Overview of the Maps

The primary goal of the mapping process is to lead the team through a series of questions that elicit information used to plan an effective educational program to meet the student’s current and future needs. Each question is written on a map and the facilitator leads the group in sharing their responses. The particular questions used for the process can be drawn from a particular process (MAPS, PATH) or can be developed by the facilitator. The process addresses the past, present and future. The maps outlined in this section represent areas typically considered. Every map outlined would not be used for one planning session. The focus for developing a program for a young child is very different from that for planning for an adolescent or for an adult, therefore the maps used would be different. Which maps to use to yield the desired product is best determined by a skilled facilitator. The following questions and how the information can be used were selected to provide a sense of what occurs during a session.

Participants & Desired Outcomes

This may identifies who is participating in the session and how they know (or their relationship to) the focus person and what do they want to get out of the meeting. It is important to know what each person hopes to have accomplished by the end of the session. Often participants are looking for the same outcome. The facilitator will let the group know which outcomes can be met through the process. It is important that if people come expecting a certain outcome the process will not generate, they are told this up front. Rather than waiting for their agenda to be addressed, they may be better able to focus and participate. It is helpful if the facilitator can suggest another means for addressing these issues outside of the planning session.

Who is (Focus Person)?

The facilitator invites stakeholders to share adjectives/phrases that come to mind when asked, “Who is _________?” This map describes the qualities, attributes, and characteristics of the person. After the group has responded to this question from their perspective the facilitator may ask them to then use the adjectives the individual’s peers would use if they were asked the same question. Often times, the way adults relate and respond to a child with ASD is different from how other kids respond to the individual. These differences in the individual’s ability to relate to adults vs. peers are often critical and need to be addressed through goals and strategies. The recorder will use different colors for the two responses as a means of helping the group to see the comparison. (Click picture to enlarge)

What are the (Focus Person’s) gifts?

Here the group describes the individual’s talents, strengths, interests and natural inclinations. This map can be critical in helping the team to identify areas that they should foster and build upon. Most people’s careers are based on their natural gifts and the same should be considered for the individual with a disability. This information can provide direction when looking at opportunities to develop relationships with peers. A child is more apt to develop a relationship with a peer around a shared interest rather than peer who has the same qualities or personality type. (Click picture to enlarge)

Background & History

The family is asked to provide their memories of the past regarding their child. This map can be helpful to the professionals by listening to what the family has previously experienced and done on behalf of their child. This map often clarifies for professionals why certain things are important to a family or why they react in certain ways to some topics. Once professionals have this context, they are more apt to understand and work with the family on behalf of the child. The family members begin this session by sharing their perspectives of the early history. Others are invited to join in when the timeline reaches the point when they became involved with the individual. Often by looking back, an awareness of what has and hasn’t worked can be illustrated. This premise for this map is that the future can best be understood when the past is captured. This map can help the team develop a shared understanding of the past, allowing them to then move forward. In addition, map participants may develop an awareness of what techniques, methods, and strategies have been effective and which have not.

Choices

Here the stakeholders identify what choices the individual makes on a daily basis in his/her own life. Choice making is what allows all of us to have a sense of control of our lives. The individual with a disability often has fewer choices than most people. This can lead to a sense of frustration and attempts to assert control through other means including inappropriate behavior. Caregivers are often unaware that they have severely limited the individual’s opportunities for choice. By completing this map and looking at it with respect to other individuals of the same age, the team develops an awareness that offering more choices is an area that needs attention.

Preferences/What Works and What Doesn’t

The facilitator asks the group what creates motivation, enthusiasm, excitement, learning for the individual and what causes frustration, upset, boredom, shut-down or lack of learning for the individual. The participants to consider the impact of factors such as activities, relationships, objects, environments, interactional styles, sensory issues, times of day. This information can be extremely helpful in providing ideas to people who do not know the child well on how to interact with the individual. Knowing what works allows people to structure the child’s day for success. Knowing what is problematic gives the team knowledge of what to avoid, teach or modify as a means of supporting the child. (Click picture to enlarge)

Respect/ What Are The Barriers To Respect?

This map helps identify specific behaviors exhibited by the individual that impact negatively on how others perceive him/her. Participants are asked to share their perspective as well as how others, including peers would respond if asked this question. The facilitator will caution the group this can be a difficult map for the parents to hear. This map more than any other, identifies what sets the child apart. Participants are asked to be honest yet share in a way that they would want to hear it if their shortcomings were being described. This map is also about the participants. There are differences in how each person reacts to and/or tolerates specific behaviors. Hopefully the group represents a range of reactions similar to what the child encounters. The goal of this map is to identify problematic behaviors so they can be addressed. Often times these behaviors are what gets in the way of the individual being accepted by others. These behaviors need to be addressed in order for the person to expand their relationships. (Click picture to enlarge)

What are_____’s Accomplishments Of The Past Year?

