What is the SACCADE™ model?

SACCADE™ is a theoretical model of autism based on the hypothesis of the internal structure of autistic thought (Harrisson, 1992; Harrisson & St-Charles, 2010). The hypothesis was initially borne from Brigitte Harrisson's experience as an individual with autism.

The SACCADE™ model developed from a collaboration between Brigitte Harrisson and Lise St-Charles who, together, have decades of professional experience working with people with autism. Their clinical observations concerning the distinct ways that individuals with autism process information and learn and interact have helped shape and inform the SACCADE™ model.

SACCADE™ provides a holistic understanding of autistic functioning. Our emerging model is continually refined according to the latest research data in both neuroscience and cognitive science in order to propose a perspective of the typical evolution of autistic manifestations.

The SACCADE™ model is also a neurodevelopmental intervention model that offers cognitive and remedial pedagogical interventions, including using a written code called the SACCADE Conceptual Language™ (SCL™). Our model allows people with autism to access information, communication, and the perception of emotions.

Our unique and comprehensive intervention model has been garnering clinical success since 2007!

The SACCADE™ acronym

SACCADE™ is a French-language acronym that stands for: Structure et Apprentissage Conceptuel Continu Adapté au Développement Évolutif, or, in English, the Structure and Continuous Conceptual Learning Adapted to Evolutionary Development.

SACCADE™ is focused on harmonizing the development of the autistic structure as well as on the professional development of intervention specialists and others who may work with autistic individuals. Building bridges and fostering collaboration between professionals, parents, and individuals with autism is also central to our model.

Towards the validation of SACCADE™ interventions based on research data

SACCADE™, an emerging, innovative model, has been selected and considered relevant for interventions in autism, according to the report of theInstitut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS, 2014).

The hypothesis behind the model, the internal structure of autistic thought, was originally developed by Brigitte Harrisson, who is both an autism specialist and a person with autism. Her research has been published in specialized journals in the fields of both psychology and education (Harrisson & St-Charles, 2010; 2012).

In September 2019, the SACCADE™ hypothesis and model were presented at the Autism-Europe International Congress in Nice, where the SACCADE team shared their understanding of autism with the wider community of autism research specialists. The hypothesis is currently being edited for publication in a scientific journal, forthcoming in 2022.

We had to sail over the oceans before we could prove the Earth was round. Likewise, innovative practices, by definition, must emerge before evidence about their efficacity is generated (Grou, 2016; OPQ).

The SACCADE™ team is now ready to take sail; SACCADE is following the relevant processes required of experimental scientific research, to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of our interventions is currently underway in a variety of settings. Through collaboration with partner organizations and institutions who implement SACCADE's model-based interventions with autistic clients, the SACCADE™ team is working to validate the benefits of our model with results that can be observed clinically. We expect the results to be ready for publication over the course of 2022-2023.

Clinical observations on the effects of interventions made from the SACCADE™ model:

From a clinical perspective, observations and testimonies from practitioners and parents or caregivers of children with autism suggest that the SACCADE™ model allows for the effective reading of both autistic behaviors and any unique, underlying needs. Interventions resulting from the SACCADE™ model have been shown to improve the development and well-being of people with autism in a predictable way.

Indeed, the beneficial effects of SACCADE’s interventions can be observed in people with autism across the entire spectrum (from the non-verbal individual to the someone with “high functioning” autism), as well as across different living environments (day centers, daycares, educational facilities, family environments, individual interventions, etc.).

The following are among the most commonly reported clinical effects:

• Decreased anxiety
• Improved reciprocal communication and interaction
• Improved understanding of one’s environment
• Improved understanding of verbal concepts
• Development of a capacity for initiative
• Better access to oneself (emotion and cognition)

Expert recommendations on interventions for people with autism:

The American Medical Association recently issued an advisory recommending therapeutic developmental interventions for children with autism (Sandbank et al., 2020(1)). These interventions are based on developmental learning theories (Ospina et al., 2008; Prizant and Wetherby, 1998).

A recent meta-analysis (Sandbank et al. 2020(2)) demonstrates that low-intensity developmental interventions (one to five hours per week) can significantly improve social communication and other challenges experienced by individuals with autism.

Although to date, the SACCADE™ intervention model has not yet been empirically validated, our model aligns itself with this type of developmental approach, as it’s based on various developmental learning theories, including Vygotsky's cognitive development theory and Britt-Mari Barth's theory of learning abstraction.

One of the central elements that distinguishes the SACCADE™ model from other developmental approaches is our use of a conceptual graphic code as support for interventions and communication.

The use of graphic and visual tools is recommended to promote effective interventions with people with autism (Courchesne et al., 2016). It’s also advisable to base interventions in autism on the perceptual strengths and non-verbal intelligence of autistic children (Mottron, 2017).

Specifically, SACCADE™ is a neurodevelopmental model that fosters cognitive and pedagogical remediation by employing different means of interventions, including a written code called the SACCADE Conceptual Language™ (SCL™).

Interventions are tailored to a person’s individual needs and follow their initiatives and interests. By accompanying someone alongside their development while respecting their autistic condition, the SACCADE™ model of intervention aims to allow the individual with autism to access information, communication, and the perception of emotions.

