Classroom SCERTS Intervention

The Classroom SCERTS Intervention Project (CSI) was a cluster randomized clinical trial funded by the US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Drs. Wetherby and Morgan of the FSU Autism Institute were Co-Principal Investigators and conducted this study in 60 public schools in Florida and California. CSI provided coaching and instruction to teachers serving students with ASD in both general and special education settings. Over 3 years, a total of 197 students with ASD in 129 Kindergarten through 2nd grade classrooms were randomized to test the effects of SCERTS implementation on social, communication, and adaptive behavior outcomes as compared to business-as-usual education curriculum. At the end of the school year, students randomly assigned to CSI demonstrated better outcomes in active engagement, adaptive behavior, social skills and executive functioning. The findings of this study provide important evidence of the effects of a comprehensive teacher-implemented intervention conducted in public school settings for students with ASD.

Morgan, L., Hooker, J.L., Sparapani, N., Reinhardt, V., Schatschneider, C., Wetherby, A.M. (2018). Cluster Randomized Trial of the Classroom SCERTS Intervention for Elementary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology ,  86 , 631-644.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000314