The team identifies what the individual has accomplished in the last year. This map can serve to bring the team up to date on where the child is and what is positive about the current program. This knowledge can help the group feel good about what they are doing and to identify the successes in order to maintain and build on the positives. This map should be detailed. If the team has difficulty coming up with accomplishments, the facilitator may challenge them to move in a different direction or rethink their approach. If a child hasn’t accomplished anything this should be viewed as a reflection of the team’s work rather than a failure on the child’s part. It is the role of the facilitator to have the team understand their accountability in designing a program and utilizing strategies that lead the child to succeed.

Health: How has ____’s health influenced his quality of life?

A health map is completed if a child’s health/well-being is of particular concern or impacts on the child’s current or future program. Health issues and medications are identified.

People: Who are the people that affect _____’s life?

Who are the people the child comes in contact with and what is the nature of the relationship? This map helps identify the positive, neutral, or negative relationships. The purpose is to identify where areas of opportunity exist. Inclusion of this map in the process helps the team see the importance of the social network as part of the educational program. Social skills need to be taught rather than assuming they will be learned on their own.

Places: Where are the places the individual goes and for what purpose?

This map also identifies areas of opportunity that may have been overlooked. Often times the individual’s life is not as rich, lacking the variety of environments as their same age peers experience. The individual may lack the social skills or behaviors necessary to be successful in certain environments: therefore they do not frequent a wide range of places. Inclusion of this map will call attention to this as an area that needs to be considered when developing an educational plan.

What Supports are Needed to be Successful/ Components of a Successful Program?

The group identifies strategies or modifications that are currently used to successfully support the individual. This map helps all to be aware of these supports and to look at where they may need to be used in the future. This map is extremely useful if the mapping is being done as part of a transition. If a child is transitioning from one school to the next and the professionals from both environments are participating, this map can assure that supports are carried over. This map documents modifications or accommodations being made that may not have been formalized. Often transitions are break down because key supports are changed between environments due to oversights in communication. Ultimately mapping is a way of enhancing communication.

What are our Visions of the Future- Best Dream?

This map identifies the hopes and dreams stakeholders have for the individual. The facilitator, based on work done prior to the meeting, will pick a time in the future and ask the group to share what they envision for the focus person at that time. The time period chosen would be influenced by factors such as the age of the child (the younger the child the shorter time period), current effectiveness of the program (if the current program is not effective it would be difficult for the group to look out in time in a meaningful way), ability of the group to see a positive but grounded future. The facilitator will ask the group to describe what it would look like for the individual with respect to home, school, recreation, community involvement and job if age appropriate. The level of detail will increase as the child gets closer to adulthood. This map helps parents and professionals come to a common understanding of what the parents want for their child. Sometimes educators assume parents want the focus to be on academics when in reality the family knows and wants the focus to be on the development of social and adaptive behaviors. The goal of this map is to set a direction for the individual’s program. Once the team knows where they are going they can work backwards to identify the steps necessary to achieve the vision. (Click picture to enlarge)

What is our Worst Nightmare for ______?

The facilitator asks parents’ and others’ close to the individual their worst fears about the future in regards to the individual. This map is done only if the facilitator deems it necessary to help the team understand what may be driving those closest to the person. The nightmare is identified in order to keep it from happening. When a parent shares at this deep level it can help move a team to see the bigger picture.

What would we like to see accomplished one year from this date?

The team generates a list of what they would like to focus on in the next year. The facilitator will direct the team to imagine themselves one year from this date: it has been a great year for the individual, now describe in detail what you have seen the person doing that you consider an accomplishment. By having people describe it as if it is happening, the level of detail necessary for this map to be effective is created. This map should then be used to develop the goals and objectives. If this map represents what the team identifies as being a good year then this is what should be reflected in the educational program. Through this map, collaboration between professionals and parents results in decisions on the focus of the program for the upcoming year. This map helps the team take the first steps in moving in the direction of the vision and working as a collaborative team. Goal setting should be done immediately following the vision map in order to have the dreams shared directly influence goals. (Click picture to enlarge)

What are the learning needs of the individual?

Based on the directions and accomplishments set forth, there will be learning needs identified for the student and for the team. What the student needs to learn to meet the expectations set forth are recorded. The facilitator then guides the team to identify what they need to learn in order to teach the student what has been identified. This map encourages and offers support to the professionals on how to help the student. It is critical that the facilitator be well versed in strategies and methods appropriate for teaching and supporting individuals with ASD. This knowledge will assist the team in identifying skills they may need to learn and resources available to support their learning. (Click picture to enlarge)

What are the next steps?

Here the facilitator guides the group in identifying the first steps in making the plan become a reality. By the end of the process participants are feeling positive and energized. To maximize that momentum participants need to leave with something to do. If next steps aren’t identified the work done in the session may get lost. Doing things in a different way is difficult and the team needs to support each other in moving forward one step at a time. If the team is not moving forward, members will revert back to what they know and are comfortable with even if it is not effective for the child. Person centered planning is meant to be a dynamic process, not a product. The completion of the first mapping session is only the first step in creating a shared vision and a team to own the vision. A critical part of this map is identifying a team leader who will be the keeper of the vision and take responsibility for moving the team forward. Before the session ends, a next meeting needs to be scheduled.