speech therapy goals for written expression

Written Expression IEP Goals

Special education teachers often have the job of working with and developing written expression goals for students with IEPs. Many teachers feel that it’s important to target this skill in order to help their students communicate more effectively. However, setting achievable goals can be a challenge. Here are some tips for developing effective written expression IEP goals.

WHAT IS A WRITTEN EXPRESSION IEP GOAL?

A written expression IEP goal is a target that is set for a student with an Individualized Education Plan. This type of goal is usually related to the student’s ability to communicate through writing. The written expression goals may be based on the student’s current level of functioning and are often aimed at improving their skills in this area.

WHY ARE WRITTEN EXPRESSION IEP GOALS IMPORTANT?

There are a few reasons why written expression IEP goals may be important for a student. There’s no doubt about it written expression is a fundamental life skill. In order to be successful in school and in most jobs, individuals need to be able to communicate effectively through writing. Written expression goals can help students to improve their communication skills. Many students with written expression goals also see an improvement in other areas, such as reading skills.

How to Write IEP Goals Workbook

Tools to help students with written expression.

Using effective tools in your writing instruction will help you identify a student’s present level and where they need the most help in their written expression. This will enable you to write useful goals for the students in your classroom. Here are some tools you can use as benchmarks. Effective…

• Graphic organizer
• Writing rubric
• Writing samples
• Writing prompts
• Comprehension questions
• Writing assignment
• Editing checklist

HOW TO WRITE WRITTEN EXPRESSION IEP GOALS

Besides using these tools, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing written expression IEP goals. The goals should be realistic and measurable goals that are based on the student’s current functioning and grade level. They should work with the student’s strengths and weaknesses .

The goals should also be SMART Goals (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant and Timed). Another important thing to remember is that the goals should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. As the student makes progress, the goals should be revised to ensure they are still appropriate and challenging.

Written expression goals can come up in many different areas of writing. Understanding this will help you write written expression goals for student IEPs that are effective. Here are some types written expression goals and examples of each.

CAPITALIZATION GOALS FOR AN IEP

One type of written expression goal has to do with the proper use of capitalization. This is an important rule of grammar and one that students should be able to master. A capitalization goal for an IEP might look something like this:

• The student will correctly capitalize 80% of words that should be capitalized when writing a sentence.
• The student will use proper capitalization when writing the days of the week, months of the year, and holidays.
• The student will capitalize the first word of a sentence 80% of the time.

PUNCTUATION GOALS FOR AN IEP

Another type of written expression goal has to do with proper punctuation usage. Just like capitalization, this is an important rule of grammar that students should be able to master. Here are some ideas for punctuation IEP goals:

• The student will use proper punctuation (such as a period, question mark, or exclamation point) at the end of a sentence 80% of the time.
• The student will use commas correctly when writing a list.
• The student will use quotation marks correctly when writing dialogue.

SPELLING GOALS FOR AN IEP

Spelling is a component of written expression that can be quite complex in the English language. Many students struggle with spelling words correctly. Some spelling goals for an IEP could be:

• The student will spell words correctly 80% of the time when writing.
• The student will successfully spell high-frequency words when writing.
• The student will correctly spell words that follow a certain pattern (such as words that rhyme or words with the same ending sound).
• The student will use a word wall and/or spelling dictionary when writing to help with spelling words correctly.

TRANSITION WORD GOALS FOR AN IEP

Transition words are words that help to connect ideas in writing. They are often used at the beginning of a sentence to show how the current sentence is related to the previous one. Transition words can be a challenge for many students. Some examples of transition word IEP goals are:

• The student will use transition words (such as first, next, then, or finally) when writing a story.
• The student will use transition words to connect ideas within a paragraph. The student will use transition words to show cause and effect.

VOCABULARY GOALS FOR AN IEP

Vocabulary goals are also important in student development when it comes to written expression. Students should be exposed to a variety of words so that they can use them in their own writing. A few ideas for vocabulary IEP goals are:

• The student will use new vocabulary words when writing 80% of the time.
• The student will describe the meaning of new vocabulary words when writing.
• The student will use a thesaurus to find different words with similar meanings when writing.

WRITING FLUENCY GOALS FOR AN IEP

Writing fluency is another important aspect of written expression. Fluency is the speed at which a student can write. Many students struggle with writing fluently. A goal related to writing fluency might be:

• The student will write for a certain amount of time (such as 5 minutes) without stopping.
• The student will write a certain number of words in a certain amount of time (such as 100 words in 5 minutes).
• The student will write a certain number of sentences in a certain amount of time (such as 10 sentences in 5 minutes).

PARAGRAPH WRITING GOALS FOR AN IEP

A paragraph is a group of related sentences that share a common topic. Many students struggle with writing paragraphs that are correctly organized and have all of the necessary elements. Paragraph writing IEP goals could include:

• The student will write a paragraph that includes a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence.
• The student will indent the first line of each paragraph when writing.
• The student will write a five-sentence paragraph.

ESSAY GOALS FOR AN IEP

An essay is a type of written assignment that is typically longer and more detailed than other types of writing. Essays can be difficult and tedious for many students. An essay goal for an IEP might look something like this:

• The student will write a five-paragraph essay with a clear introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• The student will write an essay that is at least 500 words long.
• The student will edit and revise an essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

If you are a teacher who is responsible for developing written expression IEP goals, remember to keep the goals realistic, specific, and measurable. Review and update the goals on a regular basis to ensure they are still appropriate. With these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to helping your students improve their written expression skills!

Assistive Technology, Classroom Implementation Strategies & Resource Recommendations for Kids Who Struggle to Write

Related resources.

Self Advocacy IEP Goals

Executive Functioning IEP Goals

SMART Goals – Examples for Students

Daily Living Skills – Goals and Objectives

Social Emotional IEP Goals

Behavior IEP Goals

Self Regulation IEP Goals

Fine Motor IEP Goals

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IEP Goals for Written Expression

The following post will introduce you to our blog, where we discuss  Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals related to written expression . Knowing what is expected of your child regarding the written word is crucial whether they are just starting or currently in middle or high school. Your child’s academic and future success may depend significantly on their ability to set and achieve these objectives, according to the  US Department of Education . Keep reading this post about “IEP goals for written expression.

But what do IEP goals for written expression look like, and why are they so crucial?

Your child’s writing will improve with the help of these aims, which detail the exact skills and abilities they should develop. Several aspects, like  structure, grammar, vocabulary, and more , fall under this category. Furthermore, you and your child’s educators can work together to guarantee the child is on track to succeed in writing by setting clear, measurable goals. Understanding  how to write an effective IEP  is valuable for this process.

In this post, we’ll discuss the  various forms of written expression goals that you can include in an Individualized Education Program (IEP),  as well as  their significance, and offer some suggestions for how you can best support your kid  as they work toward achieving these goals. You will find helpful information here if you are a parent, educator, or student. As an additional resource, the  Center for Parent Information and Resources  offers comprehensive guidance on supporting students with disabilities.

IEP Goals Examples for Written Expression

IEP goals for written expression are explicit, measurable, and individually suited to the student’s requirements. They intend to assist students in improving their writing abilities and achieving their academic and personal objectives. 

Here are  some instances of written expression IEP goals :

• Organization :  A student’s writing objective may increase their ability to arrange their thoughts and ideas. It is one of the IEP goals for written expression. It may involve establishing an outline, employing transitional phrases, and organizing sentences and paragraphs logically.
• Vocabulary :  Expanding students’ vocabulary and improving their descriptive writing skills may be another objective. It may involve acquiring new words and phrases and implementing them naturally and effectively into their writing.
• Grammar and mechanics :  A student’s goal may be to enhance the grammar and mechanics of their writing. It may involve utilizing correct punctuation, verb tense, and sentence structure.
• Writing for specific purposes :  A student’s objective may be to be able to register for particular reasons, such as an argumentative essay or a research article. It is one of the IEP goals for written expression. It may involve learning to compose a thesis statement, utilizing evidence to support their ideas, and employing the proper citation style.
• Self-editing :  A student’s objective may be to increase their capacity to self-edit their writing. It involves the ability to recognize and repair mistakes in grammar, mechanics, and structure.

It is vital to remember that IEP goals for written expression should be  explicit and measurable . You should be able to follow the student’s development and determine whether or not they have fulfilled the goal. So these are the IEP goals for written expression. For behavioral issues, a  Functional Behavior Assessment  can provide additional insights.

In addition, it is essential to emphasize that  these are merely examples; schools should tailor each student’s IEP goals to their unique needs, interests, and academic level .

Measurable IEP Goals for Written Expression

Setting concrete, observable goals for students’ writing abilities is essential to an individualized education program (IEP). Below, you can find the IEP goals for written expression. These  objectives must be realistic, feasible, and specific  to the student’s requirements and skills. 

Here are a few  quantifiable IEP writing objectives :

• Within 12 weeks, the student will improve their writing fluency to the point where they can write three sentences per minute in response to a given writing prompt with an accuracy rate of at least 80%.
• Over 12 weeks, the student will enhance their grammar and sentence structure by accurately identifying and using at least five distinct types of sentence structures with 80% accuracy in their work.
• Over 12 weeks, the student will increase their vocabulary by employing at least five new words in their writing with an 80% success rate.
• Over 12 weeks, the student will demonstrate their ability to employ descriptive language, arrange their thoughts, and use transition words by writing at least one paragraph per week with an 80% accuracy rate.
• Over 12 weeks, the student will write at least three phrases every week using good letter construction and legible handwriting.

Schools can alter these examples to fit the individual learner’s needs.  The IEP team should collaborate to determine the most beneficial objectives for the student. So, those are the IEP goals for written expression.

Written Expression IEP Goals for Different Grade Levels

Written expression measurable IEP goals  can differ depending on the student’s grade level . 

Here are some examples of IEP goals for written expression that may apply to various grade levels:

Elementary School:

• For 12 weeks, the student will write at least one complete phrase every week with an accuracy rate of 80%.
• Using proper capitalization, punctuation, and space, the student will write at least one paragraph per week for 12 weeks, achieving an accuracy rate of 80%.
• For 12 weeks, the student will write at least one tale weekly using descriptive language with a distinct beginning, middle, and finish.

Middle School:

• For 12 weeks, the student will write at least one page per week utilizing proper grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary, with an accuracy rate of 80 percent.
• For 12 weeks, the student will compose at least one persuasive essay per week with an accuracy rate of 80%, utilizing logical reasoning and evidence to support their position.
• For 12 weeks, the student will produce at least one research paper per week with an accuracy rate of 80%, utilizing proper MLA or APA format and at least two sources.

High School:

• For 12 weeks, the student will write at least one analytical essay per week with an accuracy rate of 80%, analyzing literature or non-fiction text using critical thinking abilities.
• For 12 weeks, the student will write at least one argumentative essay weekly, with 80% correctness, utilizing logical reasoning and evidence to support their thesis and arguments.

It is crucial to note that schools can tailor these examples to the student’s particular needs and skills.  The IEP team should collaborate to determine the most suitable goals for the student.  Those are the IEP goals for written expression.

What Is an IEP Writing Goal Bank?

When creating an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for a student who has trouble writing, drawing on a “writing goal bank” with  several pre-written goals and targets  can be helpful. These objectives are flexible and can be tailored to student’s specific needs to help them improve their writing.

Improvements in spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, handwriting, editing, coherence, organization, persuasive writing, and research writing are all examples of attainable IEP writing goals. These objectives need to be well-defined, quantifiable, and time-bound. The IEP team should collaborate to determine the most beneficial objectives for the student.

Can Speech-Language Therapy Support Written Expression IEP Goals?

Speech-language therapy can assist with written expression IEP goals by providing targeted instruction and support for student’s unique areas of difficulty.  Speech-language therapists can assist students in improving their language, vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure. In addition, they may advise students on how to order their thoughts, use descriptive language, and integrate transitional phrases in their writing.

In addition, speech-language therapy  can enhance handwriting goals by teaching correct letter construction and fine motor control .

Speech-language therapists can also assist students in comprehending the writing process and how to construct and organize ideas within paragraphs, essays, and papers.

