Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers and resources based on how you use COMPASS.
Families & Caregivers
Find answers about COMPASS, helpful resources, and supporting your child at home and school.
Researchers
Find answers about COMPASS research, study findings, measures, publications, and opportunities to learn more about the evidence.
Prospective Consultants
Learn about COMPASS training, certification, coaching, consultant expectations, and what it takes to get started.
FAQs For Families, Caregivers, and Educators
Answers for families, caregivers, teachers, and school teams using COMPASS to support autistic children and students.
COMPASS is a research-supported consultation and coaching approach designed to improve services and outcomes for autistic children, youth, and adults. It brings families, educators, and other members of the support team together to identify individualized goals and develop strategies based on the person’s strengths, needs, preferences, and environment
COMPASS has been developed and studied with autistic individuals from preschool through high school and transition to adulthood. The approach also supports the parents, caregivers, educators, therapists, and other professionals who work with them.
COMPASS is designed specifically to support autistic individuals and the families, educators, and providers who work with them. A formal autism diagnosis is generally part of the information used to develop a COMPASS plan, along with information about the individual’s strengths, needs, preferences, and goals.
If you are concerned that your child may be autistic but do not yet have a diagnosis, COMPASS is not a diagnostic program. We recommend speaking with a qualified healthcare or autism professional about an evaluation. Once an autism diagnosis has been established, COMPASS can help your team turn that understanding into personalized goals and practical supports across home, school, and community settings.
COMPASS focuses on developing a personalized plan rather than applying the same intervention to every individual. Families and professionals work collaboratively to understand the individual at home and school, identify meaningful goals, match evidence-based strategies to those goals, and use ongoing data to monitor progress and make adjustments.
The initial consultation brings parents, educators, therapists, and other team members together to review the COMPASS Profile and develop a shared understanding of the individual. The team considers strengths and challenges across areas such as communication, social skills, self-management, learning, behavior, and sensory preferences, then identifies priority goals and individualized support strategies.
COMPASS uses a team-based approach. Depending on the individual, participants may include parents or caregivers, teachers, therapists, consultants, and other people who regularly support the person at home, school, or in the community.
The initial COMPASS consultation lasts approximately three hours.
The initial consultation is followed by four teacher coaching sessions lasting approximately one hour each. These sessions are used to assess progress toward student goals, provide feedback, and help educators reflect on or modify how individualized teaching plans are being implemented.
The COMPASS Profile is a tool that helps the team understand an individual’s strengths, needs, preferences, and experiences across home, school, and community settings. Discussing the Profile is an important part of the initial COMPASS consultation and helps the team identify personalized goals.
COMPASS encourages input from multiple people who know and support the individual. Parents or caregivers, educators, service providers, and others from the person’s home, school, and community can contribute so the team has a fuller picture of the individual.
Yes. In addition to being used during the initial COMPASS consultation, the Profile can support IEP planning and transition planning for both younger children and high school-aged students.
An incomplete COMPASS Profile can be saved and modified later. After logging in, you can enter the email address of another person you would like to invite to complete the Profile. For example, a teacher may invite a parent or caregiver, and caregivers and teachers can invite multiple teachers or caregivers.
First, check your spam or junk folder. If the email has not arrived within approximately 30 minutes, contact the COMPASS team for assistance.
Information provided while completing the Profile will not be shared through the platform, and contact or account information is not displayed to other Profile participants. Your school district or another agency may separately require a Release of Information form before completing the Profile.
You can find downloadable content on the Parents and Educators page, including release forms.
To request a COMPASS consultation, all you have to do is fill out the form on our Contact page. Our team will be in contact with you within 48 hours on weekdays from 9-5 EST.
Ready to Get Started?
Build a COMPASS Profile or talk with our team about a consultation.
FAQs For Researchers
Answers for researches, students, and professionals interested in the evidence behind COMPASS and opportunities to collaborate.
The Autism Services Research Group studies questions that affect autistic individuals, families, clinicians, and educators. A major focus is testing the effectiveness and implementation of COMPASS, alongside research related to transition outcomes, quality of life, family-centered services, autism service access, teacher wellness, social relationships, and other community-based supports.
COMPASS has been tested in multiple randomized controlled trials. Research has found improved individualized education program goal attainment for students receiving COMPASS, including studies of face-to-face and web-based coaching and COMPASS for transition-aged students.
The Publications & Presentations section includes peer-reviewed journal articles, conference presentations, posters, and other research produced by members of the Autism Services Research Group. You may also find explanations of our current research on the Compass Research & Resources page.
CAST expands the COMPASS model to support autistic students in their final year of high school. It brings together the student, parent or caregiver, special education teacher, and pre-employment transition specialist to improve individualized transition planning and outcomes after high school. You can read more about CAST on our COMPASS Across Settings page.
Past research has included COMPASS for preschool and elementary-aged students, web-based coaching, COMPASS for Transition, consultant training and implementation, special education teacher burnout interventions, transition outcomes, family-centered services, and other areas related to autism services.
COMPASS research has included preschool and elementary-aged students, transition-aged high school students, and work focused on adult outcomes. The model has also been studied through in-person and web-based coaching and is now being expanded through CAST to coordinate support across school, family, and pre-employment transition settings
COMPASS research has examined individualized goal attainment and IEP outcomes, along with areas such as postsecondary outcomes, quality of life, caregiver and teacher outcomes, implementation quality, and treatment fidelity. Goal Attainment Scaling has also been used in COMPASS research to evaluate progress toward individualized goals.
Yes. Researchers may be able to use COMPASS materials and measures in their own research, depending on the specific material or measure and how it will be used. COMPASS has been developed and studied through multiple federally funded research projects, and many of the tools used in COMPASS research are described in our publications and research materials.
