Functional Goal Writing
Traditional goal writing process:
Functional goal writing process:
→ Deficit Model – focus is on what is wrong with/
within child
→ Problem Solving Model – evaluate learner in environments and provide
appropriate instructional supports needed for learning and to increase home
support of learning.
→ Routine Based Interview or Semi-structured Needs Assessment identify student
needs and subsequent goals – See Needs Assessment Form
→ Built on the identified needs of child and family which are prioritized so the
IEP reflects these priorities and true goal attainment within one year.
→ Goals are no longer discipline specific – shared writing and ownership of goals
→ Standardized measures/assessments identify areas of
need and subsequent goals
→ Built on model of typical development
→ Discipline specific goal pages
→ Family inclusion and involvement is insufficient
→ Can do independently (write your page and insert
into IEP), collaboration with teachers/ family via
expert model - informing family/teachers what to do
→ Student progress is monitored by the person who
wrote the goal.
→ Family inclusion and involvement is necessary and ongoing. IEP process
carefully considers all contexts; home, school, and community and supports
practice in real-life situations - See Service Delivery Planning Form
→ Cannot do independently, collaboration with teachers, family and student via a
team model of shared ownership of goals as well as student progress – when
child is not making progress in an area, team problem-solving occurs
→ Student progress across goals is monitored and documented by all team
members (including family and as appropriate, the student).
Functional Goals reflect:
→ True attainable goals in a one year time span
o What the child will be able to do across people and environments in one year time - not what the child can do in a therapy room or in a
classroom with a specific teacher/therapist… e.g. while a child may be able to say all sounds clearly at the word level in therapy… what
will the child be able to do within spontaneous conversations with peers/adults at home and school?
→ Reflect the priorities of the family/caregivers/teachers (Needs Assessment)
→ Goals that can be addressed in multiple learning opportunities in real life situations across people and environments
o Goals are a good fit between the child’s needs and existing routines in the parent/teacher’s life. When we are making major
modifications to routines or adding extra equipment –caregivers may be less likely to add these activities to their existing daily routines.
→ Skills that are immediately useful for the child (independence, engagement, social interaction)
→ Clearly stated purpose of each goal written in understandable terminology and how each goal will improve/impact the daily life of the child.
→ Shared understanding of the work it will take to attain the goals and how to measure each goal by the teacher, parent and therapists.
→ Opportunity and accountability for all IEP team members to report on goal progress/attainment.
ECASD Functional Goal Handout – February 2008
References: Functional Goal Writing PowerPoint from the National Individualizing Preschool Inclusion Project
Routines Based Interview Roberta Sample from Robin McWilliams at http://www.state.tn.us/education/speced/TEIS/doc/dev_functional.PDF
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Writing Functional Goals
A Step – By – Step Process
Step One: Does the goal reflect the priorities of the family/caregivers/teachers?
→ Is the goal useful and meaningful to the family and other caregivers?
→ Why should the child work on this goal? The answer should be immediately apparent
→ Does the goal address:
o Engagement/participation needs of the child (How does the child participate?)
o Social relationships needs of the child (How does the child communicate and get along with others?)
o Independence needs of the child (What does the child do by him or herself?)
Step Two: Does the goal reflect real life situations?
→ Can the goal be addressed by:
o multiple people
→ Is the context clear?
o at multiple times of the day,
o during normal routines & activities?
Step Three: Is the goal understandable?
→ Does it make sense? Can most anyone understand what is expected/what the child is supposed to do?
→ Is it free of jargon? Ambulate/walk, Mean length utterance/3 word phrase, Pincer grasp/thumb and finger, Oral-motor skills/bite chew or swallow,
Verbal exchanges/back and forth, Minimal physical assistance/with only a little help
→ Other general words to avoid: Improve, Increase, Tolerate, Understand, Initiate, Exhibit, Receive, Become involved, Begin to
→ State clearly what it is the child is supposed to do…. which often makes these goals longer in length but clearer in understanding.