In addition, therapists can help students improve their editing skills by instructing them on grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.

Notably, speech-language treatment is  delivered alongside school teaching . The therapist will collaborate closely with the student’s instructor to ensure that the IEP’s goals and objectives are realized.

In conclusion, speech-language therapy can support written expression IEP goals by providing instruction and support in the student’s specific areas of difficulty, such as language, vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, writing fluency, handwriting, organization, editing, and writing process.

Jennifer Hanson is a dedicated and seasoned writer specializing in the field of special education. With a passion for advocating for the rights and needs of children with diverse learning abilities, Jennifer uses her pen to educate, inspire, and empower both educators and parents alike.

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IEP Goal Bank

The following is a sample of some goals I write for students with communication disorders. Please feel free to bookmark this page and reference when writing goals and objectives. You make share a link to this page. You may not copy/paste this set of goal and share it as you own or post it in its entirety on a separate website. Happy Goal Writing!

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Expressive Language Goal Bank

• (client)  will independently  label age-appropriate objects  with 80% accuracy for 3 data collections.
• (client)  will  name a described object  with 80% accuracy for 3 data collections.
• (client)  will  name 5 items from a category  with 80% accuracy for 3 data collections.
• (client) will imitate 1-2 word utterances 10x times per session for 3 sessions.
• (client)  will  imitate 10 different two word phrases  to request, protest, comment, or get attention over 3 consecutive sessions.
• (client)  will  use a carrier phrase to form a simple sentence  given picture cues in 80% of opportunities for 5 data collections.
• (client)  will use  2-3 word phrases in 80% opportunities to participate in play and shared book reading  for 3 data collections.
• (client)  will produce  3-4 word phrases to request, protest, and/or comment  10x per session for 3 consecutive sessions.
• (client)  will produce a complete, relevant sentence  about a given stimuli in 80% of opportunities for 3 data collections.
• (client)  will produce complete, grammatical sentences of 4+ words within structured activities in 80% pf opportunities for 5 data collections.
• (client)  will increase sentence length using modifier words or phrases (adjectives, prepositions, etc.) when prompted in 80% of opportunities for 3 data collections.
• (client)  will  use descriptive concept words  (color, size, shape, etc) with 80% accuracy for 5 data collections.
• (client)  will  use spatial concept words  (in, on, next to, etc) with 80% accuracy for 5 data collections.
• (client)  will  use temporal concept words  (now, yesterday, next week, etc) with 80% accuracy for 5 data collections.
• (client)  will use quantitative concept words (all, some, rest, etc) with 80% accuracy for 5 data collections.
• (client)  will produce modified noun phrases using color, shape, and/or size (e.g. blue ball) with 80% accuracy for 5 data collections.
• (client)  will tell how two things are the same giving attributes ie. category, color, shape, or function with 80% accuracy for 3 data collections.
• (client)  will answer what/where/when/who/why questions about pictures or play with 80% accuracy for 3 data collections.
• (client)  will  answer what/where/when/who/why questions during conversations  with 80% accuracy for 3 data collections.
• (client) will answer questions in concise manner without using circumlocution in 80% of opportunities across 3 data collections.
• (client)  will answer how questions accurately to include multiple steps (e.g. how do you brush your teeth? how do you make your bed?) with 80% accuracy for 3 data collections.
• (client) will retell stories to include 80% of relevant details across 3 data collections.

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IEP Goals for Written Expression or Difficulty with Writing

Two Quick Tips Before Creating IEP Goals for Written Expression:

When your child struggles with his writing skills, you need Measurable IEP Goals for Written Expression. This page shares information about writing measurable IEP goals, so you can tell if your child is making progress in writing.

If your child has a hard time with handwriting, be sure to check out the IEP Goals for Writing , Keyboarding and Copying for Students with Dysgraphia or Handwriting Difficulties too.

You may also want to check out these other resources about writing: + “ How To Teach Handwriting to A Child with Dysgraphia .” And + “ Help Your Child Learn Grammar Without Hating It! ” too.

NOW, let’s talk about written expression itself. If your child can write more easily, then he is more likely to express himself well in writing.

How To Write Measurable IEP Goals for Written Expression

Even though your child’s IEP may specify a writing program, you may find it hard to determine if your child is making progress with written expression. This is where great IEP Goals for written expression are necessary.

You need to KNOW if your child is making progress in his ability to write. Therefore, you need specific, measurable goals for writing in your child’s IEP, like those below. The example IEP goals for written expression must be changed to meet your child’s specific needs, so you need to learn how to create good goals. The examples make more sense once you know what a measurable goal looks like. 😉

After learning how to write great IEP goals for written expression below, you can use the examples below to create great goals for your child, especially if he has dysgraphia or dyslexia.

Why Written Expression is a Problem:

Learning to write well involves many complex mental processes for organizing the writing in the child’s mind. Your child must hold information in his brain, recall phonemes, syllables, and sight word spellings for writing. Then he uses motor planning skills to get his ideas into written form.  Thus, your child needs goals for each writing skill that makes writing hard for him.

Your child may also have a lot problem with handwriting itself. Writing by hand might not allow your child to express himself at the same level at which he thinks. You see this when a child uses big words when talking, but writes at a much lower level. In that case, setting goals that include keyboarding, dictation, a scribe, or the use of dictation software helps.

There are sample IEP Goals for written expression below. The list includes goals for many skills used in writing.

For your child, you can write goals that are similarly worded. However, you need to change the goals, so they are based on your child’s current skill level.

To make good IEP Goals for written expression, add similar goals or modify these goals to create great goals for your child.

Examples of MEASURABLE IEP Goals for Written Expression:

For each writng assignment, [Child’s name] will independently create a keyword outline. He will have a main topic and three supporting points as a basis for his essay.

[Child’s name] will use the keyword outline process to create a written composition which contains paragraphs of at least three sentences each, an introduction, conclusion. [Child] will include at least three supporting points in three separate paragraphs. [Child’s name] will demonstrate this ability in all content areas and all settings.

For each essay assignment, [Child’s name] will independently develop his ideas fully. [Child] will write passages that contain well developed main ideas. [Child’s name] will give at least 3 details in each paragraph . [Child’s name] will demonstrate this ability in all content areas and all settings for all written essays.

When assigned essays, [Child’s name] will independently develop his ideas. [Child] will create five-paragraph essays with proper essay structure using Dragon Naturally Speaking software to dictate his ideas to the computer. [Child’s name] will demonstrate the ability to use Dragon Naturally Speaking to dictate essays in all class subjects.

Given general curriculum writing assignments, [Child’s name] will edit his writing for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors. [Child] will have fewer than 2 overlooked errors per 250 words , without assistance. [Child’s name] will demonstrate this ability across all settings.

Consider writing goals for all skills in your child’s IEP Goals for written expression.

Keep in mind, when writing, your child must hold information in his head, then process it in his working memory. Your child can learn to use fine motor skills and good planning to get his ideas into writing. Thus, you’ll want to consider all of the necessary skills when creating IEP goals for written expression for your child.

Don’t forget to check out the IEP Goals for Writing, Keyboarding and Copying for Students with Dysgraphia or Handwriting Difficulties too. Keyboarding and handwriting are important as written expression skills as well.

You may ALSO want to check out Assistive Technology for kids with dysgraphia or writing difficulties . Include assistive technology in your IEP goals for written expression to set your child up for better long-term success.

Check related IEP Goals :

Executive Functioning IEP Goals for Organization Skills and ADHD IEP Goals for Reading Example IEP Goals for Spelling IEP Goals for Copying

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Speech Therapy Goals

Why re-invent the wheel?

Many speech therapy goals are very similar and are needed again and again. This speech therapy goal bank makes the process free and easy. Just:

• Copy and paste the speech and language goals from below.
• Make it measurable: “…in 7/10 of the opportunities.”
• Add your level of support: “…with minimal / moderate / maximal cues/

Speech Therapy Goal Bank

Articulation goals.

Articulation goals are the target we work toward in Articulation therapy. They specify which phoneme(s) will be addressed in speech therapy. Any of these can be made into long term or short term articulation goals. We’ve included in our articulation goal bank the ones we find useful.

Articulation Goals – Sounds

Will use X sound in isolation Producirá el sonido X en aislamiento

Will use X sound in X position(s) of the word at the word level Producirá el sonido X en la posición X de la palabra al nivel de la palabra

Will use X sound in X position(s) of the word at the phrase level Producirá el sonido X en la posición X de la palabra al nivel de la frase

Will use X sound in X position(s) of the word at the sentence level Producirá el sonido X en la posición X de la palabra al nivel de la oración

Will use X sound in X position(s) of the word at the paragraph level Producirá el sonido X en la posición X de la palabra al nivel del párrafo

Will use X sound in X position(s) of the word at the conversation level Producirá el sonido X en la posición X de la palabra al nivel de la conversación

Will use X sound in all positions of the word at X level Producirá el sonido X en todas las posiciones de la palabra al nivel X

Articulation Goals – Consonant Clusters

Will use X blends at the word level Producirá palabras con grupos   consonánticos   con el sonido X al nivel de palabra

Will use X blends at the phrase level Producirá palabras con grupos consonánticos con el sonido X al nivel de la frase

Will use X blends at the sentence level Producirá palabras con grupos consonánticos   con el sonido X al nivel de la oración

Will use X blends at the paragraph level Producirá palabras con grupos consonánticos   con el sonido X al nivel del párrafo

Will use X blends at the conversation level Producirá palabras con grupos consonánticos   con el sonido X al nivel de la conversación

Phonology Goals

Speech therapy goals for phonology Phonology goals are goals that target phonological processes. Phonological processes are patterns that children use as they learn to produce adult speech, but when used beyond a certain age, they negatively impact intelligibility. Here are the goals we use most often.

Phonology Goals for children ages 3+ – Syllabic

Will reduce the process of weak syllable deletion by producing all syllables of: a) two- and b) three-syllable words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de omisión de sílabas átonas al producir todas las sílabas en palabras con a) dos y b) tres sílabas al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of initial consonant deletion by producing all age-appropriate consonants in the initial position of words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de omisión de consonantes iniciales al producir todos los consonantes apropiados para su edad en la posición inicial de palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of medial consonant deletion by producing all age-appropriate consonants in the medial position of words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de omisión de consonantes mediales al producir todos los consonantes apropiados para su edad en la posición medial de palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of final consonant deletion by producing all age-appropriate consonants in the final position of words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de omisión de consonantes finales al producir todos los consonantes apropiados para su edad en la posición final de palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración ]

Phonology Goals for children ages 3+ – Substitution

Will reduce the process of fronting by producing velar sounds (i.e., /k, g/) in words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de frontalización al producir los sonidos velares (ej. /k,g/) en palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of backing by producing all age-appropriate bilabial and alveolar sounds (/p, b, m, t, d, n/) at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de posteriorización al producir todos los sonidos bilabiales y alveolares  (/p, b, m, t, d, n/)  al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of stopping by producing all age-appropriate fricatives and/or affricates (/f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/) at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de oclusivización al producir todos los sonidos fricativos y africados  (/p, b, m, t, d, n/)  al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of assimilation by producing all age-appropriate phonemes in a) one-syllable b) two-syllable c) three-syllable words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de asimilación al producir palabras de 2-3 sílabas con sonidos apropiados para su edad al nivel de [palabra/frase/oración ]

Phonology Goals for children ages 5+ – Syllabic

Will reduce the process of cluster reduction by producing X blends at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de reducción de grupos consonánticos al producir grupos consonánticos con el sonido X al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of consonant sequence reduction by producing /s/ consonant sequences (e.g., eSTe, buSCa, eSPonja) in words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de reducción de secuencias consonánticas al producir secuencias consonánticas (ej., eSTe, buSCa, eSPonja) en palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of cluster reduction by producing /l/ clusters (e.g., PLato, haBLa) in words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de reducción de grupos consonánticos al producir grupos consonánticos con /l/ (e.g., PLato, haBLa) en palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of consonant sequence reduction by producing /l/ sequences (e.g., faLDa, aLTo) in words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de reducción de secuencias consonánticas al producir secuencias con /l/ (e.g., faLDa, aLTo) en palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of cluster reduction by producing /r/ clusters (e.g., Primo, maDRe, oTRo) in words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de reducción de grupos consonánticos al producir grupos consonánticos con /r/ (e.g., PRimo, maDRe, oTRo) en palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of consonant sequence reduction by producing /r/ sequences (e.g., caRTa, baRCo, áRBol) in words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de reducción de secuencias consonánticas al producir secuencias con /r/ (e.g., caRTa, baRCo, áRBol) en palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Phonology Goals for children ages 5+ – Substitution

Will reduce the process of gliding by producing appropriate consonants in words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de semivocalización al producir consonantes apropiados en palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of vocalization by producing vocalic /r/ and/or /l/ at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de vocalización al producir la /r/ vocálica y/o la /l/ al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of flap/trill deviation by producing the flap and/or trilled /r/ at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de la desviación de la ere y la erre al producir la ere y/o erre al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Will reduce the process of final consonant devoicing by producing all age-appropriate voiced phonemes in the final position of words at the [word/phrase/sentence] level Disminuirá el proceso de la desvocalización de los consonantes finales al producir todos los fonemas vocalizados en la posición final de palabras al nivel de la [palabra/frase/oración]

Receptive Language Goals

Receptive language goals target what a child understands. Vocabulary, following directions, and answering questions are among the areas targeted when we work on Receptive language. These receptive language goals are appropriate for preschool through adulthood. Here are some of our favorites.

