This course will introduce the SCERTS® model, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary educational approach designed for children with
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families.  SCERTS® provides specific guidelines for helping a child become a compe-
tent and confident social communicator, while preventing problem behaviors that interfere with learning and the development of
relationships.  It also is designed to help families, educators and therapists work cooperatively as a team, in a carefully coordinated
manner, to maximize progress in supporting a child.  The approach is not exclusive of other treatment approaches and methodolo-
gies, but rather provides a curriculum for those who are seeking guidelines for implementing a comprehensive educational plan. The
plan is based on our knowledge of the core developmental challenges faced by children with ASD, family-centered care, and our
knowledge of the recommended tenets of educational programming, as indicated by the National Academy of Sciences.  The
SCERTS framework has been designed to target priority goals in social communication (SC) and emotional regulation (ER) by
implementing transactional supports (TS) (e.g., interpersonal modifications, environmental arrangement, visual supports, etc.)
throughout a child’s daily activities and across social partners in order to facilitate competence within these identified goal areas in
natural, functional and meaningful contexts.
 
The course will begin with a review of current perspectives in intervention (i.e., current efficacy research and characteristics of
effective educational programs) and a review of the core developmental challenges faced by this heterogeneous population of
children at various stages in development (i.e., pre-verbal stages, emerging language stages, and conversational stages).  This
introduction will then be followed by practical guidelines for prioritizing learning objectives and, for the purposes of this training,
will focus on its application with young children in early intervention and preschool settings.  Video case examples will be used to
illustrate how educators, clinicians, and families can directly apply learning strategies in the home, clinic, and classroom
environment and across settings.
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe essential components of a comprehensive educational program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
  (ASD)
 2. Describe core challenges in social-communication and emotional regulation faced by children with ASD at different stages
 of development.
 3. Describe the SCERTS assessment process for prioritizing learning objectives for children with ASD.
 4. Describe the SCERTS program planning process and strategies for implementing appropriate learning and educational
 accommodations for children with ASD.