Ask an adult before touching an unfamiliar object or substance
When to use this goal
For students who pick up found objects (pills, lighters, broken glass, unlabeled bottles) or open cabinets and drawers to handle what is inside. Teaches asking first. Base the choice on planned trials with safe stand-in items. Never use real hazardous items in trials.
- Baseline
- Set up 5 trials with safe stand-in items (an empty, clean bottle; a sealed plastic box; a toy tool) placed where the student will find them, and record whether the student asked, left it and told, or picked it up. Ask the family about items the student has handled at home. Real hazards are removed by adults the moment they are seen and are not trials.
- Tips
- Answer every ask warmly and let the student handle the item when it is safe, so asking pays off. Teach a short list of "ask first" categories with pictures (bottles, tools, things on the floor, things in cabinets). Mastery is every opportunity because the real items can hurt. Pair with community-safety goals for outings.
- Limits
- Planned trials use safe items, so they cannot show what the student does with a real hazard; adult supervision and locked storage remain the primary safety measures. Natural events are rare and should be logged when seen.
Original IEP Atlas template based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. ID bh-saf-029.
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Goal
By the annual IEP review date, when the student finds an unfamiliar object on the floor, the playground, or a shelf during a planned trial with a safe stand-in item, the student will point to or name the item and ask an adult ("what is this?" or "can I touch?") before picking it up independently in 5 of 5 opportunities, across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected 3 planned trials per week plus natural events, summarized weekly.
Baseline: 1 of 5 opportunities.
- Condition
- Observable behavior
- Criterion
- Measurement method
Measurability check11 of 11 met
Met: Observable behavior. Stated as an action.
Met: Condition. Stated.
Met: Unit fits the behavior. Opportunities fits this behavior.
Met: Explicit criterion. Number and unit stated.
Met: Mastery rule and schedule. Both stated.
Met: Method produces the metric. Opportunity (trial) recording gives opportunities data.
Met: Review timeframe. Stated.
Met: Baseline and target compatible. Same unit, change in the right direction.
Met: Aligned with area of need. Still about Safety Behaviors.
Met: Level of support. Defined.
Met: Blanks filled in. Nothing left to fill in.
Checks structure and wording only. Whether the goal fits the student is the team's call.
Short-term objectives (optional)
When are objectives required?Required for students on alternate assessments (34 CFR §300.320(a)(2)(ii)); some states require them for everyone.
Paste into your IEP system
Most district systems have a separate box for each part of a goal. Copy them one at a time, or all at once as labeled text.
- Area of need
- Behavior & Classroom Expectations - Safety Behaviors
- Baseline
- 1 of 5 opportunities.
- Annual goal488 characters
- By the annual IEP review date, when the student finds an unfamiliar object on the floor, the playground, or a shelf during a planned trial with a safe stand-in item, the student will point to or name the item and ask an adult ("what is this?" or "can I touch?") before picking it up independently in 5 of 5 opportunities, across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected 3 planned trials per week plus natural events, summarized weekly.
- Timeframe
- By the annual IEP review date
- Condition
- When the student finds an unfamiliar object on the floor, the playground, or a shelf during a planned trial with a safe stand-in item
- Behavior
- The student will point to or name the item and ask an adult ("what is this?" or "can I touch?") before picking it up independently
- Criteria
- In 5 of 5 opportunities, across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries
- Evaluation method
- Opportunity-by-opportunity data
- Schedule
- 3 planned trials per week plus natural events, summarized weekly
Copied as plain text, with straight quotes and plain dashes.
Matching data sheet
Opportunity tracker. One box per opportunity in each session.
Opportunity tracker
Opportunities- Student label:
- Target:
- in 5 of 5 opportunities
- Mastery rule:
- across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries
- Collection schedule:
- 3 planned trials per week plus natural events, summarized weekly
- Method:
- Opportunity (trial) recording
- Data collector:
Goal: By the annual IEP review date, when the student finds an unfamiliar object on the floor, the playground, or a shelf during a planned trial with a safe stand-in item, the student will point to or name the item and ask an adult ("what is this?" or "can I touch?") before picking it up independently in 5 of 5 opportunities, across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected 3 planned trials per week plus natural events, summarized weekly.
Key: + demonstrated independently · P demonstrated with a prompt (note type) · − not demonstrated · NA no opportunity occurred
| Date | Activity / context | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | # + (of 5) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preview shows 4 of 12 rows.
- Record up to 5 opportunities per session, matching the goal's denominator.
- Define in advance what counts as an opportunity so every data collector records the same thing.
- Count only + marks toward the criterion unless the goal specifies prompted responses.
The CSV opens in Excel or Google Sheets, with formulas. Sheets print blank; no student data is stored.