Receptive Language Goals – Vocabulary

Will increase understanding of age-appropriate receptive vocabulary by identifying [#] unique nouns by pointing to pictures Aumentará conocimiento de vocabulario receptivo apropiado para su edad al identificar [#] sustantivos, señalando a fotos

Will increase understanding of age-appropriate receptive vocabulary by identifying [#] unique action verbs by pointing to pictures Aumentará conocimiento de vocabulario receptivo apropiado para su edad al identificar [#] verbos, señalando a fotos

Will increase understanding of age-appropriate receptive vocabulary by identifying [#] unique adjectives by pointing to pictures (size/shape/color/texture, etc.) Aumentará conocimiento de vocabulario receptivo apropiado para su edad al identificar [#] adjetivos, señalando a fotos (tamaño/forma/color/textura, etc.)

Will identify word-relationships by identifying parts of a whole by pointing to pictures/objects Identificará las relaciones entre palabras al identificar partes de un entero, señalando a fotos/objetos

Will identify word-relationships by identifying category members by grouping items/pointing to pictures Identificará las relaciones entre palabras al identificar miembros de una categoría, juntando objetos/señalando a fotos

Will identify word-relationships by completing analogies by pointing to a picture Identificará las relaciones entre palabras al completar analogías semánticas, señalando a fotos

Will identify age-appropriate concepts by pointing to parts of the body on self or a doll Identificará conceptos apropiados para su edad al apuntar a partes del cuerpo, en si mismo/a on en una muñeca

Will identify age-appropriate concepts by pointing to pictures/objects of color concepts Identificará conceptos apropiados para su edad al apuntar a conceptos de color, señalando a fotos/objetos

Will identify age-appropriate concepts by pointing to pictures/objects of size concepts Identificará conceptos apropiados para su edad al apuntar a conceptos de tamaño, señalando a fotos/objetos

Will identify age-appropriate concepts by pointing to pictures/objects of shape concepts Identificará conceptos apropiados para su edad al apuntar a conceptos de formas geométricas, señalando a fotos/objetos

Receptive Language Goals – Following Directions

Will follow #-step directions Seguirá instrucciones de #-paso

Will follow #-step directions with age-appropriate spatial concepts (in front, behind, on top, under, etc.) Seguirá instrucciones de # pasos que incluyen conceptos de ubicación apropiados para su edad (en frente, atrás, arriba, abajo etc.)

Will follow #-step directions with age-appropriate quantity concepts (all, none, some, etc.) Seguirá instrucciones de # pasos que incluyen conceptos de cantidad apropiados para su edad (todos, ninguna, algunos etc.)

Will follow #-step directions with age-appropriate quality concepts (color, size, shape) Seguirá instrucciones de # pasos que incluyen conceptos de calidad apropiados para su edad (color, tamaño, forma geométrica)

Will follow #-step directions with age-appropriate pronouns Seguirá instrucciones de # pasos que incluyen pronombres apropiados para su edad

Will follow #-step directions with age-appropriate temporal concepts Seguirá instrucciones de # pasos que incluyen conceptos temporales apropiados para su edad

Receptive Language Goals – Answering Questions

Will answer age-appropriate ‘yes/no’ questions related to personal experiences/classroom discussions/stories Contestará preguntas de ‘si/no’ apropiados para su edad en relación a experiencias personales/discusiones en el salón/cuentos

Will answer age-appropriate wh- questions related to a story Contestará preguntas apropiadas para su edad acerca de un cuento

Will answer age-appropriate wh- questions related to an activity Contestará preguntas apropiadas para su edad acerca de una actividad

Will answer age-appropriate wh- questions related to discussions Contestará preguntas apropiadas para su edad acerca de discusiones

Will answer a variety of age-appropriate wh- question types Contestará una variedad de preguntas apropiadas para su edad (quién, qué, cuándo, dónde, por qué y/o cómo)

Will answer ‘who,’ ‘what,’ and ‘where’ questions Contestará preguntas   de “ quién,” “qué,” y “dónde”

Will answer ‘when,’ ‘why,’ and ‘how’ questions Contestará preguntas de  “ cuándo,” “por qué” y “cómo”

Will answer ‘who’ questions Contestará preguntas de “quién”

Will answer ‘what’ questions Contestará preguntas de “qué”

Will answer ‘when’ questions Contestará preguntas de “cuándo”

Will answer ‘where’ questions Contestará preguntas de “dónde”

Will answer ‘why’ questions Contestará preguntas de “por qué”

Will answer ‘how’ questions Contestará preguntas de “cómo”

Receptive Language Goals – Other

Will sequence a)3 b)4 c)5 images to show the correct order of events after hearing a story Secuenciará a)3 b)4 c)5 imágenes para enseñar el order correcto de eventos después de oír un cuento

Will sequence a)3 b)4 c)5 images to show the correct order of events after an activity Secuenciará a)3 b)4 c)5 imágenes para enseñar el order correcto de eventos después de una actividad

Will sort images/objects into categories Clasificará imagenes/objetos en categorías

Will select the image/object that does not fit into a given category Escogerá el imagen/objeto que no pretenece a una categoría dada .

Expressive Language Goals

Expressive language goals target a child’s ability to express him/herself effectively. Skills as basic as making gestures or as complex as retelling a narrative can be addressed in speech therapy. We’ve included a broad range of expressive language topics and goals here.

Expressive Language Goals – Gestures/signs

Will pair vocalizations with gestures when indicating want or requesting objects Combinará vocalizaciones con gestos cuando indica en deseo o cuando pide algo

Will ask for “more” with words and/or signs Pedirá “mas” con palabras y/o gestos

Will indicate that he is “finished” with words and/or signs Indicará “se acabó” con palabras y/o gestos

Will ask for “help” using words and/or signs Pedirá “ayuda” con palabras y/o gestos

Expressive Language Goals – Early Language

Will imitate vocalizations when requesting objects Imitará vocalizaciones cuando pide objetos

Will vocalize and gesture to communicate “want.” Vocalizará y hará un gesto para comuicar “quiero”

Will imitate duplicated syllables Imitará sílabas duplicadas

Will imitate/produce four different syllable types Imitará/producirá cuatro tipos de sílabas distintas

Will imitate non-speech sounds, such as animal sounds or environmental noises Imitará sonidos que no son del habla, como los sonidos de animales o ruidos ambientales

Will imitate/produce 5 vowel sounds Imitará/producirá 5 sonidos vocales

Will respond to a question with “yes” or “no” Responderá a una pregunta con “sí” o “no”

Will use a word or phrase to request an object/activity Usará una palabra o frase para pedir un objeto/una actividad

Expressive Language Goals – Vocabulary Development

Will imitate names of 5-7 objects Imitará los nombres de 5 a 7 objetos

Will describe objects/pictures by identifying 2-3 critical features Describirá objetos/dibujos al identificar 2 a 3 características importantes

Will describe 20 common objects by giving name, attribute (color, size), function, or number with one request/question Describirá 20 objetos comunes dando el nombre, atributo (color, tamaño), función, o número con una pregunta

Will label [common objects/nouns/actions] in [a phrase/sentence/conversation] Nombrará [objetos comunes/sustantivos/acciones] en [una frase/oración/conversación] 

Will use vocabulary to clearly describe ideas, feelings, and experiences Usará vocabulario para describir ideas, sentimientos y experiencias

Will name [#] items in a category: school items, home items, clothing, animals, colors, toys, etc. Nombrará [#] objetos en una categoría: objetos de la escuela, objetos de la casa, ropa, animales, colores, juguetes, etc.

Will name category of objects given [#] members of the target category Nombrarála la categoría dado [#] miembros de la categoría en cuestión

Will include an attribute (red/big/two) when describing objects Incluirá un atributo (rojo/grande/dos) cuando describa objetos

Will classify items by category and explain their relationships Clasificará objetos por categoría y explicará sus relaciones

Will state the function of an object Dirá la función de un objeto

Will state part-whole relationships Identificará la relación entre un objeto y sus partes funcionales

Will state the opposite of a target word Dirá el opuesto de una palabra en cuestión

Will state a synonym for a target word Dirá un sinónimo de una palabra en cuestión

Will state meanings of multiple-meaning words Dirá los significados de palabras con significados múltiplos  

Will produce figurative language (similes, metaphors, hyperboles, personifications, etc.) during structured language activities Producirá lenguaje figurativo (símiles, metáforas, hipérboles, personificaciónes, etc.) durante actividades de lenguaje estructuradas

Expressive Language Goals – Utterance Expansion

Will increase utterance length to two words Aumentará sus frases para incluir dos palabras

Will Use 2-3 word utterances to describe [in a structured activity/in conversation] Usará 2-3 palabras en una frase para describir [durante una actividad estructurada/en una conversación]

Will use 4-5 word utterances to ask questions/comment/describe [in a structured activity/in conversation] Usará 4-5 palabras en una frase u oración corta para hacer preguntas/comentar/describir [durante una actividad estructurada/en una conversación]

Will name missing words (articles, prepositions, etc.) in orally presented sentences Identificará las palabras que faltan (artículos, preposiciones) en oraciones presentadas oralmente

Will include all necessary words in sentences during structured activities Incluirá todas las palabras necesarias en oraciones durante actividades estructuradas

Will respond during an activity with rote phrases (i.e. “It’s your turn.”) Responderá durante una actividad con frases familiares (i.e. “A ti te toca.”)

