Depending upon the needs of the child and the issues needing to be addressed, use of the "MAPS" IFSP/IEP process may take more than one session to complete. Once again, it depends upon the situation. We have found this process to be particularly useful during times of transition (from infant/toddler services to preschool services and from the preschool to the elementary setting). Use of the MAPS process familiarizes receiving staff members with the child's history (educational, health, etc.) as well as the child's strengths and needs, and the team member's dreams and concerns for the child. The format of the MAPS meeting which begins with the parents relating the child's history and answering each question first emphasizes the role of the parent as the main stakeholder in the child's life and supports the field's shift to family-centered services. The information gathered from the questions discussed at the MAPS meeting will provide the team with the necessary input for developing the IEP goals and objectives.

We have also found it useful to do a "modified MAPS," or to simply reduce the number of questions asked at the IFSP/IEP meeting. This is especially effective when the team members are already familiar with the child. For example, the questions may simply address the child's strengths and needs. Using large tablet paper or chart paper, the facilitator writes the comments of the various team members as they are stated. From the strengths and needs, the goal and objectives are formulated and transferred to the formal format which the school district requires you to use. The process does not have to be cumbersome and lengthy. The whole idea behind the process is to receive input from all of the team members, especially the parents or caregivers. We feel parents (and possibly some team members) are less likely to have input in the IFSP/IEP process if the document is pre-written and presented at the meeting. By generating the child's strengths, needs, goals and objectives together as a team, the IFSP/IEP document is more likely to reflect the skills the child currently has and the skills the child needs to develop within the educational setting.