Support for Parents &
Caregivers
Raising an autistic child is a journey filled with unique strengths, opportunities, and experiences. COMPASS partners with you to celebrate what makes your child unique, understand their strengths and needs, set meaningful goals, and connect with evidence-based supports that help your child thrive at home, at school, and in the community.
How COMPASS Supports Families & Educators
Collaborative Planning
We bring together families, educators, and providers as equal partners.
Individualized Support
We build a full picture of each individual to create meaningful, functional goals.
Evidence-Based Decision Making
Our model is supported by randomized controlled trials and real-world outcomes.
Coaching & Partnership
We provide ongoing coaching and support to help teams turn plans into progress.
Across the Lifespan
From early childhood through transition and adulthood, we're here for every step.
Understanding the Student as a Whole
The COMPASS Profile brings together perspectives from home and school to help the team understand the student as a whole.
- Improve communication and teamwork with schools and providers.
- Build consistent, effective supports that fit your child.
- Empower your family with knowledge and advocacy skills.
What to Expect
Families move through COMPASS in a collaborative process that begins with understanding strengths and needs and continues through coaching and progress monitoring.
Complete the COMPASS Profile together to capture strengths, needs, and priorities for the student.
A COMPASS consultant leads an approximately 3-hour long consultation with the people who know and support the student.
The team identifies priority communication, social, learning, independence, or transition goals and develops an individualized support plan.
Educators participate in four approximately 1-hour coaching sessions focused on implementation, feedback, and problem-solving.
The team reviews student progress and uses data to make informed adjustments to goals and strategies.
What the Research Shows
Preschool and elementary children who received COMPASS had goal attainment scores greater than 80% of children in the comparison group.
Transition-aged students receiving CAST did better than more than 90% of those who did not receive COMPASS.
Families Benefit, Too
C-HOPE improved parent competency while reducing parent stress and challenging behavior.
Downloadable Resource Library
Practical tools, checklists, and guides to support families before, during, and after consultation. Click on the tabs below to view the resources below and download forms.
Initial Consultation Guide
Helpful guide for understanding what to expect during the consultation process and preparing for goal planning.
Challenges and Supports Form
For educators and caregivers used to identify a child’s strengths, challenges, supports, and needs across home and school settings.
Child Joint Summary Form
Summarize your child’s strengths, needs, communication, behavior, sensory preferences, and learning skills.
COMPASS Report Template
Document individualized goals, action plans, coaching progress, and next steps across home and school settings.
COMPASS Coaching Guide
Document individualized goals, action plans, coaching progress, and next steps across home and school settings.
Assessment Form (Caregivers & Teachers)
Summarize youth or adult strengths, needs, communication, social skills, sensory preferences, and future planning goals.
COMPASS Profile Self-Report
Reflect on personal strengths, challenges, communication, sensory needs, learning skills, goals, and future planning.
Youth/Adult Joint Summary Form
Summarize youth/adult strengths, needs, communication, social skills, sensory preferences, supports, and goals.
COMPASS Consultation Sign-In Sheet
Record consultation participants and guide transition planning, goal setting, teaching strategies, and feedback.
Consent
Form
Authorize completion and release of COMPASS Profile information for consultation and intervention planning.
Initial Consultation Guide
Helpful guide for understanding what to expect during the consultation process and preparing for goal planning.
CAST Report Template
A CAST template for tracking student goals, team action plans, coaching progress, and outcomes across home, school, and community settings.
CAST Coaching Guide
Use this guide to structure CAST coaching sessions, review progress, update teaching plans, and support collaborative goal-setting with the student’s team.
Find the COMPASS Support That Fits Your Needs
Our research has grown into targeted programs and initiatives that support students, families, and schools.
COMPASS
For Preschool & Elementary Students
Personalized consultation and coaching that helps young students make stronger progress toward meaningful IEP goals in communication, social skills, and learning.
CAST
For Transition- Aged Students & Adults
Individualized planning and support that helps students strengthen IEP goals and prepare for life after high school, including education, employment, and greater independence.
C-HOPE
Empowering Parents and Caregivers
A parent-focused program that helps families manage challenging behavior, build confidence and practical skills, and reduce the stress that can come with supporting their child.
BREATHE-EASE
Reducing Special Educator Burnout
A wellness-focused program designed to help reduce special educator burnout. BREATHE-EASE supports educator well-being through burnout prevention and intervention strategies that strengthen resilience and support healthier school environments.
Ready to Get Started?
Build a COMPASS Profile or request a consultation today.
PUBLICATIONS & RESOURCES
Explore books, manuals, and peer-reviewed research developed by the COMPASS team.