Will use descriptive words in utterances [to describe pictures/in a structured activity/in conversation] Usará palabras descriptivas en frases [para describir dibujos/durante una actividad estructurada/en conversación]

Will use complete, grammatical sentences to express his/her wants and needs and share information Usará oraciones completas y gramaticales para expresar sus deseos y necesidades y para compartir información

Will use simple grammatical sentences to relate past events Usará oraciones sencillas y gramaticales para contar de eventos del pasado

Will use simple grammatical sentences to explain word relationships Usará oraciones sencillas y gramaticales para explicar la relación entre palabras

Will use 2-4 words for a variety of communicative functions during daily activities Usará oraciones de 2-4 palabras por varias razones comunicativas durante actividades diarias

Will use 2-4 words to express his/her wants and needs Usará 2-4 palabras para expresar sus deseos y necesidades

Will use 2-4 words to comment or share information during structured activities Usará 2-4 palabras para comentar o compartir información durante actividades estructuradas

Will use 2-4 words sentences to answer simple Wh-questions during structured activities Usará 2-4 palabras para responder a preguntas sencillas durante actividades estructuradas

Expressive Language Goals – Morphology

Will use article/noun gender agreement [in a structured activity/in conversation] Usará los artículos con el género apropiado [durante una actividad estructurada/en conversación]

Will use article/noun number agreement [in a structured activity/in conversation] Usará los artículos con el número apropiado [durante una actividad estructurada/en conversación]

Will use [#] present progressive-tense verbs in [a phrase/sentence/conversation] Usará [#] verbos en el tiempo presente progresivo en [una frase/oraciones/ conversación]

Will use [regular/irregular] plural markers in [phrase/sentence/conversation] Usará el “-s” (ej, perros) y “-es” (arboles) que indican la forma plural en [frases/oraciones/conversación]

Will use present-tense verbs in [a phrase/sentence/conversation] Usará los verbos en el tiempo presente en [frases/oraciones/conversación]

Will use future-tense verbs in [a phrase/sentence/conversation] Usará los verbos en el tiempo futuro en [frases/oraciones/conversación]

Will use regular/irregular past-tense verbs in [a phrase/sentence/conversation] Usará los verbos [regulares/irregulares] en [frases/oraciones/conversación]

Expressive Language Goals – Syntax

Will form simple sentences containing a noun+verb during structured/unstructured therapy activities Formará oraciones simples que contienen un nombre+verbo durante actividades estructuradas/no estructuradas

Will form grammatically correct, simple sentences during structured activities Formará oraciones sencillas y gramaticales durante actividades estructuradas

Will use correct word order to describe or respond to questions regarding an activity, picture, or story Usará el orden correcto de las palabras para describir o responder a preguntas acerca de una actividad, un imagen, o un cuento

Will use correct subject-verb agreement in sentences to describe or respond to questions regarding an activity, picture, or story Usará las formas correctas de los verbos en oraciones para describir o responder a preguntas acerca de una actividad, un imagen, o un cuento

Will accurately use the preterit tense in sentences to describe or respond to questions regarding an activity, picture, or story Usará el pretérito en oraciones para describir o responder a preguntas acerca de una actividad, un imagen, o un cuento

Will include all necessary prepositions in sentences to describe or respond to questions regarding an activity, picture, or story Incluirá todas las preposiciones necesarias en oraciones para describir o responder a preguntas acerca de una actividad, un imagen, o un cuento

Will use compound subjects/objects in sentences Usará sustantivas compuestas en oraciones

Will use compound sentences using (and, but, or, etc.) Usará oraciones compuestas usando (y, pero, o, etc.)

Will include all necessary words to form simple, grammatical sentences Incluirá todas las palabras necesarias para formar oraciones sencillas y gramaticales

Expressive Language Goals – Narrative Development

Will sequence a story or activity that includes [#] parts Pondrá [#] partes de un cuento o actividad en orden

Will retell a story with visual cues (e.g. sequence cards) including problem and solution Recontará un cuento en orden incluyendo el problema y la solución con ayuda visual

Will use descriptive language to tell stories Usará lenguaje descriptivo para contar cuentos

Will tell a story from the past including [#] details in the right order Contará un cuento en el tiempo pasado usando [#] detalles en el orden correcto

Will use sequence words to verbally order an event (e.g. first, next, then, after that, last) Usará palabras temporales para poner en orden un evento (primero, segundo, después, al final)

Will use appropriate descriptive words to report an event/story Usará palabras descriptivas para reportar los eventos de un evento/cuento

Will state the sequence of an event/procedure Expresará la secuencia de un evento/procedimient o

Expressive Language Goals – Narrative Development for Older Students

Will answer “wh” questions after listening to a short story Contestará preguntas (qué, quién, dónde, cuándo, por qué, cómo) después de escuchar un cuento corto

Will name critical features of a story (who, what, when, where, outcome, main idea) Nombrará elementos esenciales de un cuento (quien, que, cuando, donde, consecuencias, e idea principal)

Will name critical features of a problem (who’s involved, how it’s solved, dangerous or not) Nombrará elementos esenciales de un problema (quien estaba involucrado, como se solucionó, era peligroso o no)

Will name critical features of an interaction (who, relationship, positive or negative) Nombrará elementos esenciales de una interacción (quien, relación, positiva o negativa)

Will distinguish between fact and fantasy Distinguirá entre fantasía y realidad

Will use appropriate narrative organization when relating stories Usará una organización narrativa apropiada cuando relata cuentos

Will include all story elements (characters, setting, problem, solution) when retelling a story Incluirá todos los elementos de un cuento (personajes, ambiente, problema, solución) cuando recuenta un cuento

Will retell a story or event including sufficient detail in the correct order Recontará un cuento o evento incluyendo detalles suficientes en el orden correcto

Will produce a verbal narrative including all story elements Producirá una narrativa verbal incluyendo todos los elementos de un cuento

Expressive Language Goals - Compare and Contrast

Vocabulary Expansion: Goal: Will expand their vocabulary by learning and using words related to comparing and contrasting. Example: The client will use comparative and superlative adjectives (e.g., bigger, smaller, taller) in sentences to describe objects and actions.

Descriptive Language: Goal: Will improve descriptive language skills by comparing and contrasting attributes of objects. Example: Given an object, the client will describe its color, size, shape, and texture, comparing and contrasting it with another object.

Sentence Structure: Goal: Will improve sentence structure by creating grammatically correct sentences to compare and contrast. Example: The client will construct sentences using appropriate sentence structures (e.g., “This is [object], and it is [adjective]. In contrast, [other object] is [adjective].”).

Storytelling: Goal: Will develop storytelling skills by comparing and contrasting characters, settings, or events in a narrative. Example: The client will retell a story, highlighting at least three similarities and three differences between characters, settings, or events.

Categorization: Goal: Will categorize and classify items based on similarities and differences. Example: Given a set of objects, the client will categorize them into groups, explaining the similarities that justify their grouping.

Critical Thinking: Goal: Will enhance critical thinking skills by analyzing and justifying comparisons and contrasts. Example: The client will discuss and defend their opinions by providing evidence to support their comparisons and contrasts.

Listening and Comprehension: Goal: Will improve listening and comprehension skills by identifying similarities and differences in spoken instructions or stories. Example: The client will listen to a short story or set of instructions and verbally identify at least two similarities and two differences.

Social Communication: Goal: Will improve social communication by engaging in conversations that involve comparing and contrasting ideas or experiences. Example: The client will participate in a group discussion, comparing and contrasting their weekend activities with a peer.

Pragmatic Language Goals

Pragmatic language speech therapy goals are goals that target a child’s ability to maneuver the social world. From eye gaze and body positioning to complex conversations and inferencing, we’re here with pragmatic language goals to support your child’s learning.

Pragmatic Language Goals – General Communication

Will relay a single-phrase/sentence message to a familiar/unfamiliar communication partner Transmitirá un mensaje de una sola frase / oración a un compañero de comunicación familiar / no familiar

Will make a request for [#] preferred items/activities during structured activities Hará una solicitud para [#] objetos preferidos/actividades durante actividades estructuradas

Will initiate a request with sign or gesture (raising hand, eye contact) Iniciará una solicitud con una señal o un gesto (levantar la mano, contacto visual)

Will spontaneously communicate wants needs and desires with rote phrase (I need…, Help me…) in 7/10 opportunities with model Comunicará de forma espontánea las necesidades y los deseos con una frase de memoria (necesito…, ayúdame con…)

Will choose between two objects or will identify a right or wrong answer when given two choices (true, false/yes, no/good, bad binary choice) Escogerá entre dos objetos o identificará una respuesta correcta o incorrecta cuando se le da dos opciones (cierto, falso/sí, no/bueno, malo elección binaria

Pragmatic Language Goals – Play Skills

Will describe the 3 parts of play and will modify their behavior according to feedback from others during play Describirá las 3 partes de jugar y modificar su comportamiento basado en las reacciones de otras personas mientras cuando están jugando

Will play with toys using their appropriate function Jugará con juguetes usando su función correcta

Will demonstrate parallel play with peers for [#] minutes Jugará a lado de sus compañeros por [#] minutos

Will demonstrate symbolic play Demostrará el juego simbólico

Will demonstrate pretend play Demostrará el juego de fantasía

Will take [#] turns during play activity with peer/teacher/parent Tomará [#] turnos cuando está jugando en una actividad con un/una compañero/a; un/a maestro/a; su padre/madre

Will demonstrate expected behaviors while waiting his/her turn Demostrará comportamientos esperados mientras espera su turno

Will share object/toy with a peer or adult when asked Compartirá un objeto/juguete con un/una compañero/a o adulto cuando se le pide

Pragmatic Language Goals – Joint Attention

Will demonstrate joint attention for [#] minutes Demostrará atención conjunta por [#] minutos

Will initiate pointing to gain the communication partner’s attention Apuntará para llamar el atención de una pareja de comunicación

Will follow eye gaze from the communication partner to an object [#] feet away Seguirá la mirada del pareja de comunicación a un objeto a [#] pies de distancia

Will use eye gaze to direct communication partner’s attention Usará la mirada de los ojos para dirigir el atención de la pareja de comunicación

Will track the eye gaze of others and predict what others are thinking about based on their eye gaze (and will modify their behavior depending on what others are looking at) Seguirá la mirada de los ojos de otras personas y predecirá lo que otras personas están pensando basándose en la mirada de los ojos (y modificara su comportamiento dependiendo en lo que otras personas están observando )

Pragmatic Language Goals – Behavior/Expectations

Will identify expected/unexpected behaviors in themselves and others Identificará comportamientos esperados/inesperados en si mismo/a y otras personas

Will demonstrate expected/unexpected behaviors in themselves Demostrará comportamientos esperados/inesperados en si mismo/a

Will modify their behavior according to feedback regarding his/her behavior Modificará su comportamiento dependiendo en la reacción de otras personas acerca de su comportamiento

Will describe how expected/unexpected behaviors affect the thoughts and feelings of others Describirá como los comportamientos esperados/inesperados afectan los pensamientos y sentimientos de otras personas

Will describe/predict how their own behavior will affect the thoughts and feelings of others Describirá/ Predecirá como su propio comportamiento afecta los pensamientos y sentimientos de los demás

Will describe his/her thoughts about others’ behavior Describirá sus pensamientos acerca del comportamiento de otras personas

Will modify their behavior based on the actions of others Modificará su comportamiento basado en las acciones de otras personas

Will monitor and modify his/her behavior to keep his body and brain in the group Vigilará y modificará sus propios comportamientos para mantener su cuerpo y su cerebro en el grupo

Will use emotional regulation strategies when faced with a difficult task Utilizará estrategias de regulación emocional cuando se enfrente a una tarea difícil

Will maintain appropriate personal space Mantendrá el espacio personal apropiado

Will use appropriate volume for the setting Utilizará el volumen correcto para el entorno

Will adjust vocal volume when asked Ajustará el volumen vocal cuando se le solicite

Pragmatic Language Goals – Conversation

Will use a novel greeting when initiating conversation with a peer Utilizará un saludo novedoso al iniciar una conversación con un/a compañero/a

Will initiate conversations [#] times over the course of [#] therapy days Iniciará conversaciones [#] veces durante [#] días de terapia

Will take [#] turns during conversation with peer/teacher/parent/ Tomará [#] turnos de hablar durante una conversación con un/a compañero/a; un/a maestro/a; su madre/padre

Will maintain the topic of conversation for [#] conversational turns Mantedrá el tema de conversación durante [#] turnos de conversación

Will turn his/her body and face toward the conversational partner Volterará su cuerpo y su rostro hacia el interlocutor

Will describe expected and unexpected behaviors for a conversation (topic maintenance, topic changes, asking questions, topic-related comments, unrelated comments, appropriate interruptions, long talking turn, not responding, initiating conversations, etc.) Describirá los comportamientos esperados e inesperados de una conversación (mantenerse en tema, cambiar de tema, hacer preguntas, hacer comentarios en tema, hacer comentarios que no están de tema, interrupciones apropriadas, hablar demasiado, no contestar, iniciar una conversación, etc.)

