Using SCERTS as an educational framework to enhance engagement with learning

Ginny D’Odorico MSc SEN Assistant Head (autism)

Natalie Henry M.Ed (autism) Head of Middle School

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What is SCERTS?

Social Communication Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support

A comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to enhance engagement with

learning

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SCERTS- a fresh look at autism

• As a Neurodevelopmental condition that makes it difficult to predict the actions of other people

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Face detection in autism

• Research – Helsinki Professor Anthony Bailey

• US and Oxford Uni abnormal connections in the brain may contribute to the widespread social impairments observed in autism.

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Eye-tracking studies:

What captures ASC attention?

Klin et

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Differences in Social Communication and understanding in autism

Children who may develop autism appear to miss gaze shifts between people and objects.

Therefore they have difficulty predicting actions and initiating bids for engagement predicting that others are a source of support

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Neurotypicals learn through social interaction

• orient to others’ eye gaze, pointing, etc

• interested in what others find interesting

• infer thoughts/feelings behind actions

• imitate others’ actions

Obligatory attention to/learning from others?

Autism typically less interested in others

• may look less at faces/eyes

• interested in what they find interesting

• not motivated by social rewards

•Others will not be seen as a source of assistance

• interaction may be puzzling/frightening

‘Free’ to pursue own focus of attention?

Mindblindness alters the

learning environment

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Differences in brain processing IMPACT on development and social engagement

• Heightened anxiety: unpredictable situations leading to feelings of vulnerability and stress; increased levels of Cortisol reported in normal situations.Why ?

• Difficulty predicting the sequence of activities• the steps within an activity • How to engage in activities• Predicting why they are being asked to engage in particular tasks...• Predicting that others are a source of assistance – why didn’t they ask

for help?

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Differences that are hard wired in the brain

• Key neurological differences in information processing – faces

• NOT processing social cues – process us as objects

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What we know from research

• SC – Social Communication-Why? Not processing faces with same pathway not attuned to people from early on

• ER – Emotional Regulation –Why? Because not obvious that help is available.

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An Overview:The SCERTS model

Social

Communication

Emotional

Regulation

Transactional

Support

Critical priority

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TS the ‘tools’ in our toolbox

Application of SCERTS principles to our setting- what did we do?

Transactional Support is what we do to help our pupils learn and be in the world. Learning support – things ( visuals)Interpersonal Support – people (ways of being)

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Where is support needed the most? What did we prioritise? • Task engagement and functional

communication

• Emotional expression

• Transitions – moving between activities, or within activities

• Adult interactive style

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Transactional Support-Task engagement

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Task engagement resources

• Schedule – graphic or text based on ability. Most students should have a visual schedule.

• Red and Green to show to do /finished

• Think about a reason to engage in the task.

• What’s the point?

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Task engagement- functional communication

Symbol Use (SU) the child has the means to communicate

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Task engagement- Key to success!!

• Special Interests – KEY to motivation!

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TS -Use strengths and interests!

Students with ASC are usually good at

visual-spatial processing

Students with ASC usually find

language processing difficult.

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Transactional Support- Transitions

First Then

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Transactional Support – Transitions

• Difficulty with transitions: predicting the sequence is a challenge.

• Core difference between autism and neuro-typical students is they do not know what is going to happen next if not explained /shown visually

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TS - Transactional Support for Transition

• Provide visual support schedules

• Provide time for the child to solve problems and complete activities at own pace by limiting prompting

• Use visuals to define steps within planned tasks say the words to enhance language for self-regulation (e.g., first...then).

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Types of Visual Supports Used

First/Then

1. This type of support is very useful for teaching waiting.

2. This is more effective in situations of high stress because it gives immediate information.

First Then

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Small arrow (or pencil, ruler) is moved along large

arrow to show how much time is left.

startstop

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Transactional Support-Emotional Expression and regulation

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• identify and name feelings in others

• link to possible causes, and

• identify appropriate responses.

Transactional Support for emotional

expression and regulation

• name feelings

• relate to experiences

• predict feelings

• regulate feelings

• manage feelings.

Understand own

feelings:

Recognise feelings

in others:

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Emotion Key Ring _ www.commxroads.comStrategy book – Michelle Winner

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Should I use visual support even if the student knows what to do…’they can read’!!

A lack of visual support can be an antecedent to anxiety

We might be assuming too much…

A lack of visual support means the child is not developing executive function skills – not being successfully independent.

Reading does NOT mean understanding..

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Transactional Support- Interpersonal Support

•Students are more competent when their partners (staff) adapt their interactive style and adapt the environment to promote effective social communication and emotional regulation. •Thus students are surrounded by partners (staff) who are understanding supportive and are also enjoying the interaction. •We should be highly responsive to their bids for interaction or displays of emotions.

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Importance of adult style

• The interactive style of the child’s communicative partners, as well as the presence of visual support in the classroom has a significant impact on a child’s social competence.

• Whenever we verbally model more than 2 or 3 times not appropriate should be using visual support.

• We should predict how to regulate their emotional state if they do not have a language strategy

• Think about our language – avoid big long verbal intros to a short task.

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Interpersonal Style CPD

• Interpersonal support

IS1: Partner is responsive to child

IS2: Partner fosters initiation

IS3: Partner respects child’s

independence

IS4: Partner sets stage for

engagement

IS5: Provides developmental support

IS6: Partner adjusts language input

IS7: Partner models appropriate

behaviour

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Thank you

Contact details: Ginny D’Odorico and Natalie HenryGinny.dodorico@oaklodge.barnet.sch.uk

Natalie.henry@oaklodge.barnet.sch.uk

http://www.commxroads.com/Emily Rubin’s website

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