Autism and Multidisciplinary Teamwork Through the Scerts Model

An effective educational programme for a child with autism requires the expertise of a team of professionals working together in a careful, coordinated manner, in partnership with parents and family members. Multidisciplinary teamwork is fundament tounderstanding and designing a developmental life-long plan for children on the autism spectrum (Prizant et al, 2006). Believing in the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork for children with autism means developing strategies and research that investigate how to implement multi disciplinary work in education. This research examines multidisciplinary teamwork in an English special school through the use of the SCERTS model (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, Transactional Support). The research analyses the first steps (team design and assessment) of implementing SCERTS by focusing on how professionals can improve the way they work together through the new model. The research questions are: i) How do professionals work together as a team with children on the autism spectrum?; ii) What needs to be done to implement SCERTS?; iii) How can working with children with autism be improved through SCERTS?; iv) What are the positive and challenging aspects of implementing SCERTS?