Social rehearsal

What Private Social Rehearsal Covers

The real-life moments an autism-affirming rehearsal tool can cover — grouped from warm-ups to higher-stakes moments and everyday-independence machines.

Private social rehearsal means practising a specific real moment — out loud or by typing — before it happens for real, so the actual moment isn’t the first time. Hangar includes 50 authored scenarios, grouped from lowest-uncertainty warm-ups to higher-stakes moments and everyday-independence machines. Hangar never scores eye contact, tone of voice, pauses or stimming, and leaving a scene early is always a valid landing.

Hangar is available now. Start with three free flights each week; every authored rehearsal and safety feature is included.

Try Hangar free

Warm-up flights

First, lowest-uncertainty moments — a short chat, ordering, asking for help.

Ordering FoodThe counter at Patty's, the burger place near school, right after last period

Asking a Teacher for HelpThe science room right after the bell, Ms. Okafor at her desk marking papers

Hallway Small TalkThe locker hallway, four minutes between second and third period

Book a GP AppointmentA paper calendar on the kitchen table, Tuesday and Thursday ringed in blue biro, the phone face-up beside it.

Ask About a Prescription RefillGreenway Pharmacy has gone quiet after the lunch queue. On this end: a notebook open at a blank page and one pen that works.

Call In SickThe roster is pinned by the till with today’s date at the top. Your 11:00 is the third line down.

Reschedule an AppointmentA planner open on the table with a charcoal streak dragged across Monday. North Dock’s session sits under it somewhere.

Fix a Wrong OrderDinner is already on the table. The lemon rice is here, the dumplings are not, and the paper bag is still warm.

Cancel a SubscriptionThe Cedar Audio icon has sat unopened on the home screen for eleven days.

Ask About a BillA Halyard Art Rooms slip on the kitchen counter. Two lines up from the bottom, ringed in orange: bench levy, £4.50.

Leave a VoicemailThe glaze-table session starts at 4:30 and you aren’t going to be there. The phone is on the desk with the screen quiet.

Report a School AbsenceThe Friday timetable is folded back to art period. The office picks up between bells.

Everyday social

The lunch table, group chats, family questions, a changed plan.

Joining the Lunch TableThe cafeteria at peak lunch, the table where Maya and Devon from English sit

Partner WorkPaired desks in history class, thirty minutes to plan a poster project

The Group ChatYour phone, the class group chat, 41 unread messages — a text-only flight, no voice

Family Dinner, Twenty QuestionsThe kitchen table at home, 6:30pm — Dad's glad to see you, and it comes out as questions

Plans Changed at the Last MinuteYour phone at 1:40, then Harper's front porch — the food-court plan just turned into a different plan

The SubstituteSecond period. The door's open, the desks are rearranged, and the person at the front is not Ms. Okafor

Trickier conversations

Joining a game, repairing a group chat, saying no, asking for a sensory break.

Group Project: Getting Your Idea InThree desks pushed together in history, topic gets picked today, Mr. Ito wants bullet points by end of period

Joining a GameThe outdoor court at lunch, pickup basketball, games to 11

Asking for a Sensory BreakMath class, projector on, and the room has gotten loud — chair scrapes, two side conversations, hallway noise bleeding in

Correcting a Teacher's MisunderstandingEnd of history class. Ms. Romero kept you back a second — she thinks you spent the video checked out. You didn't.

The Group Chat, RepairedYour phone, the evening after your correction of Priya's movie-night date came out flat — a text-only flight, no voice

The Squad CallSquad voice call, Friday night, three rounds into the co-op game you all grind — you're on your own screen, in your own room

Saying No to a FriendThe corner by the lockers after last period — Juno has Saturday plans, and you're in them

Two Friends, One ArgumentThe library steps at lunch — Nadia and Beck aren't speaking to each other, and both of them ARE speaking to you

Higher-stakes moments

Handling teasing, a first shift, an apology, telling someone it’s too much.

Handling TeasingStudy hall, last period. Kai is bored and has picked you as today's entertainment. You set the cap on how far this goes before you ever fly it.