Will describe related emotional responses of communicative partners when a student uses expected behaviors and unexpected behaviors during conversations Describirá las respuestas emocionales de una persona con quien está hablando cuando el estudiante demuestra los comportamientos esperados e inesperados de una conversación

Will demonstrate expected behaviors for a conversation during preferred and un-preferred topics Demostrará comportamientos esperados de una conversación durante conversaciones de temas preferidas y no preferidas

Will report on how someone else is feeling based on observing their body language Describirá cómo se siente otra persona basándose en sus observaciones de lenguaje corporal

Pragmatic Language Goals – Predictions/Inferencing

Will respond to questions that require predictions/inferences from picture cards, short paragraph,or a short story Contestará preguntas que requieren una predicción o inferencia, acerca de fotos, un párrafo corto, o un cuento corto

Will make a prediction (smart guess) after observing others, looking at picture cards, listening to a short paragraph, or listening to a short story Hará una predicción (“adivinanza”) después de observar a otras personas, mirar a fotos, escuchar a un párrafo corto, o escuchar un cuento corto

Fluency Goals

Fluency goals are intended to support children who stutter by desensitizing them to the stutters and providing them with tools to modify and shape their stutters to give them more control over their speech. In this goal bank you’ll find the fluency goals we use most often.

Fluency Goals – Desensitization

Will increase knowledge related to stuttering issues Aumentará el conocimiento acerca de la tartamudez

Will demonstrate knowledge of anatomy and physiology of speech Demostrará el conocimiento de la anatomía y fisiología del habla

Will demonstrate knowledge of facts/information related to stuttering Demostrará el conocimiento de hechos/información acerca de la tartamudez

Will explore feelings associated with stuttering (e.g. fear, anger, embarrassment, pride) during discussion Explorará sentimientos relacionados con la tartamudez (por ejemplo miedo, ira, vergüenza, orgullo) durante discursos

Will recognize disfluencies in him/herself and others Reconocerá los tartamudeos en su habla y el habla de otras personas

Will identify different types of speech (bumpy/smooth, fast/slow) Identificará varios tipos del habla (duro/suave, rapido/despacio)

Will determine if the therapist is using “fast” or “slow” speech Determinará si la terapeuta habla “rápido” o “despacio”

Will determine if he/she is using “fast” or “slow” speech Determinará si él/ella habla “rápido” o “despacio”

Will determine if the therapist is using “smooth” or “bumpy” speech Determinará si la terapeuta habla “suave” o “duro”

Will determine if he/she is using “smooth” or “bumpy” speech Determinará si él/ella mismo/misma habla “suave” o “duro”

Will participate in desensitization activities Participará en actividades de insensibilización hacia la tartamudez

Will identify instances of stuttering when listening to a recording of him/herself Identificará casos de tartamudeo al escuchar una grabación de si mismo/a

Will decrease avoidance behaviors by entering 3 specific situations that were previously avoided Disminuirá los comportamientos de evitación al ingresar a 3 situaciones específicas que se evitaron previamente

Will demonstrate desensitization by pseudo-stuttering in the therapy setting/in the classroom Demostrará desensibilización al pseudo-tartamudear en el entorno de la terapia/en el aula

Fluency Goals – Stuttering Modification Techniques

Will name and describe stuttering modification techniques (cancellation, pull-out, preparatory set, relaxed stuttering, voluntary stuttering) Nombrará y describirá las estrategias de modificar la tartamudez (cancelación, salir suavemente de un momento de desfluidez, conjunto preparatorio, tartamudeo relajado, tartamudeo voluntario)

Will use stuttering modification techniques during therapy activities Usará estrategias de modificación del tartamudez durante actividades de la terapia

Will maintain eye contact during stuttering moment during structured therapy activities/in an assigned situation outside of therapy/during daily activities Mantendrá el contacto visual durante el tartamudeo   durante actividades estructuradas de terapia/   en situaciones fuera del salón de terapia/   durante actividades cotidianas

Will name and describe the technique of voluntary stuttering Nombrará y describirá la estrategia del tartamudeo voluntario

Will use voluntary stuttering during structured therapy activities/in an assigned situation outside of therapy/during daily activities Tartamudeará voluntariamente durante actividades estructuradas de terapia/   en situaciones fuera del salón de terapia/   durante actividades cotidianas

Will name and describe cancellation Nombrará y describirá la estrategia de la cancelación

Will use cancellation to name and describe/in structured activities/in narration or conversation/outside of therapy Usará cancelacion para nombrar y describir/durante actividades estructuradas de terapia / durante la narración o conversación/fuera del salón de terapia

Will name and describe the strategy of pull-out Nombrará y describirá la estrategia de   salir suavemente de un momento de desfluidez

Will use the strategy of pull-out to name and describe/in structured activities/in narration or conversation/outside of therapy Usará la estrategia de salir suavamente de un momento de desfluidez para nombrar y describir/durante actividades estructuradas de terapia / durante la narración o conversación / fuera del salón de terapia

Will name and describe preparatory set Nombrará y describirá la estrategia de ‘prepatory set’(conjunto preparatorio)

Will use preparatory set to name and describe/in structured activities/in narration or conversation/outside of therapy Usará la estrategia de ‘prepatory set’(conjunto preparatorio) para nombrar y describir/durante actividades estructuradas de terapia / durante la narración o conversación / fuera del salón de terapia

Will name and describe relaxed stuttering Nombrará y describirá la estrategia del tartamudeo relajado

Will use relaxed stuttering to name and describe/in structured activities/in narration or conversation/outside of therapy Usará la estrategia del tartamudeo relajado para nombrar y describir/durante actividades estructuradas de terapia/durante la narración o conversación / fuera del salón de terapia

Fluency Goals – Fluency Shaping Techniques

Will name and describe fluency facilitating techniques (i.e. easy onset, relaxed breathing, slowed speech, light contact, continuous phonation) Nombrará y describirá las estrategias que facilitan la fluidez(empezar suave, respiración relajada, habla lenta, contacto ligero, fonación continua)

Will use slow rate when telling a story or during other structured therapy activity Utilizará un ritmo lento al contar un cuento o durante otra actividad de terapia estructurada

Will name and describe the technique of easy onset Nombrará y describirá la estrategia de empezar suave

Will use easy onset at the word level/ at the phrase level/ when telling a story or during other structured therapy activity Utilizará la estrategia de empezar suave en palabras/en frases/cuando cuenta un cuento o durante otra actividad de terapia estructurada

Will use easy onset during a 5-minute conversational task in the therapy setting Utilizará la estrategia de empezar suave durante una conversación de 5 minutos en el entorno de la terapia

Will name and describe the technique of relaxed breathing Nombrará y describirá la estrategia de la respiración relajada

Will use relaxed breathing at the word level/ at the phrase level/ when telling a story or during other structured therapy activity Utilizará la estrategia de la respiración relajada en palabras/en frases/cuando cuenta un cuento o durante otra actividad de terapia estructurada

Will use relaxed breathing during a 5-minute conversational task in the therapy setting Utilizará la estrategia de la respiración relajada durante una conversación de 5 minutos en el entorno de la terapia

Will name and describe the technique of slowed speech Nombrará y describirá la estrategia del habla lenta

Will use slowed speech at the word level/ at the phrase level/ when telling a story or during other structured therapy activity Utilizará la estrategia del habla lenta en palabras/en frases/cuando cuenta un cuento o durante otra actividad de terapia estructurada

Will use slowed speech during a 5-minute conversational task in the therapy setting Utilizará la estrategia del hable lenta durante una conversación de 5 minutos en el entorno de la terapia

Will name and describe the technique of light contact Nombrará y describirá la estrategia del contacto ligero

Will use light contact at the word level/ at the phrase level/ when telling a story or during other structured therapy activity Utilizará la estrategia del contacto ligero en palabras/en frases/cuando cuenta un cuento o durante otra actividad de terapia estructurada

Will use light contact during a 5-minute conversational task in the therapy setting Utilizará la estrategia del contacto ligero durante una conversación de 5 minutos en el entorno de la terapia

Will name and describe the technique of continuous phonation Nombrará y describirá la estrategia de la fonación continua

Will use continuous phonation at the word level/ at the phrase level/ when telling a story or during other structured therapy activity Utilizará la estrategia de la fonación continua en palabras/en frases/cuando cuenta un cuento o durante otra actividad de terapia estructurada

Will use continuous phonation during a 5-minute conversational task in the therapy setting Utilizará la estrategia de la fonación continua durante una conversación de 5 minutos en el entorno de la terapia

Will use 2 fluency shaping techniques (i.e. easy onset, relaxed breathing, slowed speech, light contact, continuous phonation) during a 5-minute conversation in the therapy setting Utilizará 2 estrategias que facilitan la fluidez (empezar suave, respiración relajada, habla lenta, contacto ligero, fonación continua)   durante una conversación de 5 minutos en el entorno de la terapia

Will use fluency shaping techniques (i.e. easy onset, relaxed breathing, slowed speech, light contact, continuous phonation) when telling a story or during other structured therapy activities Utilizará estrategias que facilitan la fluidez (empezar suave, respiración relajada, habla lenta, contacto ligero, fonación continua) al contar un cuento o durante otras actividades de terapia estructuradas

Fluency Goals – Secondary Behaviors

Will identify and reduce secondary behaviors in structured activities during therapy/ in narration or conversation during therapy/ outside of therapy in school or social settings

Identificará y reducirá los comportamientos secundarios durante actividades estructuradas en la terapia/ en narrativos o conversación durante la terapia/ afuera de la terapia en la escuela o entornos sociales

Voice Goals

Voice speech therapy goals target volume, resonance, pitch, breath support, and vocal hygiene to support those whose voices interfere with their ability to communicate effectively. Some of our favorites are included below.

Voice Goals – Volume

Will approximate target volume level in words Aproximará un nivel de volumen apropiado en palabras

Will approximate target volume level in sentences Aproximará un nivel de volumen apropiado en oraciones

Will approximate target volume level in connected speech Aproximará un nivel de volumen apropiado en habla continua

Will approximate target volume level in non-therapy situations Aproximará un nivel de volumen apropiado en situaciones no-terapeuticas

Will approximate target volume level for optimal participation Aproximará un nivel de volumen apropiado para participación óptima

Will approximate target volume level in classroom activities Aproximará un nivel de volumen apropiado en actividades en el aula

Will speak using a volume appropriate to varied situations, within the limits of his/her physical mechanism Hablará usando un volumen apropiado en diferentes situaciones, dentro del rango normal de su mecanismo físico

Voice Goals – Resonance

Will describe the general problem and the goal of therapy Describirá el problema general y la meta de terapia

Will explain the function of the vocal mechanism Explicará la función del mecanismo vocal

Will judge appropriateness of model voice Evaluará la calidad apropiada de la voz con un modelo de la terapista

Will judge appropriateness of student’s own voice Evaluará la calidad apropiada de su propia voz

Will identify appropriate/inappropriate nasal resonance in self and others Identificará resonancia nasal apropiada/no apropiada en sí mismo/a y los demás

Will speak using optimal voice resonance, within the limits of his/her physical mechanism Hablará usando resonancia vocal óptima, dentro de los límites de su propio mecanismo físico

Will use appropriate nasal resonance in single words/ phrases/ sentences/ paragraphs/ conversational speech sará resonancia nasal apropiada en el nivel deseado [palabras, frases, oraciones, conversaciones]

Will approximate target resonance in phonemes, syllables, words, phrases, sentences, connected speech, different speaking situations Usará resonancia nasal aproximada en fonemas, sílabas, palabras, frases, oraciones, conversación, y situaciones diferentes

Voice Goals – Pitch

Will imitate optimum pitch in syllables, words, phrases and sentences Imitará tono de voz óptimo en sílabas, palabras, frases y oraciones

Will use optimum pitch in syllables, words, phrases, and sentences Usará tono de voz óptimo en sílabas, palabras, frases y oraciones

Will use optimum pitch in reading and structured conversation Usará tono de voz óptimo en lectura y conversación estructurada

Will use optimum pitch in conversational speech across two environments Usará tono de voz óptimo al nivel de conversación a través de dos lugares

Will use appropriate vocal pitch in single words progressing to conversational speech Usará tono vocal apropiado al nivel deseado [palabras, frases, oraciones, conversaciones]

Will use appropriate stress patterns in single words progressing to conversational speech Usará patrones de estrés apropiados al nivel deseado [palabras, frases, oraciones, conversaciones]

