Resonance IEP goals: 16 examples for hypernasality and nasal emission

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A resonance IEP goal targets oral sounds made with oral airflow, measured on a set task with a rating or count. Example: given 20 words with /p/, /b/, /t/ and /s/, Leo will say each without audible nasal air escape in 16 of 20 words. Write resonance goals only after a medical team has checked the structure and cleared therapy.

Resonance is how sound is shaped as it passes through the throat, mouth and nose. Hypernasality means too much sound goes through the nose on oral sounds, so "bee" sounds closer to "me." Hyponasality is the reverse, a stuffy sound on /m/, /n/ and "ng." Nasal emission is air leaking out of the nose on pressure sounds like /p/, /s/ and "sh." Some students also learn compensatory errors, such as a glottal stop for /k/, to get around a leak.^[2]

This page covers when a resonance goal belongs on the IEP, then gives 16 goals. Each has a condition, a baseline, a criterion and a template link. The numbers are illustrations. For articulation and fluency goals, see the articulation goals examples pillar.

Medical referral comes first

Speech therapy cannot close a physical gap. If the soft palate does not reach the back of the throat (velopharyngeal insufficiency), or there is a cleft, a submucous cleft or a fistula, the fix is medical or surgical.^[2] A school SLP's job at that stage is to refer, share observations and work with the team after treatment.

Refer to the student's doctor, and through them to an ear, nose and throat specialist or a cleft and craniofacial team, when you notice:

Hypernasality or nasal emission on many sounds, with no improvement after a short trial of cues.
New hypernasality after an adenoid or tonsil surgery that has not cleared in the weeks after.
Hyponasality with a constantly stuffy nose, mouth breathing or snoring, which may point to enlarged adenoids or allergies.
A known cleft history and any change in resonance.

ASHA's voice disorders guidance calls for a medical examination as part of evaluating a voice problem.^[1] Apply the same rule to resonance: get the team's findings and clearance in writing, and keep them with the IEP file. Therapy goals fit three situations: after surgery or a prosthesis has fixed the structure, when nasal emission is limited to a few sounds and is learned rather than structural (often called phoneme-specific nasal emission), and when compensatory errors remain.

Skip blowing, sucking and other nonspeech exercises. The goal is resonance during speech, so practice speech sounds.

How to choose the right resonance goal

What you see now	Next step or sub-skill	Measurement method
Hypernasality across many sounds, no medical exam yet	Refer before writing a therapy goal	None yet
After surgery: student cannot hear oral vs nasal	Hearing and feeling resonance	Agreement with the SLP out of 10
Nasal air on /s/ and "sh" only, other sounds fine	Pressure consonants without nasal emission	Percent of 20 words, checked with a listening tube or mirror
Glottal stops or throat sounds for /k/ or /p/	Replacing compensatory errors	Percent of 20 words
Clean in words, nasal in reading and talk	Resonance in sentences and reading	Percent of sentences rated oral
Clean in therapy, not in class	Conversation and class	Rating of a recorded sample; listener understanding

Goals for hearing and feeling resonance

After hearing 10 of her own recorded words, Ana will judge each as oral or nasal and agree with the SLP on 9 of 10 across 2 sessions. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
When the SLP says 10 words in an oral or a nasal voice, Leo will identify which voice was used in 9 of 10 trials. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
Given 10 pairs such as "bee" and "me," Ana will say each word with the matching resonance (oral for "bee," nasal for "me") in 8 of 10 pairs. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
With a straw listening tube from her nose to her ear, Ana will tell whether air escaped on 10 /s/ words she said and agree with the SLP on 8 of 10. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Ana will improve awareness of her resonance." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the task, the count and the criterion.

Goals for pressure consonants and nasal emission

Given 20 words with /p/, /b/, /t/ and /s/, Leo will say each without audible nasal air escape in 16 of 20 words across 3 sessions. Baseline: 6 of 20. Template.
With a mirror under his nose for feedback, Leo will say /s/ in isolation and syllables with no fogging in 16 of 20 trials. Baseline: 4 of 20. Template.
Given 20 untrained words with "s" and "sh" in all positions, Ana will say the sounds with oral airflow in 17 of 20 words across 2 probes. Baseline: 5 of 20. Template.
Given 20 words with /k/ and /g/, Mateo will say the sound in the mouth instead of a glottal stop in 16 of 20 words. Baseline: 3 of 20. Template.

