IEP goals for autism: examples by area and age
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
Good IEP goals for autistic students build skills the student can use for life: communicating wants and needs, connecting with peers, coping with change, working independently and learning grade-level content. Each goal names an observable skill, the setting, a criterion from baseline data and the measure. Avoid goals for eye contact, sitting still or compliance for its own sake.
Autism is one of the disability categories defined in the federal regulations,[3] but the IEP is written for one student, not a label. Two autistic 3rd graders can need completely different goals: one may need AAC to request help, the other may need support with group projects in an honors class. Start from the present levels and from what the student and family want, then pick goals.
This page gives 20 example goals across five areas, an age-band table, and how to measure them. Each has a fictional baseline that shows where the criterion came from. Identity-first ("autistic student") and person-first ("student with autism") language are both in use; this page uses identity-first, and the best choice is the one the student and family prefer.
What makes a good goal for an autistic student
Use the same rules as any IEP goal: observable, measurable, built from baseline. Then add three checks.
- Does it build a skill the student can use? A goal for requesting a break gives the student a tool. A goal for "will not leave the room" does not.
- Does it respect how the student communicates and regulates? Any mode counts: speech, AAC, sign, writing, gesture. Stimming that harms no one does not need a goal.
- Would it still make sense to the student as an adult? Self-advocacy, communication and independence goals usually pass. Eye contact and "quiet hands" goals do not.
Federal rules require the IEP team to consider the communication needs of every child with a disability, and whether the child needs assistive technology.[2] For many autistic students, those two considerations shape the whole IEP.
How to choose the right area
| What you see | Area | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Few ways to request, refuse or comment | Communication | Opportunities, frequency of spontaneous messages |
| Wants friends but interactions stall | Social connection | Frequency of initiations, turns per conversation |
| Changes or sensory input lead to long upsets | Regulation and sensory | Latency to recover, opportunities |
| Relies on adult prompts for routines and work | Independence | Prompt level, task analysis steps |
| Content is accessible but output is hard | Academics | Accuracy, rubric, work completion |
Communication goals
The communication goals often matter most, because they make everything else possible. An SLP usually leads them. More are in the autism speech-language goals.
| Goal | Baseline | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| During classroom routines, the student will request a desired item or activity using a speech-generating device without a prompt in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 weeks. | 2 of 10 | Opportunities |
| During non-preferred tasks, the student will request a break with words, a sign, a card or AAC before showing signs of distress in 4 of 5 opportunities. | 1 of 5 | Opportunities |
| When a listener does not understand, the student will repair the message by repeating, rephrasing, spelling or showing in 4 of 5 breakdowns. | 1 of 5 | Opportunities |
| When upset or unwell, the student will state an emotion or need to an adult using any mode in 4 of 5 observed opportunities. | 1 of 5 | Opportunities |
Weak: "The student will use words to communicate."
Measurable: "During classroom routines, the student will request a desired item or activity using a speech-generating device without a prompt in 8 of 10 opportunities." The weak version leaves out the AAC user and has no number.
For students who speak few or no words, see IEP goals for nonverbal autistic students.
Social connection goals
Build on interests. A student who loves trains may connect with peers through a train club long before small talk works.
| Goal | Baseline | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| During a structured activity, the student will share a special interest with a peer and respond to at least 1 peer question in 4 of 5 sessions. | 1 of 5 | Opportunities |
| During weekly interest club, the student will take part with peers by contributing at least 2 comments or actions per session for 6 weeks. | 0 to 1 per session | Frequency |
| When unsure what a peer meant, the student will check the meaning by asking a question ("Are you joking?") in 3 of 4 observed situations. | 0 of 4 | Opportunities |
| During center time, the student will play a pretend sequence with a peer for at least 3 linked actions in 4 of 5 sessions. | 1 action | Actions per play sequence |
Weak: "The student will make eye contact when speaking to peers."
Measurable: "During weekly interest club, the student will take part with peers by contributing at least 2 comments or actions per session." It targets connection, not a look.
More goals are in the autism social-emotional goals and in the social skills IEP goal examples.
Regulation and sensory goals
| Goal | Baseline | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| When the schedule changes, the student will cope with the change by checking the updated visual schedule and starting the new activity within 3 minutes in 4 of 5 changes. | Median 15 minutes | Latency |
| When sound or light is uncomfortable, the student will request a sensory adjustment, such as headphones or a seat change, in 4 of 5 opportunities. | 0 of 5 | Opportunities |
| During assemblies or the cafeteria, the student will stay in the setting for at least 15 minutes using a chosen sensory tool on 4 of 5 occasions. | 3 minutes | Duration |
| Before a known stressful event, such as a fire drill, the student will make a plan with an adult and use one planned strategy during the event in 3 of 4 events. | 0 of 4 | Opportunities |
Weak: "The student will stop flapping hands in class."
Measurable: "When sound or light is uncomfortable, the student will request a sensory adjustment in 4 of 5 opportunities." Hand flapping that harms no one is not an IEP target.
See also the emotional regulation goal examples and the autism behavior goals.
