COS Process Discussion Prompts
Updated June 7, 2023, 8:34 AMYou can use these discussion prompts to facilitate conversations about a child's functioning related to the Three Child Outcomes. Teams discussing child functioning in these areas often use various sources of information and ask detailed questions to describe the child's behavior for each outcome. Some teams will need additional guidance on questions that focus on functional skills and cover multiple components of each outcome.
- Outcome 1: Positive Social-Emotional Skills (including social relationships)
- Outcome 2: Acquisition and Use of Knowledge and Skills
- Outcome 3: Use of Appropriate Behaviors to Meet Needs
Outcome 1: Positive Social-Emotional Skills (including social relationships)
- How does the child relate to their parent(s)?
- How does the child relate to other relatives or extended family and close family friends, for example, grandparents, aunts, or extended kin? Do these interactions with people differ depending on the setting the child is in with these people?
- How does the child interact with familiar caregivers, for example, childcare providers, or babysitters?
- How does the child relate to strangers over time, for example, at first, after a while, in different settings or using different approaches?
- How does the child interact with and respond to people in community settings, for example, at the park, library, church, grocery store, with neighbors on walks, at the bus stop, in restaurants, at playgroups or other outings?
- How does the child interact with and react to peers, for example, at childcare, in the park, in the neighborhood, in brief interactions in stores or at restaurants?
- How does the child relate to their siblings, cousins, or kids they spend time with frequently?
- What is the child's eye contact with others like? Does it differ across situations or with different people?
- How does the child display their emotions?
- How does the child read and react to the emotions and expressions of others?
- How does the child respond to touch from others?
- How does the child maintain interactions with people?
- In what situations and ways does the child express delight or display affection?
- In the child's interactions, are there behaviors that may interfere with relationships or seem inappropriate in interactions expected for the child's age, for example, screaming, biting, or throwing tantrums? How often does this occur? In what situations? In what situations does it not occur?
- Does the child display awareness of routines? How?
- How does the child respond to transitions in routines or activities? Are the child's actions different for familiar transitions versus new transitions, or different across settings or with different people?
- How and in what situations are interactions with others initiated?
- How does the child engage in mutual activities with others, for example, showing joint attention, communicating to convey a desire to engage, initiating interaction or play, or following rules for mutual games?
- Does the child seek out others after an accomplishment? How?
- Does the child seek out others after frustration or when angry? How?
- Does the child participate in games, for example, social, cooperative, rule-based games with turn-taking? What do the child's interactions look like in these situations?
- Does the child display an awareness of rules and expectations? How? Does the child behave differently in different contexts, for example, quieter in church, and more active outside?
- Does the child attempt to resolve their conflicts? How? What do these actions look like with peers, parents?
- How does the child respond when others are not attending to them?
- How does the child respond when someone arrives? Someone new? Someone familiar? How does the child respond when someone leaves?
- Talk about the child's functioning with turn-taking, showing, and sharing? With adults? With other children?
- How would you expect other children this age to act in these situations?
Outcome 2: Acquisition and Use of Knowledge and Skills
- How does the child use the words and skills they have in everyday settings, for example, at home, at the park, at childcare, at the store, with other kids, at childcare, in restaurants, or with different people?
- How does the child solve problems and overcome obstacles that interfere with something important to them?
- What concepts does the child understand? Does the child incorporate these into strategies that they use to accomplish something meaningful? How?
- How does the child understand and respond to directions and requests from others?
- How does the child imitate others' actions to learn or try new things, for example, peers, caregivers, and adults?
- How does the child display an understanding of differences in roles, characteristics, and expectations across people and situations? With increasing age, has their role understanding changed from immediate household roles and differences to more external community helper roles?
- Can the child use their understanding to communicate problems, and attempt solutions that others suggest, for example, trying new strategies that they haven't thought of based on gestures or words?
- Can the child answer questions of interest in meaningful ways?
- Does the child use something learned at one time later or in another situation?
- Does the child display an awareness of the distinctions between things, for example, object characteristics, size differences, or differences in object functions?
- What does the child do if an action or a strategy they've attempted isn't successful? How do they try to modify their approach or show persistence?
- How does the child demonstrate their understanding of symbols into concepts, communication, and play?
- How does the child interact with books, pictures, and print?
- How does the child's play suggest understanding of familiar scripts for how things work, what things are related, what comes next, and memory of previous actions in that situation?
- Does the child's play show attempts to modify strategies and approaches to try new things? If so, how?
- How are the child's knowledge and skills that are not like same age peers? How do these interfere with acquiring and using knowledge and skills?
- How would you expect other children this age to act in these situations?
Outcome 3: Use of Appropriate Behaviors to Meet Needs
- What does the child do when don't have what they want or can't get it for themselves?
- What does the child do when they want something that is out of reach or hard to get?
- What does the child do when they are upset or needs comfort?
- What does the child do when they are hungry?
- What does the child do when they are frustrated?
- What does the child do when they need help?
- How does the child convey their needs?
- How are the child's actions to seek help or to convey their needs different from one setting to another? How do these actions differ with different people, for example, at childcare, in home or community settings, or with a parent, grandparent, familiar person, or stranger?
- How does the child's dress or undress themself?
- What does the child do before and after peeing and pooping?
- What does the child do at mealtime, for example, eating and drinking? Are there differences across settings or with different people?
- How does the child get started when playing with toys? What does the child do when they are interested in a different toy than they have?
- What are the child's actions and reactions to hygiene practices, for example, toothbrushing, washing their hands and face, or blowing their nose?
- Does the child show awareness of situations that might be dangerous, for example, hot stoves, pick-up and drop-offs, traffic, crossing streets, or behavior with strangers?
- Are there situations when the child's behavior or disability interferes with their ability to take action to meet their needs? How frequently? How serious is it? Does the child take alternative approaches? If so, what are they?
- Are the actions the child uses to meet their needs appropriate for their age? Can they accomplish the things that their peers do?
- How does the child respond to delays in receiving attention or help from others?
- How does the child respond to challenges?
- Does the child display toy preferences? How do you know?
- How does the child get from place to place when desired or needed?
- What does the child do when they are bored? How do they amuse themself or seek out something fun?
- How does the child respond to problematic or unwanted peer behavior?
- How does the child use materials to have an effect, for example, drawing materials, painting, toys, or tools?
- How would you expect other children this age to act in these situations?