Teaching · Speech & Language

A social goal the student wants, written so you can measure it.

Choose the skill, where it happens and with whom, then set the baseline and target as counts of real opportunities. A short fit check keeps the goal about the student’s own communication. The summary writes the goal sentence.

Draft a goalWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Speech & Language toolkit, $79 for 72 items.

The goal draft

One record per student and goal. Use initials or a code, never a name. The example is made up.

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What you get

Teaching · Speech & Language$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A goal sentence with setting, partners, skill, support, target and measurement, plus a baseline and a list of what to settle before it goes in a plan.
Who it is for
Speech-language pathologists and special education teachers writing social communication goals with students and IEP teams.
Format
Browser form. Several saved goals per student; printed with the goal sentence or as a blank planning sheet; CSV; export and import a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Speech & Language toolkit ($79) and the Teaching Suite pass ($199), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Speech & Language space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about an order, access or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.
joining in, on their terms
Drawn for this page. A functional goal is about communication the student wants, in a place they care about.

How to use it

  1. Start a record with the student’s initials or a code and the date.
  2. Choose the skill with the student, and where and with whom it matters.
  3. Count opportunities now and set a target count.
  4. Choose the support and how it will be measured.
  5. Run the fit check and settle what the summary lists.

Draft a goal

What the organizer is for

Functional means it matters to the student

A useful social communication goal is one the student wants and can use where it counts: joining friends at lunch, sorting out a group project, asking for a break. Students who help choose a goal can say why it matters, and are more likely to use the skill.

Not about looking typical

Goals such as making eye contact on demand or stopping harmless movements ask a student to look typical rather than communicate better. Current practice favors goals about the student’s own communication and about partners meeting them halfway.

Counting opportunities

Writing the baseline and target as counts of real opportunities, such as 1 of 8 lunch periods, makes the goal measurable without an artificial task.

Sources

  1. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act regulations, 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2) (measurable annual goals) and 300.320(a)(1) (present levels).
  2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Practice Portal: Social Communication Disorder and Autism (intervention principles; functional, person-centered goals).
  3. Donaldson, A. L., Krejcha, K., and McMillin, A. (2017). A strengths-based approach to autism: neurodiversity and partnering with the autism community. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 2(1), 56 to 68.
  4. Milton, D. E. M. (2012). On the ontological status of autism: the double empathy problem. Disability and Society, 27(6), 883 to 887.

The example student is made up. The organizer drafts a goal; the IEP team writes and agrees the final goal. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.