Independence goals
| Goal | Baseline | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Using a left-to-right work system, the student will start and finish 3 tasks and put them in the finished bin with no more than a gesture cue on 4 of 5 days. | Full physical prompts | Prompt level |
| Using a visual schedule, the student will check what is next and move to the next activity without an adult cue in 8 of 10 transitions. | 3 of 10 | Opportunities |
| After finishing work, the student will follow the finished-work routine (turn in, choose a listed activity) without adult prompts on 4 of 5 days. | 1 of 5 | Opportunities |
| At the start of class, the student will complete the start-of-period routine of 5 steps independently on 4 of 5 days, measured by task analysis. | 2 of 5 steps | Task analysis |
Weak: "The student will be more independent."
Measurable: "Using a visual schedule, the student will check what is next and move to the next activity without an adult cue in 8 of 10 transitions."
The autism functional skills goals and autism executive function goals have more.
Academic goals
Autistic students follow the same curriculum as their peers unless the team decides otherwise. Academic goals often target how the student shows what they know.
| Goal | Baseline | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| After reading a grade-level story, the student will tell how a character feels and why, citing one detail, in 4 of 5 stories. | 1 of 5 | Accuracy |
| Given a one-step multiplication or division word problem, the student will solve it using a drawn model in 8 of 10 problems. | 4 of 10 | Accuracy |
| Given a picture prompt and a graphic organizer, the student will write a journal entry of at least 4 connected sentences, scoring 3 of 4 on the class rubric in 4 of 5 entries. | 1 sentence | Rubric |
| During science, the student will follow written directions step by step for a 5-step lab with no more than 1 adult prompt in 4 of 5 labs. | 2 of 5 steps | Steps completed |
Weak: "The student will improve reading comprehension."
Measurable: "After reading a grade-level story, the student will tell how a character feels and why, citing one detail, in 4 of 5 stories."
Area hubs: reading, writing, math and content areas.
Goals by age band
Use one goal bank and adjust by age, rather than starting over at each grade.
| Age band | Typical focus | Example adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool | Requesting, joint attention, play, routines | Request with a picture or sign; play alongside a peer |
| Elementary | Conversation turns, coping with change, work systems, academics | Visual schedule, strategy menu, interest-based peer groups |
| Middle and high school | Self-advocacy, group work, organization, transition | Request accommodations, plan projects, job site routines |
Each band has its own guide: IEP goals for autistic preschoolers and IEP goals for autistic students in middle and high school. Transition goals for students 16 and older are in the autism transition goals. Motor goals, often led by an OT, are in the autism motor skills goals.
How to measure these goals
- Opportunities for requests, repairs and coping skills. Record each chance on the opportunity data sheet.
- Task analysis for routines. Score each step on the task analysis data sheet, and note the prompt level.
- Latency for transitions and recovery. Use the latency data sheet.
- Accuracy or rubrics for academics, on the accuracy data sheet.
Collect data across settings and people. A request that only happens with the SLP is not yet a skill the student owns.
Goals and accommodations work together
Goals build skills. Accommodations give access now. A student working on requesting breaks may also have a break schedule as an accommodation, so learning does not wait for the goal. See autism accommodations in the classroom for 16 written the way they should read in the IEP.
Every guide in this cluster
Examples
- IEP goals for autistic preschoolers
- IEP goals for autistic students in middle and high school
- IEP goals for nonverbal autistic students
- Autism accommodations in the classroom
All of these build from the IEP goals for autism library. Paste any draft into the goal checker before the meeting. The IEP must include measurable annual goals and a description of how progress will be measured.[1] ASHA's practice portal on autism covers assessment and intervention for speech-language pathologists.[4] The IRIS Center has a free overview module on autism for educators.[5]
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common IEP goals for autism?
Communication goals such as requesting, refusing and repairing messages; social goals such as joining peers and keeping a conversation going; regulation goals for changes and sensory needs; independence goals for routines and work systems; and academic goals. The right mix depends on the student.
Should an autistic student have an eye contact goal?
Usually not. Many autistic people find eye contact uncomfortable and listen better without it. Write a goal for the purpose instead, such as responding to a speaker, taking conversation turns or checking whether a listener understood.
How many goals should an IEP for autism have?
There is no set number. Most IEPs have 3 to 8 goals across the areas where the student needs specially designed instruction. A few well-measured goals that the team teaches every day beat a long list no one tracks.
Can parents suggest IEP goals for their autistic child?
Yes. Parents are members of the IEP team. Share what your child wants to do, what is hard at home, and what you hope for in a year. The team uses that with school data to write the goals.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- IEP goals for autism
- Autism in the IEP glossary
- Measurable annual goal in the IEP glossary
- Autism speech-language goals
- Social emotional IEP goals
- IEP goal checker
Related guides
- IEP goals for autistic preschoolers
- IEP goals for autistic students in middle and high school
- IEP goals for nonverbal autistic students
- Autism accommodations in the classroom
- Social skills IEP goal examples
- How to write IEP goals for autistic students
- Social skills IEP goals for autistic students
- Educational vs medical autism identification
- IEP goals for autistic students in kindergarten and first grade
- IEP goals for autistic students with low support needs
- IEP goals for transitions between activities
- Independent work systems and IEP goals for independent work
- Social stories: how to write one that supports a goal
- Video modeling for social and life skills
- Visual schedules and first-then boards
Sources
- 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.8: Child with a disability, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASHA
- Autism (Part 1): An Overview for Educators, IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University
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.