Because some COMPASS materials are part of the intervention and may be protected by copyright or require permission for research use, please contact the COMPASS research team before using COMPASS materials or measures in a study. We can help determine what is available, whether permission is required, and how the materials should be cited.
If you use COMPASS in your research, publication, presentation, or other scholarly work, please cite the original COMPASS research publications that describe the intervention or the specific COMPASS materials or measures you used. COMPASS has been evaluated in multiple peer-reviewed studies, and our research team maintains a list of publications and presentations that can help you identify the appropriate citation.
For example, if you are describing the COMPASS intervention, you may cite the foundational research by Ruble, Dalrymple, and McGrew (2010). If you are describing web-based or face-to-face coaching, cite Ruble et al. (2013); for COMPASS-T, cite Ruble et al. (2018).
Please contact the COMPASS research team if you are unsure which publication to cite. We are happy to help identify the appropriate reference and provide guidance on citing COMPASS materials, measures, and adaptations.
You can view the complete list of COMPASS publications on our Publications & Presentations page.
The research team encourages people who are interested in its work or in joining the ASRG team to get in touch. Researchers interested in potential collaboration should contact the group directly to discuss current opportunities. You may do so on our Contact Page.
We welcome inquiries from researchers, universities, students, and organizations interested in COMPASS research, evaluation, or collaborative projects. The COMPASS research program is part of the Autism Services Research Group (ASRG), which conducts research on COMPASS and other topics related to autism services and outcomes.
If you are interested in discussing a research question, potential collaboration, use of COMPASS materials, or opportunities to join our research efforts, please contact Dr. Lisa Ruble (lisa.ruble@bsu.edu) or the COMPASS research team through our contact page. We are especially interested in collaborations that can help expand access to effective, personalized supports for autistic individuals and their families.
Explore the research behind COMPASS
View our current studies, publications, presentations, and resources from the ASRG.
FAQs For Prospective Consultants
Answers for professionals interested in becoming a trained COMPASS consultant or bringing COMPASS to their school or organization.
A COMPASS consultant is a trained professional who helps families, educators, and service providers work together to create meaningful, individualized support for an autistic student. The consultant helps the team understand the student’s strengths, needs, interests, and priorities and then guides the team in developing goals and selecting evidence-based strategies.
A COMPASS consultant also provides ongoing coaching and implementation support. Rather than simply recommending strategies, the consultant works with the team to put those strategies into practice, problem-solve challenges, and make adjustments based on the student’s progress.
The goal is to help everyone on the team feel confident, supported, and prepared to help the student make meaningful progress across home, school, and community settings.
COMPASS consultants are professionals who have experience supporting autistic individuals and who are interested in helping families, educators, and other service providers work together to develop individualized, evidence-based supports.
COMPASS is especially well suited for professionals working in education, special education, psychology, behavior analysis, speech-language services, occupational therapy, or autism and developmental services. What matters most is having the knowledge, skills, and professional experience needed to collaborate effectively with families and service providers.
There is not one specific degree or professional license required for everyone who becomes a COMPASS consultant. COMPASS is designed to be used by qualified professionals with relevant training and experience in supporting autistic individuals.
Depending on your professional role and setting, you may need to maintain any licenses, certifications, or other credentials required by your employer or state.
Before beginning COMPASS training, you should have experience working with autistic individuals and collaborating with families, educators, or other professionals. Familiarity with individualized goals, evidence-based practices, and educational or clinical support planning is helpful.
COMPASS training builds on these professional skills by teaching consultants how to facilitate collaborative decision-making, develop individualized intervention plans, and provide coaching and implementation support.
COMPASS training is provided through the COMPASS training program. Training focuses on both understanding the COMPASS model and developing the consultation and coaching skills needed to implement it with fidelity.
Training includes learning the COMPASS consultation process, using the COMPASS Profile, developing individualized goals and teaching plans, developing goal attainment scales, facilitating team collaboration, and providing follow-up coaching and feedback. The COMPASS training package was specifically developed to prepare community-based consultants to implement COMPASS effectively.
Training options may include online components, depending on the current training program and cohort. The COMPASS team has developed online resources and has researched approaches for training community-based consultants. For more information on the online learning program, visit Our COMPASS Courses page.
For in person training, costs may vary depending on the training opportunity, format, and sponsoring organization. Please contact the COMPASS team for current information about training availability and fees.
We currently have three online, asynchronous learning courses.
- Course 1: COMPASS Training course is $75
- Course 2: Goal Attainment and Scaling is $30
- Course 3: COMPASS Coaching course is $45
- Certification is $200.
You can learn more and find links to the courses on our Course Offerings page.
COMPASS training prepares professionals to implement the COMPASS consultation and coaching model. Completion of training does not necessarily represent a professional license or clinical credential. Any recognition provided through a specific training program will depend on the training opportunity. Our asynchronous, online courses provide CEUs for some professions.
If you are interested in becoming a COMPASS-trained consultant, contact us for information about current training requirements and what you can expect upon completion.
COMPASS consultants who complete the online course will receive access to materials designed to support the consultation and coaching process. These may include the COMPASS Profile, consultation forms and templates, intervention-planning materials, coaching resources, and tools for monitoring implementation and student progress.
The COMPASS process uses structured materials to help consultants organize information, facilitate team input, develop individualized goals and teaching plans, and guide follow-up coaching.
We would love to hear from professionals interested in becoming COMPASS consultants. Contact the COMPASS team at the Autism Services Research Group to learn about current training opportunities, eligibility, and next steps.
Contact the COMPASS Team You can also reach the team at lisa.ruble@bsu.edu or 765-285-5702.
Interested in becoming certified in COMPASS?
Explore our available courses.
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.