Voice Goals – Breath Support

Student will describe the general problem and the goal of therapy Describirá el problema general y la meta de terapia

Will judge appropriateness of his/her own voice Evaluará la calidad apropiada de su propia voz

Will identify situations in which appropriate volume is needed Identificará situaciones cuando sea necesario usar un volumen apropiado

Will establish adequate breath support Establecerá un nivel de respiración adecuada para el habla

Will sustain phonation for 10-15 seconds at target loudness level Sostendrá fonación por 10-15 segundos al nivel apropiado de volumen

Voice Goals – Self-Awareness and Vocal Hygiene

Will identify basic anatomical features (larynx [voice box], throat, tongue. etc.) given a diagram Identificará las características anatómicas básicas (laringe, garganta, lengua, etc) dado un diagrama

Will describe how voice is produced to include phonation, resonance, and respiration Describirá cómo se produce la voz para incluir fonación, resonancia, y respiración

Will describe basic features of voice (quality, volume, pitch, nasality) Describirá las características básicas de la voz (calidad, volumen, tono, nasalidad)

Will describe and imitate optimal breathing while speaking Describirá e imitará la respiración óptima mientras habla

Will name [#] healthy vocal hygiene practices Nombrará [#] prácticas saludables de hygiene vocal

Will implement hydration regimen over [#] weeks/sessions Implementará un régimen de hidratación durante [#] semanas/sesiones

Will eliminate vocal overuse to improve health of vocal folds Eliminará el use excesivo de la voz para mejorar la salud de la cuerdas vocales

Will reduce vocal effort and fatigue by decreasing upper body tension Reducirá el esfuerzo vocal y la fatiga al disminuir la tension en la parte superior del cuerpo

AAC (or alternative and augmented communication) goals support people who communicate using methods other than using their speaking mechanism to communicate. They may use gestures, signs, words, or symbols on a core board or device to communicate their wants and needs.

Will use a carrier phrase (i.e. “I want” or “Can I have”) when making requests for preferred items/activities Utilizará una frase de soporte (es decir, “quiero” o “puedo tener”) al realizar solicitudes de artículos/actividades preferidos

Will protest by pointing to the “I don’t want” symbol on the communication board Protestará sealando el símbolo “no quiero” en el tablero de comunicación

Will link subject, verb, and noun to create a simple sentence during structured activities Juntará sujeto, verbo, y sustantivo para crear una oración sencilla durante actividades estructuradas

Will use directives to generate a multi-word utterance (i.e. “go+[subject]”) during a structured game/activity Utilizará directivas para generar un enunciado de varias palabras (es decir, “va+[sujeto]”) durante un juego/actividad estructurado

Will initiate a greeting to familiar communication partners Iniciará un saludo a compañeros de comunicación familiares

Will respond to yes/no questions using gestures, signs, words, or symbols Responderá a preguntas sí/no usando gestos, señas, palabras, o símbolos

Will use the phrase “I need help” to request assistance during structured/unstructured tasks Utilizará la frase “necesito ayuda” para pedir ayuda durante actividades estructuradas/no estructuradas

Will select the appropriate symbol to communicate “more” or “all done” following engagement with an activity/object Selecionará el símbolo apropiado para comunicar “más” o “se acabó” despues de participar en una actividad/con un objeto

Will navigate to the appropriate category within the AAC system when participating in a categorization activity Navegará a la categoría apropiada dentro del Sistema CAA cuando participle en una actividad de categorización

Need Speech and Language Goals in Spanish?

We translated all our goals into Spanish for you to share with Spanish-speaking parents. Just copy the Spanish portion along with the English portion and paste them into your speech language report.

There is a trick we can use when a child speaks Spanish or another language and we are unsure which speech and language goals: Choose goals that are appropriate in both languages! Look here:

Speech Therapy Goals that Work Regardless of Home Language

Early language milestones, toddler language skills, preschool language skills, school-age language skills, what are smart speech therapy goals.

If your goals meet the above criteria, you should be in great shape. There are professional worlds however where goal writing is not the norm (Gasp!).  Those professions, in my opinion, are continually working to move in our direction.  Most commonly they rely on the acronym S.M.A.R.T that comes out of a project management paper that was written in 1981 . It stands for:

It’s a catchy acronym and useful if it helps you include all the necessary components.  Again, if you cut and paste from above you should be in good shape. Smart goals examples for speech therapy would include the following:

How Many Ideas Should a Specific Speech Goal Statement Contain?

The answer is 1.  Anything more might not be attainable in the time period and is difficult to update. If you say  “Child will produce /s/ clusters and produce initial /s/”  what do you focus on?  What do you do if they master half of the goal?

What is the solution? We either write a second goal or this is where goal objectives come in.  A sample speech goal with objectives would look like this:

Goal 1:  Child will produce all age-appropriate sounds with 80% accuracy and minimal assistance. Objective 1:1:  Child will produce /s/ clusters with 80% accuracy and minimal assistance. Objective 1:2:  Child will produce initial /s/ with 80% accuracy and minimal assistance.

IEP Goal Writing for Speech Language Pathologists

Writing speech goals doesn’t have to be complex, and speech goals do not have to be long, but they do have to be accurate in four specific ways.

• Appropriate:   Speech therapy goals need to take into consideration the student’s age and any second language influence.
• Measurable:  They need to include a percent or a fraction that demonstrates when the goal is achieved. E.g., in 7/10 opportunities.
• Qualified:  They need to state how much help is needed to achieve the goal, usually stated as: minimal, moderate, or maximal support.
• Functional:  In a school setting, function means that a goal supports a child academically. Writing speech goals is easy in the schools because communication development aids reading, writing, participation, and almost anything that goes on in the classroom. In a clinic setting, goals that don’t demonstrate functionality are often rejected by insurance companies. Goals need to be improved to show how they will promote things like well-being, or safety before being resubmitted.

Here’s a bit more on functionality:

Writing Speech Therapy Goals Also Has to be Functional

As an SLP, I know that it’s important to write good, measurable speech therapy goals.  I get this.  When I am working with my clients and students, I make sure everything is measurable.  Ruby will produce the pre-vocalic /r/ sound at the sentence level in 7/10 opportunities without prompting across 3 consecutive sessions.

Here’s the thing, though.

Speech Therapy Goals Need to Be Functional

I needed to make my goals more functional.  What do I mean by this?  I needed to make sure my speech goals and objectives really impacted my client’s day-to-day life.  Case in point—I am currently working with a 24-year-old young man, Chris.  After a few speech therapy sessions and communication with the gentleman, I understand that he is most excited about meal time, creating art and watching his favorite television shows.  His goals are the following:

Examples of Long Term Goals for Speech Therapy

Goal 1:  Express wants and needs using a variety of 3-word combinations in 70% of opportunities, given no cues. Goal 2: Describe (e.g., color, size) using a variety of 2-3word combinations in 50% of opportunities, given no cues. Goal 3:  Request for a continuation of an activity or more of an item by using 2-3 word combinations in 50% of opportunities, given no cues.

The Impact of Good Speech Goals

So, during his twice-weekly speech therapy sessions, we use his communication device to make a choice for his desired meal items, describe the type of art he wants to create and ask for continuation of House of Payne, a television sitcom.  The speech therapy goals directly impact his daily living activities.  Watch this video of Chris as he uses his communication skills to participate in purchasing art supplies and going out to lunch:

Students need to know what speech therapy goals they are working on.

Think about it, how successful would you be if you didn’t have goals set for what you wanted to accomplish?  How in-shape would you be if you went to the gym twice a week but through you were there just to “play games.”  Sure, it might be fun but would you reach your goals?

I remember having a group of 4 students working on different speech therapy goals at different levels.  The 2nd graders definitely knew their goals. They also knew each other’s goals. So, one day, when Jose had a great day producing his initial /r/ sounds, James said, “Jose, you did awesome on your /r/ sound today!”  The comment was meaningful to Jose, and the students learned to support one another.  It made the group more accountable and was also a great way to build rapport.

You can even do this with younger students. I have had clients as young as two-years old who know they come to speech to work on their “buh” and “puh” sounds.  So, when they made the sound, they were SO proud of their efforts.

Addressing Speech Therapy Goals Throughout Sessions

Children make great progress when they identify their speech and language goals in every session. Here are three ways to do it.

Schedule for the day:  When you outline what the day’s session will be about, have each child state their goal right after the Greetings.

During speech and language tasks , have children take data on their goal.

More Speech Therapy Goal Writing Resources:

Using the Curriculum to Formulate IEP Goals

Writing Measurable Goals

Also! Read what we wrote on  Sequencing Goals

Choose the right goals for your bilingual learners!

Developmental Speech and Language Norms for Spanish and English E-book

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61 Syntax Goals for Speech Therapy {IEP Language Bank}

If you’re a speech therapist looking for a massive list of syntax goals for speech therapy this blog post is for you!

Let’s just say goal writing was never my favorite thing to do.  

That’s exactly why I wanted to take writing goals off your to-do list! 

I wanted to turn this annoying and sometimes difficult task into a simple copy and paste.  I mean who doesn’t love a good copy-and-paste option?

Below is a list of smart goals that you can use for your syntax communication skills goal writing and hopefully making your workday a little less stressful.

Visual Prompts

Using visual cues, such a picture cue when working on syntax skills can be very helpful for our students with language disorders. In addition, you can use helpful verbal prompts to help guide your student to the correct answer as well.

Long-Term Goal : Syntax Goals for Speech Therapy

Below is an IEP goal bank filled with syntax goals for my fellow Speech-Language Pathologist who is working in the school setting or private practice settings.

Expressive Language – Syntax Goals for Speech Therapy

Given a picture or story, STUDENT will use nouns to answer WHO or WHAT questions with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given a picture or story, STUDENT will use verbs to tell actions with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given a picture or story, STUDENT will use a prepositional phrase to answer WHERE questions with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given a picture or story, STUDENT will use a prepositional phrase or adjective to answer HOW questions with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given common objects or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words to call attention to an object (e.g., “this ball”, “my shoe”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words to show the disappearance of an object (e.g., “no cracker”, “apple all gone”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words to indicate the recurrence of an object (e.g., “more cracker”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words that contain an adjective and a noun (e.g., “big bear”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words to show possession of an object (e.g., “Daddy car”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words to show an action object (e.g., “read book“) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words to show the location of an object (e.g., “dog car”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words to show agent action (e.g., “dog jump”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words to show emotion (e.g., “baby tired”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will use 2 words to achieve the desired end of an object (e.g., “go home”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or a picture, STUDENT will say 3 to 4-word utterances (e.g., “dog sitting in car”) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an activity, picture, or story, STUDENT will form grammatically correct simple sentences with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.  

Given an activity, picture, or story, STUDENT will form grammatically correct complex sentences with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an activity, picture, or story, STUDENT will use correct subject-verb agreement in sentences with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.  

Given an activity, picture, or story, STUDENT will use all necessary propositions in sentences with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.  