Weak: "Leo will reduce nasal emission." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the sounds, how air escape is judged and the count.

Goals for resonance in sentences and reading

While reading 10 sentences loaded with oral sounds (such as "Bob's top is red"), Ana will keep oral resonance, rated 0 or 1 on a 4-point scale, in 8 of 10 sentences. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Given 20 short phrases with pressure consonants, Leo will say each with oral airflow in 16 of 20 phrases across 3 sessions. Baseline: 7 of 20. Template.
While reading a short passage aloud with 10 marked /s/ words, Ana will say each with no nasal air escape in 8 of 10 words on 3 consecutive passages. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
During a 5-minute structured task, Mateo will use the target resonance on 8 of 10 planned sentences after a model across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Ana will use correct resonance when reading." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It sets the material, the rating scale and the count.

Goals for conversation and class

During a 3-minute recorded conversation, Leo will keep oral resonance, rated 0 or 1 on a 4-point scale, on 2 of 3 monthly samples. Baseline: rated 2 on 3 of 3. Template.
During class answers, Ana will use the target resonance on 4 of 5 answers noted by the SLP during push-in, on 3 of 4 visits. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Given 20 short phrases, Mateo will say each so an unfamiliar listener writes down the phrase correctly for 16 of 20. Baseline: 9 of 20. Template.
During structured conversation, Leo will notice and redo a word with nasal air escape in 3 of 5 errors across 3 sessions. Baseline: 0 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Leo will generalize oral resonance." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the sample, the scale and the schedule.

How to measure resonance goals

Use a perceptual rating scale and stick with it. A simple 4-point scale works in schools: 0 for normal, 1 for mild, 2 for moderate, 3 for severe hypernasality. Rate the same kind of material each time, such as 10 sentences loaded with oral sounds, because sentences with many /m/ and /n/ sounds hide the problem. Record each probe so you can re-rate it later and compare early and late samples.

For nasal emission, check each word with a mirror under the nose (fogging means air escaped) or a straw listening tube from the nostril to your ear. Score each word as oral or with emission on the opportunity trial data sheet. The rubric scoring guide covers how to keep ratings consistent.

If the cleft or craniofacial team uses instrument measures such as nasometry, ask for the scores and add them to present levels. They do not replace your perceptual ratings for the IEP goal, but they help the team decide whether more medical treatment is needed.

One series for the nasal emission word goal: 6 of 20 in October, 11 of 20 in December, 15 of 20 in February. If scores stall after 6 to 8 weeks of steady practice, send the data back to the medical team; a stall can mean the structure, not the practice, is the limit.

Adapting by age

Age or grade	What changes	Example
Preschool	Placement for early sounds, replacing glottal stops, play-based probes	Compensatory error goal with 10 to 15 words
K to 2	Hearing oral vs nasal, pressure sounds in words	Listening tube and mirror goals
Grades 3 to 5	Sentences, reading, self-judging	Reading and self-correction goals
Middle and high school	Conversation, presentations, follow-up with the medical team	Recorded samples and class goals

Resonance goals sit with voice goals on the voice goals page. For vocal fold problems such as hoarseness, see vocal hygiene IEP goals, and for how to collect voice and resonance data, see how to measure voice goals. Run any draft through the goal checker.

Frequently asked questions

Can speech therapy fix hypernasality?

Not when the cause is structural, such as a cleft or a soft palate that does not close. That needs medical or surgical treatment first. Therapy helps after the structure is fixed, for nasal emission on a few learned sounds, and for compensatory errors such as glottal stops.

Do blowing exercises help resonance?

They are not a good use of therapy time. Blowing trains a nonspeech task, and the goal is resonance during speech. Practice pressure sounds in syllables, words and sentences with feedback instead.

Who should a school SLP refer to for resonance concerns?

Start with the family and the student's doctor, who can refer to an ear, nose and throat specialist or a cleft and craniofacial team. Share your observations and recordings. Keep the team's findings and clearance in the IEP file.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Voice Disorders, ASHA
Resonance Disorders (Practice Portal), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.