HISTORY OF NEW CONNECTIONS ACADEMY
The creation of New Connections Academy began as a response to the increase understanding and growing population of children/adolescents diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, more specifically Asperger’s Disorder (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA). The major challenges for these children are the development of age appropriate communication/ socialization skills and emotional regulatory systems despite generally adequate cognitive, language and academic skills. These difficulties may interfere with the child’s ability to be successful in larger academic environments, thus interfering with their ability to access classroom learning for academic subjects and social-emotional development in the areas of reciprocal peer and adult relationships. Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders may also experience co-morbid disorders including; Anxiety Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Mood Disorders, Learning Disabilities and Sensory Integration problems.

New Connections Academy recognizes that children with AS/HFA have the desire to develop co-operative relationships with the adults in their world, to have friendships and playmates and to perform well in their academic subjects in school. However, many of these students require a smaller, therapeutic/academic environment to develop the necessary skills to attain these goals. The use of the SCERTS Model at NCA allows for learning and practicing of Social Communicative (SC) and Emotional Regulation (ER) skills in a naturalistic setting on a daily basis in conjunction with their Transaction Partners (TS), or the people they come into contact with each day. Students are encouraged and supported to actively participate in academics, extracurricular and social activities using verbal/reciprocal communication skills, to develop effective self regulatory strategies, to utilize mutual regulatory help from others and increase their trust and comfort level during social interactions with the world around them.

WHO WE SERVE
NCA serves students from 1st grade through high school that have Asperger’s Disorder, High Functioning Autism, or any other type of high functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Some of our students have a secondary diagnosis of ADHD, sensory integration difficulties, Mood Disorders and/or other types of emotional/behavioral challenges. We serve students from Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry Counties. All of our students are referred by their public school and our students are all funded through their public school.

The Circle of Courage Philosophy ABOUT THE CIRCLE OF COURAGE In their book Reclaiming Youth at Risk, Augustana professors Brendtro, Brokenleg, and VanBockern proposed a model of youth empowerment called the Circle of Courage. The model is based on contemporary developmental research, the heritage of early youth pioneers, and Native American philosophies of child care. The model encompasses four core values; Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. Anthropologists have long known that Native Americans reared courageous, respectful children without using aversive

control based on the values of Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. Nevertheless, Europeans coming to North America tried to civilize indigenous children in punitive boarding schools, unaware that Natives possessed a sophisticated philosophy that empowered children. These values are validated by contemporary child research and compare favorably with Coopersmith’s basis of self-esteem. Coppersmith identified four key components essential for a positive self-esteem: significance, competence, power, and virtue. BELONGING In Native American culture, significance was nurtured in a community that celebrated the universal need for belonging. Native American anthropologist Ella Cara Deloria described the core value of belonging in Native American culture in these simple words: “Be related, somehow, to everyone you know.” Treating others as kin forged powerful social bonds of community that drew all into relationships of respect. Theologian Marty observed that throughout history the tribe, not the nuclear family, always ensured the survival of the culture. Though parents might fail, the tribe was always there to nourish and come to the aid of the next generation. Abraham Maslow’s theory of human needs postulates that a sense of belonging must be attained before self-esteem and self-actualization can be realized. As a student is drawn into the circle in the Spirit of Belonging, a relationship is established which is based upon mutual trust and respect. This provides the motivation to live with “a minimum of friction and maximum of good will (Brendtro, et al, 1990).” The ultimate test of this kinship is behavior. You really belong when you act like you belong! SPIRIT OF BELONGING DISTORTED SPIRIT OF BELONGING BROKEN SPIRIT OF BELONGING Attached Loving Friendly Intimate Gregarious Trusting Gang loyalty Craves affection Craves acceptance Promiscuous Cult vulnerable Overly dependent Unattached Guarded Rejected Lonely Isolated Distrustful Mending a Broken Belonging Spirit Create a cohesive classroom environment where each student can feel like an important member Give positive encouragement Recognize individuality and creative talents Make sure teacher expectations are very clear so students understand classroom expectations and task assignments Be specific when reinforcing a student’s positive behavior With discipline and behavior, focus on the deed and not the doer

MASTERY
Competence, in Native American culture, was ensured by guaranteed opportunity for mastery. The first lesson in traditional Native American culture was that one should always observe those with more experience to learn from them. The child was taught to see someone with more skill as a model for learning, not as a rival. One must strive for mastery for personal reasons not to be superior to someone else. Humans have an innate drive to master their environments. When success is met, the desire to achieve is strengthened.

Native American education strives to develop cognitive, physical, social and spiritual competence. This holistic view of learning recognizes that all students can learn and each student must be given the opportunity to demonstrate competence in some area. Without opportunities for success, students will tend to express their frustration and lack of self-worth through inappropriate behaviors. Learning that is somehow connected to the everyday life of the student and the opportunity for student collaboration provides very powerful intrinsic motivators. In the Spirit of Mastery, success becomes “a possession of the many, not of the privileged few (Brendtro et al, 1990).”

