Developing a Master Plan for Your Family
CREATING A MASTER PLAN
What is a Master Plan?
A Master Plan is a tool that assists a family in focusing all the resources they are accessing for their child with autism towards a common vision and common goals. It is not uncommon for a child with autism to be receiving services through various service systems, including early intervention or the public schools and private services in the community. Unfortunately these services are often fragmented and the parent finds themselves in the role of attempting to coordinate services provided between various professionals and in various settings. The Master Plan helps assure that all professionals and supports in a child and family’s life are moving the child and family towards a vision and goals that are of highest priority to the family.
Download a blank Master Plan form
What is involved in creating a Master Plan?
Developing a Master Plan includes several steps:
Create a vision statement – Describe your vision for your child’s future. If your child is young, your vision statement may be what you hope your child is able to do one year from now that they are not able to do now. If your child is older it may include your vision for your child as a young adult. A vision statement may include one or more sentences and may also include details regarding the vision for your family as a whole.
Example for a young child – Our hope for Joe is that he attends a regular kindergarten class with the children who live in our neighborhood.
Example for an older child – Our hope for Cari is that she has choices as an adult, including choices for a job that she enjoys and the support in her job to be successful. We hope she is able to live in the community with a roommate and with our support as needed.
Create a mission statement – Create a statement that explains your personal commitment to advocate for your child. Include how you plan to help your child achieve the vision you described in step one.
Example – I commit to seek information and resources that will help Cari continue to develop her social and communication skills. I will also seek opportunities for her to be involved in community activities with her peers and to work or intern in the community with support.
Develop goals – Write goals that will assist your child in achieving the vision you described in step one. Consider skills your child needs to learn that will be stepping stones in achieving the vision. After you have written the goals share them with any professionals providing services to your child to determine if the goals should be broken down into smaller steps to be attainable.
Example – Reread the vision for a young child. Consider skills that Joe will need to be participate in a regular kindergarten class. One example might be: Joe will ask for help from a peer or adult by using a gesture or verbalization.
Important note – There are some who believe that children with autism need to achieve certain skills before they are allowed the opportunity to be in a classroom with peers without autism. This myth is referred to by some as the readiness myth. In reality, spending time with peers without autism should be at least a part of a program for all children with autism, with the appropriate supports provided to enable the child with autism to participate in activities with his peers.
Share the Master Plan – After you create the Master Plan share it with all professionals working your child and family. Take it to your Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting, take it to your initial evaluation and other appointments with professionals in the community, and share it with anyone else who is supporting your child with autism and your family. Don’t forget to share it with family members as well, including grandpa and grandma, aunts, uncles, and other people who are important in your child’s life. Your Master Plan will help everyone focus towards the same vision and the same goals and will help your child achieve SUCCESS at a much quicker rate than if everyone works in isolation towards different goals.
Review the Master Plan – Review the goals on the Master Plan at least once every 6 months to assure that your child is making progress. If you are not seeing progress towards the goals then discuss it with the professionals in your child’s life. It may be possible that either the goals should be broken down into smaller steps or that other strategies or interventions may be necessary to help your child progress.