Wipe mouth and hands with a napkin
When to use this goal
For young children who finish snack or lunch with food on the face and hands and wait for an adult to wipe them, or wipe on their sleeve. Fits children who can bring a hand to the mouth; observed meals, not age, decide fit.
- Baseline
- Watch five meals and record whether the child wiped alone, wiped after a prompt, or was wiped by an adult. Note whether the child notices food on the face at all; a mirror or a peer model helps children who do not feel it. Some children dislike the texture of paper napkins; try cloth.
- Tips
- Teach napkin use as part of the meal routine everyone at the table follows, not as a correction aimed at one child. Peer models and a simple song or picture step work well. Keep it brief and friendly; a child should never be teased about a messy face.
- Limits
- Food textures, liquid thickness, positioning for safe swallowing and any swallowing precautions come from the student's feeding or swallowing plan, which this goal never changes. Children with reduced sensation around the mouth may not feel food there; the mirror support matters for them. Measures the wipe routine, not how neatly the child eats.
Original IEP Atlas template based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. ID mt-fd-031.
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Goal
By the annual IEP review date, at the end of snack or lunch, with a napkin at their place, the student will pick up the napkin, wipe their mouth and both hands and put the napkin in the trash or on the plate before an adult prompt in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed weeks, as measured by direct observation collected at five meals or snacks a week.
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. Direct observation 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 Feeding & Mealtime Skills.
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
- Motor & Sensory Skills (OT, PT & Adapted PE) - Feeding & Mealtime Skills
- Baseline
- 1 of 5 opportunities.
- Annual goal366 characters
- By the annual IEP review date, at the end of snack or lunch, with a napkin at their place, the student will pick up the napkin, wipe their mouth and both hands and put the napkin in the trash or on the plate before an adult prompt in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed weeks, as measured by direct observation collected at five meals or snacks a week.
- Timeframe
- By the annual IEP review date
- Condition
- At the end of snack or lunch, with a napkin at their place
- Behavior
- The student will pick up the napkin, wipe their mouth and both hands and put the napkin in the trash or on the plate before an adult prompt
- Criteria
- In at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed weeks
- Evaluation method
- Direct observation
- Schedule
- At five meals or snacks a week
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 at least 4 of 5 opportunities
- Mastery rule:
- on 3 of 4 observed weeks
- Collection schedule:
- at five meals or snacks a week
- Method:
- Direct observation
- Data collector:
Goal: By the annual IEP review date, at the end of snack or lunch, with a napkin at their place, the student will pick up the napkin, wipe their mouth and both hands and put the napkin in the trash or on the plate before an adult prompt in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed weeks, as measured by direct observation collected at five meals or snacks a week.
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.