Thinking Tools

4+1 Questions

4+1 Questions helps to focus on these questions:

1. What have we tried?
2. What have we learnt?
3. What are we pleased about?
4. What are we concerned about?
5. Given what we know, what next?

Citizenship

Citizenship looks at 6 aspects of life:

• self determination
• direction
• money
• home
• support
• community life

Communication Chart

The meaning of what we say is communicated not only on the words that we use. It also depends on the tone of voice, our gestures, facial expressions, the way that we stand or sit.
Very often the level of anxiety of a young person who does not use words to communicate is directly linked to a constant feeling of being misunderstood and as a result frustrated at not being listened to.

Decision Making Agreement

Dreaming

Dreaming is a tool which provides an opportunity to share hopes and dreams for the future and it helps to identify actions. It is not about setting people up to fail – it is about looking deeper at the dreams and thinking about the things that are positive and possible.

Family One Page Profile

Family One Page Profile is very much the same as a personal One Page Profile, but instead it is focused on a group of people. In fact you can create One Page Profile for any group that you are a member of.

Important to and for

"Important to and Important for" is a way of preparing a summary of information about a person or a family.
Information that you share in this tool can later be used in a One Page Profile. You can also use this information in other documents, for instance Hospital Passports or other admission documents.

Learning Log

Learning Log is a tool which helps people to think about events or activities and find patterns in them. By using this tool it is easier to discover how to improve results of events and activities.

Like and Admire

"Like and Admire" is a simple tool which helps to look at people with fresh eyes. Its purpose is to focus on positive aspects of someone's personality.

Matching Staff

Many children with special needs don’t need a support worker or a personal assistant. You may however be in a situation when you will need to decide who will support your child.

Maps

Map is a graphic process that explores a person’s life story and then starts to identify how they want to live in the future. It is a gentle process which is very positive and can be a very cathartic experience for families. It enables people to share their dreams and goals with other people.

One Page Profile

One Page Profile is a tool in which you present information about your child in a very easy way. It is a quick introduction which builds on positives and is very practical.

This tool is great if your child is about to start in a new place or there is a new person coming into your child's life. This can be:

• starting in a new nursery, school, class or club
• starting with a new childminder, support worker, teacher, teaching assistant, therapist.

Presence to Contribution

Relationship Circle

Roles and Responsibilites

The most basic question that this tool answers is "Who does what?" and by doing that it helps to:

• co-ordinate people's actions
• specify expectations
• find the middle ground for compromise

Working and Not Working

"Working and Not Working" is a tool which helps to think through a situation and to pinpoint what is causing you concern. Using this tool will help you to fully take stock of the situation and then decide what needs to be done to improve things. It will also help you realise what is positive about the situation and should be kept as it is.

This tool is very practical if you need to speak to someone about your concerns. "Working and Not Working" lets you present your point of view in a factual way. If you are very anxious about difficult conversations, using this tool is a good way to prepare for them.

Finally it is a great way of resolving problems because it helps to look at a situation from different perspectives.