SCERTS

SCERTS is an acronym that refers to Social Communication/Emotional Regulation/Transactional Support. Social communication focuses on building communication, expressing emotions and developing trusting relationships for individuals with autism. Emotional Regulation concentrates on enhancing the skills of individuals with autism to stay regulated through daily stress, and for learning and interacting. Transactional Support refers to the development and application of support to assist partners in responding to the child’s needs and interests. Transactional Support also denotes modifying and adjusting to the environment, and providing tools to improve learning such as picture communication, etc.

SCERTS addresses the major challenges faced by children with autism. It provides care that focuses on family. It gives precedence to the skills and abilities that result in long-term constructive outcomes. It prepares the family and educational providers to practice a complete evidence-based program that will enhance the quality of life of the children with autism and their families.

SCERTS can be implemented with children as well as adults. It helps to develop various abilities regardless of whether the individual has verbal or nonverbal skills. It is a model that is based on a lifespan pattern, starting from early diagnosis, through school years and further on. It adapts to the specific demands of different settings: home, school, the community and later on to the vocational environment of an individual with autism.

A well organized evaluation system assists a team in measuring the child’s improvement and determining what kind of supports should be implemented by the child’s family and other social partners.  This evaluation system is designed to:

• select practical, important and necessary goals that are required for development
• respect the individuality of a child’s interests, inspirations and manner of learning
• understand and respect the background and lifestyle of the family
• engage the child in important activities all day
• develop and use supports constantly across activities, environments and partners
• monitor the child’s progress over time
• take responsibility to evaluate the quality of the program regularly

SCERTS provides an organized approach intended to consistently apply the particular skills and support necessary to achieve the goals set by the parents and support team. SCERTS can incorporate techniques from Applied Behavior Analysis, Floortime, Social Stories, TEACCH, Hanen and RDI. SCERTS helps individuals with autism to learn and apply useful and applicable skills in various circumstances with different partners.

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