Accept or turn down comfort from an adult
When to use this goal
For young students who push away, hit, or flee when an adult tries to help during distress, often because the offer is not what they want. Present levels and communication mode decide fit. The goal teaches the student to say yes or no to comfort, and both answers count.
- Baseline
- Log each comfort offer for a week: what was offered, how the student responded (moved toward, pushed away, hit, ran, no response), and what happened next. Ask the family what comfort the student accepts at home and how they show no.
- Tips
- Honor the answer every time: if the student says no, step back and stay nearby. A clear no is a correct response. Touch is offered, never assumed. Coordinate the yes and no symbols with the SLP so they match the student's device or board.
- Limits
- Very distressed students may not answer at all; those moments are scored but should not be pushed. The goal does not measure recovery time. Some students show no only through movement; the team must agree on what counts.
Original IEP Atlas template based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. ID se-er-023.
Sign in to add this goal to a student.
Goal
By the annual IEP review date, when they are upset and a familiar adult offers comfort (such as sitting close, a hug, a favorite item, a quiet spot), the student will answer the comfort offer by moving toward it, nodding or shaking their head, saying or signing yes or no, or selecting yes or no on their device independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected daily by the classroom team.
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 Emotional Regulation.
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
- Social-Emotional & Communication - Emotional Regulation
- Baseline
- 1 of 5 opportunities.
- Annual goal473 characters
- By the annual IEP review date, when they are upset and a familiar adult offers comfort (such as sitting close, a hug, a favorite item, a quiet spot), the student will answer the comfort offer by moving toward it, nodding or shaking their head, saying or signing yes or no, or selecting yes or no on their device independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected daily by the classroom team.
- Timeframe
- By the annual IEP review date
- Condition
- When they are upset and a familiar adult offers comfort (such as sitting close, a hug, a favorite item, a quiet spot)
- Behavior
- The student will answer the comfort offer by moving toward it, nodding or shaking their head, saying or signing yes or no, or selecting yes or no on their device independently
- Criteria
- In at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks
- Evaluation method
- Opportunity-by-opportunity data
- Schedule
- Daily by the classroom team
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:
- across 3 consecutive weeks
- Collection schedule:
- daily by the classroom team
- Method:
- Opportunity (trial) recording
- Data collector:
Goal: By the annual IEP review date, when they are upset and a familiar adult offers comfort (such as sitting close, a hug, a favorite item, a quiet spot), the student will answer the comfort offer by moving toward it, nodding or shaking their head, saying or signing yes or no, or selecting yes or no on their device independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected daily by the classroom team.
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.