What are behavior goals for students with autism?
Writing behavior goals for students with autism or preschoolers can be some of the most challenging because ALL preschoolers have challenges with self-regulation and emotion navigations, ammi right? What I try to do is 1) think of behaviors I want to INCREASE (and not just decrease), 2) think of strategies that will help them functionally and socially navigate their natural environment, and 3) focus on the FUNCTION of the behavior and not the form. Here are some ideas.
IEP Goals for Preschool and Students with Disabilities
One important note (before sharing some ideas) is to remember that IEP stands for INDIVIDUALIZED Education Plan. This means that getting ideas as a jumping point is great, just remember to ALWAYS work it like playdough to fit your actual student! Massage the heck out of it until it's the right shape! Check out this BLOG on how to write a great IEP goal or this one on how to write the Progress Report.
The following are some ideas for Behavior goals for students with autism and preschoolers or Kindergarten students.
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Cooperation Goals
For many of this age, preschool is a student's first experience with “group learning” and following adult directions from someone other than a parent. What a great experience!
Behavior goals in the area of cooperation for an autistic student or a preschooler might include responding to an adult, waiting for an instruction, doing a non-preferred task, asking for help, even being a flexible thinker!
Here is a sample IEP goal to target Cooperation:
Flexible Thinking
When given an unexpected change, STUDENT will respond with a positive affirmation (e.g., “That’s ok,” “I can do it later”) improving flexible thinking from BASELINE to 4 out of 5 consecutive opportunities over 3 data days as measured by staff observation, daily tasks, and data records.
Reinforcement Goals
These are some of the first goals I may include on an IEP. I always teach the staff I work with to become the “giver of all things good” and to “BECOME the reinforcer.” Essentially, for early learners and those with the most supportive needs, controlling and contriving reinforcement may be your greatest power. And this just means that you are finding out what that student loves, and you seek to pair yourself with that so you can share the world with them! (and gain cooperation 🙂 )
Behavior goals for students with autism or preschoolers may include approaching a partner to receive reinforcement, fading the amount or time of reinforcement to continue learning, tangible but also social reinforcement responses (including by peers and by the natural environment!).
Here is a sample IEP goal to target Reinforcement:
Works for social interaction
When given a teacher-directed task, STUDENT will respond to praise as an effective reinforcer improving reinforcer effectiveness from BASELINE to working for 15 minutes for praise only in 4 out of 5 opportunities on three consecutive data days as measured by staff observation, daily tasks, and data records.
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Perseveration Goals
Now, if you work with students with autism, you may become well-acquainted with terms like perseveration, delayed echolalia, obsessive (or “sticky”) thoughts. This can be an IEP behavior goal for students with autism!
Goals may include reducing obsessive questions (repeating questions after given an answer), perseverative talk (wanting to only talk about one thing), showing interest in a partner, learning when to (and not to) engage in self-stimulatory vocalizations.
Here is a sample IEP goal to target Perseveration:
Perseverative Talk
When given a highly preferred topic (e.g., typically a restricted interest) they want to talk about and a speaking partner who would like to have a limited conversation, STUDENT will engage with a partner on the topic but limit the duration improving verbal self-control from BASELINE to talking about the preferred topic no more than 5 minutes at a time in a 1-hour period in 4 out of 5 consecutive opportunities on three consecutive data days as measured by staff observation, daily tasks, and data records.
Function-Based Goals
YASSSSS! This is the key! Focusing on the functions of the behaviors you want to reduce (or increase) and less on the form (what it LOOKS like) is going to get you much further! Always always think “why” the student is doing something, what need is getting met with their behavior. What can you do to help them learn to find another way which is better FOR THEM to get that need met. If you help them find that replacement behavior that works better for them in their natural and expanded environment, you help your class along the way!
Goals here should focus on the four main functions of behavior: attention (I need someone's attention), escape or avoid (I don't want that), tangible (I DO want that), and sensory (I have an internal need).
Here is a sample IEP goal for Functions:
Function escape
When given a situation where STUDENT want to stop an activity, STUDENT will request to stop the activity using socially-validated methods (e.g., asks to end, asks to do something else, uses “break” card) improving behavior management from 4 out of 5 consecutive opportunities on three consecutive data days as measured by staff observation, daily tasks, and data records.
These are function-based social skills stories and activities for preschool social emotional learning, simple enough for early childhood special education students.
Self-Regulation Goals
Emotional regulation is going to be a big part of any preschool program, not just those with IEP students! They're so little, and they're just learning. So focusing on proactive methods of self-regulating and understanding emotions should be included in your daily routine.
Goals here may include addressing peer conflict, accepting “no,” expressing “big” emotions, having appropriate reactions to match the size of a problem, or impulse control.
Here is a sample Self-Regulation goal:
Impulse Control
When given a correction or non-preferred interaction, STUDENT will use a “waiting strategy” previously taught (e.g., count to 10, take a walk, talk to a teacher) before responding improving impulse control from BASELINE to using a strategy to increase the latency of response to at least 2 minutes in 4 out of 5 situations across 5 data days as measured by staff observation, daily tasks, and data records.
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Remember! This is not an exhaustive list but just some ideas to get you going! Trying to make teachers' and clinicians' lives a little easier because coming up with fresh ideas can be hard!
This is a set of IEP behavior goals for students with autism or other disabilities. Behavior IEP Goal Programs is a comprehensive set of 3 resources (with 17 IEP goals) that include absolutely everything you need to collect data on behavior reduction goals and make tracking IEP progress a breeze. Everything from the written program and materials to graphing and data collection are included in this all-inclusive resource.