References:

References that cite the SACCADE™ model and its theoretical hypothesis include:

• Chamak B. Accompagnement d'enfants et d'adolescents autistes : un SESSAD innovant en Moselle. Revue française des affaires sociales. 2016;2:141-156.
• Harrisson B, St-Charles L. L'autisme, au-delà des apparences. Québec: Concept ConsulTED; 2010.
• Harrisson B, St-Charles L. Hypothèse du Fonctionnement interne de la structure de pensée autistique. Psychologie et éducation. 2012;2:69-84.
• Harrisson B, St-Charles L. La structure de pensée autistique et la scolarisation. La nouvelle revue de l'adaptation et la scolarisation. 2012;60:59-74.
• Phillip C. L'autisme, au-delà de la triade. La nouvelle revue de l'adaptation et de la scolarisation. 2012;60:75-88.

In addition, the following articles about the SACCADE™ model have been authored by professionals and/or researchers in the field of autism:

• The action research carried out by Beaupré and Bouchard (2014), which makes use of the SACCADE™ intervention tools, has been published in theRevue de la Fédération québécoise de l'autisme. The SACCADE Conceptual Language™ (SCL™) was therefore studied in an educational context in three classes adapted for children with autism.
• The SACCADE™ training received by both school professionals and parents has also been taken into account. The transition to high school was targeted as a goal to reduce associated anxiety. Despite the lack of any precise data to date on the SACCADE Conceptual Language™ (SCL™), the conclusion of the Revue de la Fédération québécoise de l'autisme study calls for innovative intervention methods, including SACCADE™.
• Published in professional journals, Gingras (c.o., PhD.) and his student (2014) described the SACCADE™ model in an article entitled: " Piste d'intervention en information et en orientation pour une clientèle ayant un trouble du spectre autistique " in the Revue l'Information.

Other references cited in this document include:

• Barth B-M. L'apprentissage de l'abstraction. Paris: Retz; 2013.
• Courchesne V, Nader A-M, Girard D, Bouchard V, Danis E, Soulières I. Le profil cognitif au service des apprentissages : optimiser le potentiel des enfants sur le spectre de l'autisme. Revue québécoise de psychologue : Les trouble neurodéveloppementaux. 2016;37(2):141-173.
• Mercie E, et al. L'efficacité des interventions de réadaptation et des traitements pharmacologiques pour les enfants de 2 à 12 ans ayant un trouble du spectre de l'autisme (TSA). Québec: Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS); 2014.
• Mottron L. Should we change targets and methods of early intervention in autism, in favor of a strengths-based education? European child & adolescent psychiatry. 2017;26(7):815-825.
• Ospina MB, Krebs Seida J, Clark B, Karkhaneh M, Hartling L, Tjosvold L, Vandermeer B, Smith V. Behavioral and developmental interventions for autism spectrum disorder: a clinical systematic review. PloS One. 2008;3(11).
• Prizant BM, Wetherby AM. Understanding the continuum of discrete-trial traditional behavioral to social-pragmatic developmental approaches in communication enhancement for young children with autism/PDD. Seminars in speech and language. 1998;19(4):329-353.
• Sandbank M, Bottema-Beutel K, Woynaroski TG. Intervention recommendations for children with autism in light of a changing evidence base. JAMA pediatrics 2021;174(4):341-342.
• Sandbank M, Bottema-Beutel K, Crowley S, Cassidy M, Dunham K, Feldman JI, Crank J, Albarran SA, Sweeya R, Prachy M, Woynaroski TG. Project AIM: autism intervention meta-analysis for studies of young children. Psychological bulletin. 2020;146(1):1-29.
• Vygotsky l. Mind and society. Cambridge: Harvard University Press; 1978.

"What's worse than being autistic? Not having the right to be." - Brigitte HARRISSON

At SACCADE™, we've been struck by the fact that a variety of factors surrounding an autism diagnosis have long caused a great deal of suffering both to those living with autism and those who surround them.

People with autism have often been subjected to inappropriate interventions, as their true needs have often remained a mystery. These measures have essentially oriented them towards a "non-autistic" or "neurotypical" mode, which has resulted in people with autism learning things by rote, rather than from any intrinsic understanding. This, in turn, can generate anxiety, create a host of behavioral disorders, provide inadequate educational support and a lack of employability. Together, these consequences of inappropriate interventions can ultimately lead to a significant imbalance in an autistic person's quality of life.

Today we have a better grasp of the nature of the autistic condition, and with the emergence of a new, more organic, neurobiological understanding of autism, we can change our approach, understand, and empathize with the genuine challenges faced by people with autism.

Now more than ever it's essential that we recognize that people with autism have fundamental rights to education, solidarity, and full inclusion in society-something which their extreme vulnerability may have prevented them from claiming earlier.

(Source: The Comité Consultatif National d'Éthique pour les Sciences de la Vie et de la Santé; Opinion No. 102: "On the Situation of Autistic Children and Adults in France," 2007.)

SACCADE's founding principle is that understanding the true, unique needs of autistic individuals is essential for an adapted intervention. At SACCADE™, we're at the service of people with autism, and every individual with autism is at the heart of what we do.

More information about the SACCADE™ model