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What is MAP?
MAP, or Marching Ahead to Progress, is an easy-to-use computer program for parents and
therapists, developed by speech-language pathologists. It teaches you how to work with your child
with moderate to severe communication impairments. The program will tell you what to teach, how
to teach, how to control difficult behaviors, and is supported by video clips of therapy sessions with
experienced speech-language pathologists, who guide you through the program.
How do I know if my child is appropriate for MAP?
Your child may be appropriate for MAP if he has any of the following characteristics:
Moderate to severe communication delays,
Moderate to severe problems processing auditory information (speech),
Moderate to severe behavior problems, such as head banging, poor eye contact, inability to follow
directions,
Has been diagnosed with a syndrome resulting in a communication impairment, such as:
Auditory Processing Disorders (CAPD),
Autism Spectrum Disorder,
Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD),
Multi-system Development Disorder,
Williams Syndrome,
Fragile X,
Downs Syndrome,
Other impairments which affect communication abilities.
To qualify your child, or for help in determining whether or not your child is appropriate for this
program, you may contact National Speech directly to speak with a trained professional.
How can MAP help me help my child?
MAP is not a textbook that explains your child’s disorder. It is a step-by-step program that gives
you the tools to teach your child. MAP will guide you so that you can teach your child to sit and
attend to speech, language and communication. The video clips teach you how to monitor and shape
difficult behaviors and how to teach concepts in a clear, concise and consistent manner. This
consistency allows your child to learn how to attend which makes him available for learning. Your
teaching, through MAP, breaks information down so that your child can understand language and
learn!
MAP features a Learning Lab, which organizes learning by level of developmental ability. A child
starts out learning basic skills, such as how to imitate, listen and follow simple directions and moves
on to learning more difficult and abstract language concepts when the simpler programs are
mastered.
What makes MAP unique?
The Program is unique in three ways:
Unique Philosophy. Children learn through play. Special needs children, however, often need help
learning how to play. MAP achieves this by integrating a highly structured approach which is
supported by play and sensory-based activities. This unique philosophy, the integration of
structure, play and sensory programs, enhances a child's ability to learn and use new skills in
everyday learning environments, like the playground or classroom.
Learning Lab. MAP features a Learning Lab that designs home programs-beginning with the
development of imitation skills and ending with putting words together. Each step-by-step program
focuses on teaching a specific concept and then applying that concept more naturally through play
activities. Once a child consistently demonstrates that he understands what you are working on, all
a parent has to do is key that information into the computer, and MAP will automatically introduce a
more advanced Learning Program.
Video Section. Video clips allow you to observe experts teaching children. By watching the video
clips parents are coached on how to teach each child to focus their attention, to comply with a
request and use language. The video clips also allow you to observe how to use the right tone of
voice when directing a child to follow a direction, to gesture appropriately when prompting a child’s
response, to appear calm when the sessions are not going well and to avoid using body language
that may signal the wrong message.
This is a user-friendly program that can be easily implemented and incorporated into the home or
school environment.
When should I start MAP with my child?
Children as young as two can benefit from MAP therapy techniques. Once you see that your child
has a moderate to severe communication problem, you may begin right away. You do not need to
wait for evaluations to come back or for additional appointments to be made. It can take months to
get your child placed in a pre-school program or to get that appointment with the neurologist,
psychologist, speech-language pathologist, or other trained professional. All of that information can
be very helpful, but we encourage you not to waste time waiting for all of the results or for an
educational placement.
How long will it take for me to learn MAP?
MAP is an easy-to-use program. You will begin learning as soon as you put the disk in your
computer. Once you have reviewed your Guidebook, you can immediately begin working with your
child. It will take you about 2-4 hours to do your first read-through of the program and to watch the
video clips. A deeper understanding will be gained once you begin the Learning Programs.
How long will it take my child to do MAP?
This is a difficult question to answer because it is based on many variables, including:
Where your child is at when beginning the program;
How many hours each day or week your child is doing MAP; and
Other behaviors your child exhibits which may interfere with learning.
MAP is adaptive to your child’s needs and each child will work at his or her own pace. The
computer will not introduce a new learning program until previous ones are learned and mastered.
Generally, children with intensive communication challenges benefit from many hours of therapy each
day. Consider the following: If you had to learn a new language, would you learn more quickly if you
took a class that met daily than you would if it met once a week? The more time you spend
studying, the quicker you will master the language. The same holds true for the child with
communication difficulties. Some MAP families will work with their child 5 hours a week, and others
35 hours a week. The number of hours you work will directly impact how long it will take your child
to complete MAP.
Will I still need to see other therapists?
Establishing rapport with a professional (e.g. speech- language pathologist) who can help serve as a
guide, offer special suggestions directly related to your child and share the teaching load will help.
In addition, MAP does not address the medical needs of your child and these should be monitored
by the appropriate medical personnel.
If my child is doing MAP, should he still attends school program?
This is another difficult question because it really depends on the skill level of your child. Lower
functioning children tend to benefit from many hours of individual therapy whereas higher functioning
children are apt to benefit from a coupling of the school environment and individual therapy sessions.
We recommend you speak with the specialists working directly with your child to determine what
best meets your child’s needs.
To view other services offered at National Speech/Language Therapy Center, please return to our
home page.
What if I’m not really good with computers?
It really won’t matter. All you will need to do is load your MAP disk and we walk you through the
program. MAP is an easy-to-use program and you need no special expertise to run it. We do offer
technical support in the event any problems arise.
How do I know my child is making progress or if MAP is working?
Map parents see benefits. Working with special needs is a demanding, time consuming and
overwhelming experience. When up close, you don’t see progress on a daily basis. Compare it to
dieting and your spouse sees you everyday and doesn’t notice the weight you are dropping. Or to a
growing child-- mom doesn’t see child is growing, but when aunt sue sees them or mom looks at a
picture from last summer a difference can be plainly seen. The same concept applies. Video tape
your child the first week, and then at three month intervals. Most parents will see progress after that
first tape.
Why I should try this when everything else fails?
It’s more concrete, it’s not like when you take your child to therapy and observe, and the therapist
says teach your child to respond. Much more specific road maps guide you and the video clips let
you see it over and over again. You learn how to help your child without overdoing. Parents do
everything for their child. If I go to the gym and the weight is too heavy, I lift it for the child.
Learning different forms of teaching is critical to make your child available to learn. Not just what
you say but how you say it. By not having only a singular approach to teaching a learning concept of
big and little, you are allowing child to have a specific set of demands, which is organizing for your
child. They learn those words as with those demands and learn how to react not so confused. This
program coordinates you so all do it the same way, that’s critical….see exactly how it’s done.
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