Given an activity, picture, or story, STUDENT will use compound sentences (i.e., and, but, or, etc.) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Given an activity, picture, or story, STUDENT will use correct subject-verb agreement with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Receptive Language – Syntax Goals for Speech Therapy

Given a verbal question, STUDENT will select a single word picture of the noun that tells WHO and WHAT with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a story read aloud, STUDENT will select the picture of the noun that tells WHO and WHAT with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a verbal question, STUDENT will select the picture of the verb that tells the action with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a story read aloud, STUDENT will select the picture of the verb that tells the action with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a verbal question, STUDENT will select the picture that tells WHERE with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a story read aloud, STUDENT will select the picture that tells WHERE with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a verbal question, STUDENT will select the picture that tells HOW with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a story read aloud, STUDENT will select the picture that tells HOW with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a two word phrase that calls attention to an object or picture (e.g., “that car”, “her toy”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or picture and a phrase that shows the disappearance (e.g., “crackers all gone”, “no cookie”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or picture and a phrase that shows the recurrence (e.g., “more crackers”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or picture and a phrase that contains an adjective and a noun (e.g., “red shoe”, “big ball”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or picture and a phrase that shows possession (e.g., “Dad’s cat”, “girl’s shoe”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or picture and a phrase that uses action object form (e.g., “Tie shoe”, “read book“), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or picture and a phrase that indicates the location (e.g., “pencil down”, “car outside”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or picture and a phrase that uses agent action form (e.g., “boy jump”, “girl eat”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or picture and a phrase that shows an emotion (e.g., “girl sad”, “man angry”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given an object or picture and a phrase to achieve a desired end (e.g., “shoe on”, “go home”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase describes the object or picture accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence structure that includes articles (e.g., “a”, “an”, “the”, and “some”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the articles accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes adjectives (e.g., “this”, “that”, “these”, and “those”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the adjectives accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes plurals (e.g., s, es) and irregular plural nouns , STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the plurals accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes possessive nouns (e.g., “the girl’s bike”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the possessive accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes subject pronouns (e.g., “I”, “he”, “she”, “you”, “we” “they”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the pronoun accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes object pronouns (e.g., “me”, “him”, “her”, “you”, “us”, “them”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the pronoun accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes possessive pronouns (e.g., “my/mine”, “his”, “her/hers”, “your/yours”, “our/ours”, “their/theirs”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the pronoun accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

SEE ALSO: IEP Goal Bank Posts

Given a phrase or sentence that includes reflexive pronouns (e.g., “myself”, “himself”, “herself”, “yourself”, “yourselves”, “ourselves”, “themselves”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the pronoun accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes present progressive verb tenses (e.g., “The man is running”, “The girls are waving”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the verb tense accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes past progressive verb tense (e.g., “The man was running”, “The girls were waving”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the verb tense accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes present tense “s” and “es” marker (e.g., “The boy jogs”, and “The bee buzzes”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the tense accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes “have” and “has” (e.g., “The boy has a dog”, and “The girls have ice skating”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the tense accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes regular past tense (e.g., “The dog jumped”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the tense accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes irregular past tense (e.g., “The boy ran”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the tense accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

Given a phrase or sentence that includes present progressive verbs tense (e.g., “The man is running”, “The girls are waving”), STUDENT will answer “yes or no” if the phrase or sentence uses the verb tense accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities. 

SEE ALSO: 432+ Free Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives Bank

Speech Therapy Goals – Short-Term Goal Objectives

I know every district has different ways it requires their objectives to be written, but typically my district wanted us to reduce either the number required or the percentage of achievement. 

Here are a few examples to help get you started.

If we take a sample goal:  

“Given an object or picture, STUDENT will say 3 to 4-word utterances (e.g., “dog sitting in car”) with 80% accuracy over 3 out of 4 consecutive sessions.”

• Reduced Number or Trials Required: The objective might be, “Given an object or picture, STUDENT will say 2 to 3-word utterances (e.g., “dog in car”) with 80% accuracy over 3 out of 4 consecutive sessions.” 
• Reduce Percentage of Accuracy: The objective might be, “Given an object or picture, STUDENT will say 3 to 4-word utterances (e.g., “dog sitting in car”) with 70% accuracy over 3 out of 4 consecutive sessions.” 
• Reduce Difficulty of Task: The objective might be, “Given an object or picture, STUDENT will use a sentence strip to create a 3 to 4-word utterance (e.g., “dog sitting in car”) with 80% accuracy over 3 out of 4 consecutive sessions.” 
• Reduce Number of Sessions of Accuracy: The objective might be, “Given an object or picture, STUDENT will say 3 to 4-word utterances (e.g., “dog sitting in car”) with 80% accuracy over 2 out of 4 consecutive sessions.”

(Meaning out of 4 therapy sessions in a row. They used 3 to 4-word utterances 2 out of 4 or 50% of the time in order to mark that goal mastered.) 

As speech therapists, you are the specialist and you know your student’s and child’s ability best though, so just take the goals and simplify them into achievable steps for your specific student.

Data Collections – Syntax Goals for Speech Therapy

If you’re a classroom teacher or speech pathologist in need of data tracking forms while working on your student’s syntax goals for speech therapy then be sure to check out my IEP goal data tracking for progress monitoring forms .

Or if you simply want a list of data sheets to choose from then be sure to check out my list of 35 free speech therapy data sheets roundup .

Measurable Goals

Are you also looking for other speech goals? If so, be sure to check out my master list of IEP goals here . 

This list of goal setting also includes the following speech-language intervention goals:

• Communication Device – AAC User
• Figurative Language
• Language Goals
• Pragmatic Language Goals
• Sign Language
• Easy Onset & Slow Rate
• Body Language
• Articulation Goals (Word Level, Phrase Level, Sentence Level, and Conversation)

These are just a few of the goals listed on this master list of over 432 IEP goals .

Syntax Goals for Speech Therapy Resources :

Below I’ve outlined a list of helpful free worksheets to help with your syntax therapy planning.

Sentence Level – Complete Sentence

Practice your child’s or student’s syntax language tasks while practicing appropriate grammar at the sentence level.

• Scrambled Sentences FREEBIE for Google Slides™ | Distance Learning by K is for Kinderrific is a fun and interactive game to practice syntax while unscrambling sentences!
• Flip Flop Fragments (Changing Fragments into Sentences) by The Peanut Circus is a great activity to practice syntax to work on complete sentences.

Complex Syntax

Here is a freebie to work on your child’s syntax word order language therapy.

• FREE Snowy Sentence Building by Pirate Girls Education Invasion is a fun activity to practice your student’s syntax understanding as they use an interactive snowman to order words.
• Sentence Scrambles for Speech Therapy! By Jenn Alcorn is a highly-rated game that prompts students to unscramble sentences and practice syntax. 

Structured Language Activities

The first step I like to use when working on syntax is to start with a structured activity.

• How to Write a Fable Writing Template by Shari Popejoy is a template you can use to help students understand using syntax as they use structured language to write their own fable.
• Easter Syntax Story: (Past Tense -ed) by Stalwart Speech and Language is a resource that models the syntactical structure of past tense stories. 

SEE ALSO: 193+ Multiple Meaning Words Grouped by Grade + Free Worksheets

Correct sentence.

Another fun structured activity is to have your students practice correcting a sentence.

• FREE Daily Sentence Editing / Correcting Worksheets – Print & Digital by The Teaching Rabbit is a highly-rated freebie that has electronic and print versions of Fix the Sentence worksheets. Fixing sentences is a great way to practice syntax. 
• Editing A Sentence (Sentence editing) – December and January by Rachael Fox is a great resource for students to practice correcting basic grammar and punctuation in sentences. 

School-Aged Children

Here are a few activities that are perfect for your young children.

• Build a Sentence Sight Word Sentence Scrambles FREEBIE by Danielle Mastandra is a great activity to use with pre-k to 3rd grade. Students will use sight words to build sentences.
• FREE Valentine Sentences Using Conjunctions by Kayla SLP is a fun and interactive resource that prompts students to write valentines with conjunctions. This is a fun way to celebrate the holiday and practice syntax. 

Short Story

Another strategy to work on syntax language development is to use short stories.

• Speech and Language Therapy-WH- QUESTION COMPREHENSION by Kristen Marshall MS CCC SLP is a compilation of 30 single sentences or “stories” that ask syntax and “wh” related questions to assess the students’ understanding.
• “The Fisherman and His Wife” Lesson Plan by Achieve the Core is a highly rated 5-day exemplar for students to practice searching and interpreting textual connections. This printable packet includes student discussion activities, vocab and syntax tasks, and text-dependent questions.

Sentence Combining

Sentence combining is also a great way to work on your student’s syntax language skills. 

• Combining Sentences Task Cards, Grammar Practice, Common Core Aligned by The Gilded Classroom is a ready-to-go packet to practice syntax and other grammar practices.
• Monster Mash: A Conjunction Activity by Free Range SLP is a freebie that is interactive and fun! Students play a game to practice using conjunctions in relation to syntax and combining 2 sentences. 

In Conclusion: Syntax Goals for Speech Therapy

I hope you found this list of syntax goals for speech therapy helpful. 

Feel free to spend less time creating your own syntax goals and copy and paste the goals above.

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Home » SEL Implementation » Exploring IEP Goals for Literacy: Promoting Language Development and Literacy Skills

Exploring IEP Goals for Literacy: Promoting Language Development and Literacy Skills

Key takeaways:.

• IEP goals are specific objectives for students with disabilities, focusing on language and literacy.
• Language development and literacy skills encompass areas such as vocabulary, phonological awareness, reading, and writing.
• Setting SMART goals is crucial for developing effective IEP goals for literacy.

Introduction: Exploring IEP Goals for Literacy: Promoting Language Development and Literacy Skills

Language development and literacy skills play a crucial role in education, enabling students to communicate effectively and access information. For students with language and literacy difficulties, Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals are essential in providing targeted support and intervention. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of IEP goals for literacy and discuss strategies for promoting language development and literacy skills.

Understanding IEP Goals for Literacy

IEP goals are specific objectives designed to address the unique needs of students with disabilities. In the context of literacy, these goals focus on developing language skills, phonological awareness, reading abilities, and writing proficiency. By setting clear and measurable goals, educators can provide targeted instruction and support to help students improve their literacy skills.

Key Areas of Language Development and Literacy Skills

Language development and literacy skills encompass various components that are essential for effective communication and reading comprehension. These include:

Oral language skills

Oral language skills form the foundation for literacy development. Key areas of focus include:

• Vocabulary development: Expanding students’ word knowledge and understanding of word meanings.
• Sentence structure and grammar: Enhancing students’ ability to construct grammatically correct and coherent sentences.
• Listening and comprehension skills: Improving students’ ability to understand and interpret spoken language.

Phonological awareness

Phonological awareness refers to the ability to identify and manipulate the sounds of language. It includes:

• Phonemic awareness: Recognizing and manipulating individual sounds (phonemes) in words.
• Phonological processing: Understanding the relationship between sounds and letters.
• Sound-symbol relationships: Connecting sounds to their corresponding letters or letter combinations.

Reading skills

Reading skills involve decoding, fluency, and comprehension:

• Decoding and word recognition: The ability to sound out and recognize words accurately.
• Reading fluency: Reading with accuracy, speed, and expression.
• Reading comprehension: Understanding and interpreting written text.

Writing skills

Writing skills encompass various aspects of written expression:

• Spelling and handwriting: Developing accurate spelling and legible handwriting.
• Sentence formation and organization: Constructing grammatically correct and well-structured sentences.
• Expressive writing skills: Conveying ideas and thoughts effectively through writing.

Setting Appropriate IEP Goals for Literacy

Setting appropriate IEP goals for literacy requires a comprehensive understanding of the student’s current abilities and specific areas of need. The SMART goal-setting approach can guide the development of effective IEP goals:

SMART goal-setting approach for IEP goals:

• Specific: Goals should be clear and specific, targeting a particular area of language or literacy development.
• Measurable: Goals should be measurable, allowing progress to be tracked and evaluated.
• Achievable: Goals should be attainable and realistic, taking into account the student’s abilities and resources available.
• Relevant: Goals should be relevant to the student’s individual needs and aligned with their educational objectives.
• Time-bound: Goals should have a specific timeframe for completion, providing a sense of urgency and accountability.

Examples of IEP goals for different language and literacy areas:

• By the end of the school year, the student will increase their vocabulary by learning and correctly using 20 new words related to academic content.
• Within six months, the student will improve their reading fluency by increasing their words per minute from 50 to 80.
• By the end of the semester, the student will demonstrate improved sentence structure by using correct subject-verb agreement in 80% of their written assignments.

Strategies for Promoting Language Development and Literacy Skills

Implementing effective strategies is crucial in supporting students’ language development and literacy skills. Consider the following approaches:

Individualized instruction and interventions:

Provide targeted instruction that addresses the specific needs of each student. Differentiate instruction based on their abilities, interests, and learning styles.

Multisensory approaches to teaching:

Engage students in multisensory activities that involve visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modalities. This can enhance learning and retention of language and literacy skills.

Assistive technology and tools:

Utilize assistive technology and tools to support students’ literacy development. This may include text-to-speech software, speech recognition programs, or specialized reading and writing tools.