Step Four: Is the goal clear and measurable?
→ Acquisition Statement: Does it state what the child is to do? (not too general, not too specific, observable behavior)
o Examples: Will use 3 to 4 word phrases to make requests/Will stay in circle/Will walk forward 5 steps
→ Normalized Context: Does the goal identify the activities or routines in which the behavior is expected
o Examples: At meals, circle, and moving from activity to activity/meal time and other table activities/arrival and departure
→ Criterion: Will everyone know when the skill is acquired? (What frequency, duration, or rate would be an acceptable level of the behavior?)
o A good goal statement actually has three criteria: Acquisition - Maintenance - Generalization or fluency
1. Acquisition– Childe demonstrates the behavior skill
□ Examples: 3 times per week/With 2 peers
2. Maintenance - Child demonstrates the behavior/skill for a reasonable period of time
□ Examples: For 8 weeks or During 5 trips to the library
3. Generalization or Fluency
□ Generalization - Child demonstrates the behavior/skill across time, places, people, situations, and materials - Examples: In the classroom
and on the playground or With mom, teacher, and babysitter or When playing with three different toys
□ Fluency - Child performs the behavior/skill smoothly and efficiently Examples: Within 2 minutes or Keeping up with other children
ECASD Functional Goal Handout – February 2008
References: Functional Goal Writing PowerPoint from the National Individualizing Preschool Inclusion Project
Routines Based Interview Roberta Sample from Robin McWilliams at http://www.state.tn.us/education/speced/TEIS/doc/dev_functional.PDF
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Functional Goal Examples
Instead of:
Jared will ambulate 5 feet using a walker with
minimal assistance.
Juan will use a neat pincer grasp to pick up small
beans.
Functional Goal:
Jared will move five steps with his walker to play with the other children in play group 2
times a day for 2 weeks.
Kisharra will use at least 4 switches hooked to different toys to play by herself for at least 5
minutes at school.
Juan will pick up 5 small pieces of food using his thumb and index finger to feed himself 1
time a day for 3 weeks.
Physical therapy will be provided once a week to
help Emma walk independently.
Emma will walk by herself from the classroom to the playground to get to recess, keeping
up with the other children, 2 times a week for 4 weeks.
Tommy will produce consonant sequences and
velars k and g independently at the structured
phrase level in 8 of 10 trials.
Tommy will say words clearly (to be understood by adults) at meals, circle, and moving
from one activity to another in 5 attempts at communication in 1 day.
Kisharra will activate switch toys
Instead of:
Functional Goal:
Info placed in the objective/benchmark section of our IEP Goal page
Suzy will follow 2step directions with
minimal prompts in 8
of 10 opportunities.
Suzy will complete 2-part tasks (“put on
your coat and boots” or ”put on your
pajamas and brush your teeth”) when the
direction is repeated by the adult or child
and/or she is shown a picture/object to
remind her of what she needs to do (e.g.
hold up the p.j.’s or toothbrush) at least 1
time a day for at least 8 weeks.
Ways to help Suzy meet this goal:
1. Opportunities for following directions happen throughout a family’s day. Use
directions within your daily routines, such as getting dressed, helping to make
a meal, picking up toys etc. Examples of directions could be: Put on your
shoes and come to breakfast.” or “Get out the spoons and put them on the
table.”
2. Suzy will most likely need help at first. Repeat the directions for her and
help her to repeat the direction for herself. Repeating the direction may help
her remember. You may also need to show the direction steps in picture form
or hold up items needed to complete direction (e.g. hold up a spoon and point
to the table when saying “Get out the spoons and put them on the table.”).
ECASD Functional Goal Handout – February 2008
References: Functional Goal Writing PowerPoint from the National Individualizing Preschool Inclusion Project
Routines Based Interview Roberta Sample from Robin McWilliams at http://www.state.tn.us/education/speced/TEIS/doc/dev_functional.PDF
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