Introducing ENGAGE-MAP

Introducing ENGAGE-MAP

Introducing ENGAGE-MAP - MyTherapyWizard help article card

ENGAGE-MAP™ (Motivation and Participation Screener)



Overview
ENGAGE-MAP™ is a brief, Rasch-ready screening tool available in our FORMS section that helps determine why a child engages—or struggles to engage—in everyday routines, learning activities, and social participation. It examines the motivational and regulatory factors underlying behavior to clarify whether a child’s challenges are sensory-based, contextual, or behaviorally maintained by other factors such as attention, escape, or tangible access.  Participation data gives teachers, caregivers, and clinicians insight into whether behaviors genuinely limit engagement—or if the child continues to participate meaningfully despite them
Info
This questionnaire helps identify when a concern is not rooted in sensory or participation-based needs, allowing teams to determine when an OT evaluation may not be warranted. 

What It Measures

ENGAGE-MAP evaluates five primary behavioral function constructs and one participation construct:

  • Attention-Maintained Behavior: Behaviors that increase or decrease to gain attention.

  • Tangible/Access-Maintained Behavior: Behaviors used to obtain or maintain access to preferred items or activities.

  • Escape–Demand Behavior: Behaviors used to avoid or delay non-preferred or challenging tasks.

  • Escape–Social Behavior: Behaviors used to withdraw from social interactions or group settings.

  • Sensory/Automatic Behavior: Behaviors maintained by sensory input or regulation needs.

  • Participation Domains: Daily living, learning, communication, social engagement, mobility, and regulation—each rated for frequency and developmental appropriateness.

Together, these sections provide a composite view of behavioral motivation and participation quality across home, school, and community environments.

How to Use ENGAGE-MAP

  1. Select the Behavior Type most concerning to the caregiver or teacher (e.g., elopement, aggression, inattention). Send the Form to the rater from the MyTherapyWizard portal.

  2. Have the rater complete the form.

  3. The system automatically scores the form.

  4. Use the Report Wizard>Select Client Name> Select Form(s)> Select Form Analysis> Select Medical or Educational for Setting, then generate your report. Results appear as domain percentages and participation patterns. The analysis shows both behavioral function likelihood and how those behaviors affect participation.

  5. Use the results to guide decisions about whether difficulties stem from sensory/regulatory needs or other behavioral motivations.

Information the Screener Provides

  • A clear profile of which motivational functions (sensory, attention, escape, tangible) appear to drive observed behaviors.

  • A summary of the child’s participation consistency and adaptability across daily routines.

  • An interpretation of behavior–participation interaction, highlighting when motivation or environmental context disrupts engagement.

  • Objective data to help multidisciplinary teams determine next steps—sensory-based OT evaluation, classroom/environmental supports, or behavioral consultation.

Info
Report snippets:



Clinical Significance

Educational Setting

ENGAGE-MAP assists school-based OTs and educational teams in differentiating sensory-based participation barriers from general behavioral or emotional issues. It supports data-driven collaboration by identifying when OT services are appropriate (sensory or participation-based needs) and when interventions should be addressed through other supports such as behavior specialists or counseling.

Medical Setting

In clinical or insurance-funded environments, ENGAGE-MAP helps determine whether a child’s functional limitations are sensory-regulatory in nature and therefore meet medical necessity criteria for OT intervention. It is not intended to justify OT for purely behavioral, oppositional, or emotional concerns without a sensory or participation component.

In short:
ENGAGE-MAP gives clinicians and educators a structured, evidence-based way to uncover why behaviors occur and how they affect participation—ensuring that occupational therapy services are applied where they’re most effective and within scope.


Alert
The ENGAGE-MAP supports rating one behavior at a time.   Raters should select the behavior that is most concerning
.

Clinical protocols built in

MyTherapyWizard is an EMR with clinical protocols built in. Every Guided Evaluation, questionnaire and standardized template follows a structured scoring protocol:

  • The quantitative areas (the items you rate) are scored on the back end with the same defined criteria, rules and performance bands for every client.
  • The qualitative areas (your comments, observations and narratives) go into the report as you wrote them.
  • Once the plan of care is active, its goals populate into your session notes. Each goal gets a Goal Performance Index (GPI) that combines accuracy with the support needed, so 70% independent and 70% with maximum assistance score differently. Each session gets a Session Performance Index (SPI), the average of its GPIs.
  • AI never assigns or changes a score. It only helps put finished results into words, and you approve every line.

Learn more: Understanding Performance Bands · Myth vs. Fact: structured scoring and AI

See other articles in Client, Caregiver, Educator Clinical Forms here.