Telling a Friend About Your DiagnosisWalking to the bus after school with Noor, who noticed you left her party early on Saturday

First Day (Boss Flight)A school you've never been inside. One day, three arenas: a new hallway, a new lunch table, one teacher ask. Unlocked by finishing any 8 of the 12 — you schedule this one when YOU want it, like before a real school change.

The Apology RunwayThe bench outside the library, before first bell, the morning after you bailed on movie plans with Rowan without texting

Telling Them It's Too MuchSaturday morning kitchen — Mom has the family planner open, Dad's making coffee, and you've decided today's the day

The Smoothie Shack InterviewThe Smoothie Shack on Harbor Street, two o'clock — your first-ever job interview, at the little table by the window

First ShiftThe Smoothie Shack, Tuesday 3pm — you got the job. Apron's on the hook with your name on a sticky note

Asking for What HelpsMr. Osei's room, the five minutes after class empties out — you stayed behind on purpose

Everyday independence

Machines and solo practice — self-checkout, ticket and coffee machines, phone menus, rehearsing out loud.

Talking the Cycle ThroughThe laundry nook at home, evening, just you and the machine. Nobody else is around and nobody can hear.

Telling the Plant About ItA windowsill at home, late afternoon light, a leafy houseplant in a pot. The room is quiet and the door is shut.

Two Minutes With the ToasterThe kitchen counter in the morning, a small toaster in front of you, the rest of the house still quiet.

Briefing the Tool-CartThe corner of the hangar under a warm work-lamp, late evening, a wheeled tool-cart parked beside you. Nobody else is on the apron.

The Vending MachineA vending machine in a quiet corridor after school, a weekday afternoon. A staff member is restocking a machine a little further down.

The Ticket MachineA parking ticket machine at the edge of a car park, an overcast weekday morning. A parking attendant is checking bays a little way off.

The Coffee MachineA café self-serve coffee machine at the end of the counter, mid-morning. A barista is working the espresso bar a couple of steps away.

The Cash MachineAn ATM set into the wall outside a bank, a weekday afternoon. The bank's own staff are just inside the open door.

The Ordering KioskA fast-food touchscreen ordering kiosk just inside the door, a weekday evening. A crew member is wiping down the counter nearby.

The Laundromat WasherA public laundromat, a quiet weekday afternoon, a row of coin-and-card washers along the wall. An attendant is folding flyers at the front desk.

Rehearsing It Out Loud FirstA quiet spot at home before you head out — maybe the kitchen or your room — with a calm stand-in kiosk to rehearse against. Nobody else is around.

The Self-CheckoutThe self-checkout bank at a supermarket, a weekday evening. A few people are using the other machines; a staff member is stationed nearby.

The Fare MachineA transit fare machine in a station concourse, a weekday, some foot traffic passing through. A station staff member is near the gates.

The Library KioskA library self-service checkout kiosk near the exit, a quiet afternoon. A librarian is shelving books a little way off.

The Automated Phone MenuOn your phone at home, calling a company's automated line — the dentist, a delivery, a help line. The room is quiet and you can take your time.

The Drive-Thru SpeakerA fast-food drive-thru speaker post, early evening, one or two cars behind you. A crew member's voice comes through the crackly speaker.

Download Hangar See how Hangar works

Hangar is a general-wellness practice space. It does not diagnose, treat, or replace professional care.

What is social rehearsal?

Social rehearsal is practising a specific real moment — out loud or by typing — before it happens, so the actual moment is not the first attempt. It is preparation you chose, and leaving a rehearsal early counts as a valid ending rather than a failed try.

How does rehearsing help before a hard conversation?

Rehearsing puts the words somewhere you can find them, so the real moment costs less attention. For many autistic and ADHD people the hard part was never knowing what to say — it is producing it live while also managing everything else happening in the room.

Is social rehearsal the same as masking?

No. Masking is hiding yourself to meet someone else’s expectations, and it costs. A script you chose, for a moment you picked, is preparation — it lets you say what you actually meant with less of the day spent getting there. You choose what to rehearse, and whether to use it.