The SCERTS¨ Model, Volume 1 & II: A Comprehensive Educational Approach for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

These manuals are part of the SCERTS¨ Model, a groundbreaking synthesis of developmental, relationship-based, and skill-based approaches. The SCERTS¨ Model provides a framework for improving communication and social-emotional abilities in preschool and primary school students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families.

Developed by internationally recognised experts, SCERTS¨ effectively supports developmental progress in three areas: Social Communication (communicating spontaneously and establishing relationships), Emotional Regulation (regulating emotional arousal to support learning and engagement), and Transactional Supports (elements that aid a child's progress as he or she works toward a goal).

With the two-volume manual set, early intervention professionals will have comprehensive and practical guidance on using SCERTS¨ in assessment and intervention.

Volume I: Assessment

• gives detailed background information on The SCERTS¨ Model and guides professionals through the assessment process. Early interventionists will examine the research foundations and the recommended practices that inform the model; learn about specific goals and objectives for each of the three SCERTS¨ components; get a detailed listing of developmental milestones that contribute to the recommended assessment and intervention plans; explore The SCERTS¨e; Model's similarities and differences with other models; and discover how to use the model in educational settings. Assessment report and observation forms are included to help collect information and monitor child progress.

Volume II: Intervention

• gives early interventionists explicit instruction on how to help children reach their goals following assessment. They'll learn how to prioritise and set social communication and emotional regulation goals for young children; choose meaningful and purposeful activities to help them reach the goals, implement four types of transactional support (learning supports, interpersonal support, support to families, and support among professionals); and learn how to link all three SCERTS¨ components in program planning. In-depth vignettes on diverse children and families illustrate implementation of the model, and forms are included to help with intervention planning.

Semi-structured yet flexible enough to respond to individual differences, SCERTS¨ can be applied in many different settings and used with other intervention approaches. With this child- and family-centred model, based on over two decades of research and clinical experience, early interventionists will have everything they need to evaluate and promote the social and emotional development of children with ASD.

Table of Contents

Volume I

1. Introduction
2. Social Communication
3. Emotional Regulation
4. Transactional Support
5. SCERTS Model Programmatic Priorities and Milestones
6. Continuum of Current Intervention Approaches and the SCERTS Model
7. The SCERTS Assessment Process: Overview and Implementation
8. The SCERTS Assessment Process: Using the SAP-O Forms and Criteria

Volume II

1. Guide to the SCERTS Model Educational Practices, Part I: Core Values and Guiding Principles, Practice Guidelines, Goal Setting, and Transactional Support
2. Guide to the SCERTS Model Educational Practices, Part II: Transactional Support: Interpersonal Support and Learning Support and Learning and Playing with Peers
3. Transactional Support: Support to Families and Support Among Professionals
4. Linking Transactional Support Goals to Social Communication and Emotional Regulation Goals
5. Enhancing Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, and Transactional Support at the Social Partner Stage: From Assessment to Program Implementation
6. Enhancing Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, and Transactional Support at the Language Partner Stage: From Assessment to Program Implementation
7. Enhancing Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, and Transactional Support at the Conversational Partner Stage: From Assessment to Program Implementation

References

Appendix: SCERTS Assessment Process-Quality Indicators

Index, Volumes I and II

"Built on a solid research foundation and inherently sound . . . [t]his manual marks a critical turning point in the education of children with ASD and is destined to influence thinking."
- Carol Gray, Director, The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding

"At last! A curriculum that provides scaffolds for all the important communication partners. The SCERTS Model supports the significance of the reciprocal process by engaging communication partners in the teaching and learning process."
- Juliann Woods, Florida State University

"The most comprehensive, well-researched approach accounting for all areas of development for people on the autism spectrum I have ever seen."
- Stephen Shore, Executive Director, Autism Spectrum Disorder Consulting; author of Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome