SCERTS is an educational model developed by Barry Prizant, PhD, Amy Wetherby, PhD, Emily Rubin and Amy Laurant. SCERTS uses practices from other approaches including ABA (in the form of PRT), TEACCH, Floortime and RDI. The SCERTS Model differs most notably from the focus of ?traditional? ABA, by promoting child-initiated communication in everyday activities. SCERTS is most concerned with helping children with autism to achieve ?Authentic Progress,? which is defined as the ability to learn and spontaneously apply functional and relevant skills in a variety of settings and with a variety of partners.
The acronym SCERTS refers to the focus on:
SC: Social Communication - Development of spontaneous, functional communication, emotional expression and secure and trusting relationships with children and adults.
ER: Emotional Regulation - Development of the ability to maintain a well-regulated emotional state to cope with everyday stress, and to be most available for learning and interacting.
TS: Transactional Support - Development and implementation of supports to help partners respond to the child's needs and interests, modify and adapt the environment, and provide tools to enhance learning (e.g., picture communication, written schedules, and sensory supports).
Specific plans are also developed to provide educational and emotional support to families, and to foster teamwork among professionals.
What does a SCERTS session look like?
The SCERTS Model favors having children learn with and from children who provide good social and language models in inclusive settings as much as possible. SCERTS is implemented using transactional supports implemented by a team, such as environmental accommodations, learning supports (schedules or visual organizers).
Who provides SCERTS?
SCERTS is usually provided in a school setting by SCERTS-trained special education teachers, speech therapist.
Where can I find more information on SCERTS?
]