes next in a series of activities) and 'executive functioning' (planning and organising). For complex situations, or for people who have difficulty reporting events in sequence, comic strip boxes may be used, or drawings can be numbered in the sequence in which they occur. This worked well, but unfortunately this book does not give anything pre written conversation strategies.

Comic strip conversations provide visual representations of the different levels of communication that take place in a conversation, using symbols, stick figure drawings and colour.

Social stories present information in a literal, 'concrete' way, which may improve a person's understanding of a previously difficult or ambiguous situation or activity. It's important to present the information in a way which allows for unexpected changes to a situation. Creating or using a social story can help you to understand how the autistic person perceives different situations. Comic strip conversations can help autistic people understand concepts that they find particularly difficult. The National Autistic Society is also a company limited by guarantee, registered at Companies House (01205298).

By seeing the different elements of a conversation presented visually, some of the more abstract aspects of social communication (such as recognising the feelings of others) are made more 'concrete' and are therefore easier to understand. Use age-appropriate photographs, picture symbols or drawings with text to help people who have difficulty reading or for younger children.More information about social stories, including how they can be used and who can benefit from them. You can use just paper, pencils, crayons and markers, computer word processing applications, or you could use an app.