INDEPENDENCE
Power was fostered by deep respect for each person’s independence. In contrast to obedience models of discipline, Native teaching was designed to build respect and teach inner discipline. From earliest childhood, children were encouraged to make decisions, solve problems, and show personal responsibility. Adults modeled, nurtured, taught values, and gave feedback, but children were given abundant opportunities to make choices without coercion.

Native child rearing philosophies place great emphasis on “guidance without interference (Brendtro et al, 1990).” Learning then becomes the responsibility of the student who can be held accountable through appropriate assessment procedures. Student empowerment is required to foster the belief that a student is in control of the learning process. This sense of autonomy is a powerful intrinsic motivator. In Native American culture the internal locus of control must be balanced by social controls. Students first need to be dependent, learning to respect and value the wisdom of “elders”. Modeling provides a basic framework which can be adjusted by each student to adapt to his/her particular learning style and multiple intelligences.

GENEROSITY
Finally, virtue was reflected in the preeminent value of generosity in Native American culture. The central goal in Native American child-rearing is to teach the importance of being generous and unselfish. The Education of Little Tree Carter recounted his grandfather’s overriding principal, “When you come on something good, first thing to do is share it with whoever you can find; that way, the good spreads out where no telling it will go.” In helping others, youth create their own proof of worthiness: they have the power to make a positive contribution to another human life.

The highest virtues in Native American culture are generosity and unselfishness. Self-esteem and self-worth are greatly increased by learning to help others. There is a responsibility to consider the welfare of everyone in the community. In a classroom, peer tutoring and cooperative learning groups allow students to share their talents with others. There is a feeling of pride and joy that is experienced by helping others. Without opportunities to share their talents, students cannot become caring, responsible adults. The help given must be genuine and not equated with personal gain. Students should be encouraged to get involved in the school community through a variety of service projects.

The SCERTS Model
The SCERTS Model is a transactional, family centered approach to improving the communication and socio-emotional abilities for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) created by Barry M. Prizant, PhD; Amy M. Wetherby, PhD; Emily Rubin, MS; and Amy C. Laurent, OTR-L. The model prioritizes Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support (SCERTS) as the primary developmental dimensions to address core challenges for children with ASD. The model incorporates educational/treatment strategies from evidence based practice of contemporary behavioral and developmental social-pragmatic approaches to provide a framework to help the development of a child’s ability to initiate communication using a conventional/symbolic-language system and to develop efficient capacity for self/mutual-regulatory strategies to modulate their attention, arousal and emotional state. The model emphasizes the importance of transactional supports in three major domains, interpersonal, educational and family supports. An equally important component of the SCERTS Model is providing individualized educational/treatment that is based on utilizing the child’s strengths and weaknesses using research based on the developmental trajectory of children with and without disabilities.

A premise of the model is that children with ASD who have difficulty attaining age appropriate social/communication skills and emotional regulation will learn and develop these skills more effectively in naturalistic settings while engaging in activities with transactional support partners who understand, match and modify interactions to the unique needs of each child. The SCERTS Model provides professionals and families of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders a comprehensive way of conceptualizing the developmental complexity of each child while at the same time providing a framework that allows for increased specificity of challenging areas of need for each child and family with specific educational/treatment goals and strategies to be utilized by the transactional support teams.

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
Children with ASD who develop more effective communicative competence demonstrate more positive long-term outcomes. Therefore, the SCERTS model establishes educational/treatment goals for increased capacity for ‘joint attention’ in several areas. These areas include the expression of communicative intent, expanding the range of communicative functions, enhancing social reciprocity and communicative gaze. It also includes the sharing of emotional states and increasing the capacity for ‘symbol use/behavior’ so that students can understand and communicate more effectively.

EMOTIONAL REGULATION
The SCERTS model emphasizes emotional regulation as a core process that underlies attention and social engagement and is important for the development of communication, social-emotional regulation and interpersonal relationships for all children. The educational/treatment goals of the SCERTS model for this area include enhancing capacities for self-regulation including learning skills to maintain a sense of regulation, to learn skills to manage one’s behavior and emotions when deregulated and to seek support from others to help regulate their own emotional state.

TRANSACTIONAL SUPPORT
The concept of Transactional Support includes three major areas in the SCERTS Model, interpersonal support, educational support and family support. Children with ASD require additional support due to their difficulties in social communication and emotional regulation to actively engage and participate in the development of interpersonal relationships with peers and adults and to experience interactions in their everyday activities as pleasant, enjoyable and emotionally comfortable. Transactional supports are referred to as ‘Partners’ indicating the goals for these different situations is a mutual understanding of the child’s needs by the transactional support system. The Transactional Support goals for interpersonal support include communicative partner style and language that enhances the child’s use of expressive language, focused attention, emotional regulation while also encouraging self-initiation and flexibility across different social partners and settings. The goals for educational and learning support include encouraging the development of child’s expressive communication, understanding of others’ language and non-verbal behaviors, use of cognitive-linguistic strategies to maintain emotional regulation and modified curriculum goals and environments using visual and organizational techniques to ensure successful participation.