Collaborating with teachers and other professionals:

Collaborate with teachers, speech-language pathologists, and other professionals to develop and implement effective strategies for supporting students’ language and literacy skills.

Incorporating social-emotional learning into literacy instruction:

Recognize the importance of social-emotional learning in literacy development. Promote a positive and supportive learning environment that fosters students’ self-confidence and motivation to engage in literacy activities.

Monitoring and Evaluating Progress

Regularly monitor and evaluate students’ progress towards their IEP goals. Collect data and use assessment tools to track their growth and identify areas that require additional support. Maintain open communication with parents and caregivers to keep them informed about their child’s progress and collaborate on strategies for continued improvement.

IEP goals for literacy are essential in promoting language development and literacy skills for students with disabilities. By setting appropriate goals and implementing effective strategies, educators and professionals can support students in achieving their full potential. Remember, collaboration between parents, educators, and professionals is key in providing the necessary support for students’ language and literacy development.

Where Can I Find More Resources for Exploring IEP Goals for Literacy and Promoting Language Development?

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How to Write Aphasia Goals [with goal bank]

Aphasia goals should be most functional to the client being treated. This post includes different ways to address person-centered goals (with goal bank)!

Do you work with people with aphasia who use AAC (no tech, low tech, or high tech) to aid in communication? Check out our comprehensive AAC goal bank. This goal bank covers a variety of areas, from linguistic uses to operational competencies. Find it on our site or Teachers Pay Teachers store ! You can also check out our blog post, How to Write AAC Goals .

Aphasia: about

Aphasia is a communication disorder that affects one’s ability to understand and/or express speech and language. it does not affect one’s intelligence..

Aphasia is always secondary to a brain injury (e.g. trauma or stroke) of some kind and is not genetic in nature. Depending on the region of the brain that is impacted, it can affect each person in different ways. Most often, aphasia affects the left hemisphere of the brain. Our left hemisphere houses the centers that help us understand and express speech and language.

Generally speaking, aphasia is often categorized into two broad types: receptive and expressive . Receptive (fluent) aphasia is having primary difficulty understanding spoken language or reading. Expressive (non-fluent) aphasia is having primary difficulty producing spoken language or writing. However, in some severe cases, patients can demonstrate the presence of both types. It is important to determine a differential diagnosis so that you are approaching treatment with the highest level of consideration for the client and their needs. Find a comprehensive aphasia chart here .

Additional considerations for assessment and treatment for individuals with aphasia:

According to Hinkley (2020), one of the most important steps in treatment when you are working with an individual with aphasia is that they receive adequate information about what aphasia is . It seems pretty basic, but providing the client and caregiver(s) education regarding their aphasia diagnosis is key for general understanding, advocacy, and expectations for treatment. Speaking of caregivers, family members of the client should also be included in the rehabilitation process . Caregiver/family cooperation increases the success of communication partner training (CPT) in the future. CPT is shown to increase activities and life participation. Lastly, it is important that once a client leaves treatment that they have a means to communicate or have a plan outlining their goals for future communication.  

Creating goals for the treatment of aphasia should take this key information into consideration. Below, we have outlined how to write aphasia goals and provided examples of what goals may look like.

Writing aphasia goals

​​Below you will find our Communication Community Goal Writing Formula that we use for writing all communication goals.

As seen above, speech goals should be written with 3* components in mind: the DO statement , the CONDITION statement , and the CRITERION statement .

*Also commonly included is consistency (we incorporate this!). Aka does the individual have to meet a specific criterion more than once? A common example of this may include across 3 consecutive sessions. This is usually something understood by the therapy organization/service provider and is sometimes/sometimes not included in the written goal itself. This is to ensure that the skill has been generalized and provides more reliable data that the skill has been properly mastered.

DO statement

What the client is actually going to DO and the specific skill they will be working towards.

Example: will answer 4 personal identification questions (e.g., "What is your full name?")

CONDITION statement

The specific setting and/or context your client will work on this skill.

Example: when asked by familiar and unfamiliar individuals

CRITERION statement

How the client’s performance will be measured.

Example: with 80% accuracy

DO + CONDITION + CRITERION

Example: [Client] will answer 4 personal identification questions (e.g., "What is your full name?"), when asked by familiar and unfamiliar individuals, with 80% accuracy

There you have it! An example using our Goal Writing Formula containing the DO + CONDITION + CRITERION (don’t forget to think about consistency !) for persons with aphasia.

Aphasia goal bank

It is difficult to make a “general” aphasia goal bank because person-centered care is best practice. According to ASHA , person-centered functional goals are considered goals that are identified by the client, in partnership with the clinician and family, that allow participation in meaningful activities and roles. We advise clinicians who are referencing these goals to take that message into consideration and modify goals accordingly to best suit your client and their personal needs.

Example #1 : [Client] will point to the items (e.g., functional household items) denoted by the speaker, when given a field of 4 real objects/pictures, with 90% accuracy.

Example #2 : [Client] will follow a multi-step functional sequence, pertaining to [related-life skill] given visual prompts, with 80% accuracy.

Example #3 : [Client] will answer [#] comprehension questions relating to [functional written text], during a structured task, given visual prompts, with 80% accuracy.

Example #1 : [Client] will label 10 different household items, when pointed to by the clinician within a familiar setting, with 90% accuracy.

Example #2 : [Client] will respond to “yes/no” questions relating to [functional skill/activity], when asked by familiar and unfamiliar individuals, in 8 out of 10 trials.

Example #3 : [Client] will make a request to gain access to [preferred activity/materials], to a familiar individual, in 80% of opportunities.

Example #1 : [Client] will produce a minimum of 4 different features, when presented with a word using semantic feature analysis (SFA), given verbal prompts, with 75% accuracy.

Example #2 : [Client] will use an AAC system to produce [intended message], across familiar contexts and settings, with 75% accuracy.

Example #3 : [Client] will utilize principles from the Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA) approach, when participating in conversations during community outings, 5 times across the treatment period.

Aphasia Advocacy

Example #1 : [Client] will present his/her/their aphasia card when appropriate, within a community setting, in 90% of opportunities.

Example #2 : [Client] will gesture (e.g., hold up finger) to request more time to process information, within communicative interactions, in 80% of opportunities.

Example #3 : [Client] will disclose that they are a person with aphasia, to unfamiliar communication partners, in 75% of opportunities.

If you live with or are caring for a loved one with aphasia, you are not alone! The National Aphasia Association has several online communities and supports.

Looking for more?

• Aphasia Speech Therapy Activities
• How to Write AAC Goals
• How to Write Expressive Language Goals
• How to Write Play Skills Goals

Want to know how we prep ourselves for goal-writing (and more)?

These are some of our favorite resources for working:

• Clipboard with storage - we use ours ALL THE TIME!
• Some really nice pens - the feel of a pen that writes so well...priceless.
• Blue light glasses - for when excessive screen time is just...necessary

Happy writing!

This post contains some affiliate links and we may be (slightly) compensated if you use them, but all opinions are our own. We appreciate the support!

Additional Goal Resources

Our comprehensive goal banks for AAC and fluency are available on our site or Teachers Pay Teachers store ! These are great for children and adults. We also have goal banks for school-aged language and Early Intervention & preschool.  

Save time creating goals with over THOUSANDS of possible goal combinations. Select your own combination of DO + CONDITION + CRITERION (and consistency) statements to develop personalized and measurable goals for your caseload.

Citations/further resources

Aphasiaunited.org

Aphasiafriendly.co

https://www.asha.org/siteassets/uploadedfiles/icf-aphasia.pdf

https://www2.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589934663&section=Treatment

https://www.archives-pmr.org/article/S0003-9993(10)00771-9/pdf

Where Do I Start My Client with Aphasia, J. Hinckley (2020)

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Expanding Expressions Tool

* This is just a review of my own about a program I love and found very useful. No one asked to be create this review, its all me 🙂

Now that we have all stocked up on great new materials, I wanted to share one of my favorite programs that I use with my students.  When my students work on describing,  using the fun activities I get from TpT , they use a system that has helped them leaps and bounds. Today I want to share the Expanding Expressions Tool ( EET ) with you.  I saw this tool advertised is a speech magazine, either Advanve or the ASHA Leader ( I can’t remember which ) and my interest was peeked. I was struggling to find a way to make describing easier for my students to understand. I had used other books and programs that would help a bit but not enough for my students to fully grasp the strategies. They seemed to be missing some connecting piece for their ideas, what information to include, and how they are supposed to get their point across. I needed something concrete for them  to use to understand. I had created my own acronym for them, but the EET took everything a step farther. I did a bit more research and was hooked.  This tool had everything I needed: a concrete system, manipulatives, practice sheets, etc. So I decided to take the plunge!

The EET is a multisensory approach to improving oral ( expressive ) and written language.  Yes, it targets writing too! You get a bead strand that kind of looks like a caterpillar.  Each bead is a different color.  The color corresponds to a component of information that may be needed to talk about something: category, function, appearance, what is it made from, parts, location, and there is a bead for including prior knowledge. I let me students use this as a way to share a ‘fun fact’ about the subject. You also get a visual aide poster, cards with real object pictures to use for practice, dice with the EET colors to use for games, guidance stickers that can be placed on sutdent’s papers to help with writing, and an awesome manual with lots of practice pages for each section and instructions for you.  When stuents are starting out they take each bead and given information about an object depending on what bead they are on. When they are done providing that piece of information they slide the bead up and move to the next one.

I made some individual posters for each component since some of my students have vision issues and it made going over the colors/beads a bit easier for a group. Some of my students have severe learning disabilties. I was mostly interested to see how they would respond to it. The first time I used it I  wanted to see a before and after. I have them write down a description of an apple. I happend to have an apple in my lunch so I placed that in the middle of the table for inspiration 🙂  The descriptions they had were very basic: ” It’s red and you can eat it.” or ” It red and a fruit.” These descriptions were fine, but very basic. Definitly not what would be expected for students their age. I asked them, ” What else can you say?”. That’s when one of my students said the perfect lead in for the EET, ” I don’t know what else to say.”  After going through the EET process there were able to give me full paragraph descriptions. Things seemed to click more, they knew what they were supposed to do. By the end of the week they could tell me what each bead stood for and what type of information it wanted. I had never seen them catch on to anything so quickly.

The EET site has links to videos that demonstrate how it is used as well as research to back up their program. You can find a lot of really good you tube videos as well. You can  click here  to check out their site. I reviewed some of these before I taught my kids the strategy. I was really amazed with how fast they caught on. We went through the beads colors and their meaning in kind of a sing-song method and they seemed to help them retain the information. They all wanted to use the ‘caterpillar’ and move the beads to describe the practice pictures we were using. They were very engaged.

I have been utilizing this program in my room over the past year and I have seen so much growth in my students. So if you need something to help your students with planning their expressive langauge this is something I highly recommend.  It is a concrete system for students to grap, it provides you with all the materials you will need, and it is engaging for the students. Talk about a triple threat!

* For those SLPs living in the Land of Lincoln ( that’s Illinois for the rest of you folks ), the creator of the EET, Sara Smith with be speaking at ISHA! ISHA is February 7-9. * Speech Room New’s own Jenna Rayburn with also be presenting at ISHA this year!

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Meet Maureen

Hey there! I’m Maureen Wilson, a school-base SLP who is data driven and caffeine powered. My passion is supporting other pediatric SLPs by teaching them how to harness the power of literacy and data to help their students achieve their goals…without sacrificing time they don’t have.

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4 responses.

Thank you so much for your description of this product. I myself have been conducting research and trying to decide whether to purchase this product or not. Did you complete the training course as well, or did you just purchase the kit?

I purchased the kit after doing lots of research. I read the manual which covers the program very well, so I felt very confident using it with my students. I was able to attend Sara Smith’s presentation at ISHA this year. She discussed what was mainly in the manual although she did state that as you teach the system to your students, to always teach all the beads during a session and not fixate to much on one. If a student is having a difficult time with one concept, take the time to address it but make sure the whole system is taught.

Love this program!! MIght have to try a DIY version until I can convince someone to buy this for me.

You could always put a project in donors choose and see who can fund it.

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