Task analysis for washing hands (printable steps)

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A task analysis for washing hands breaks the routine into small steps an adult can see, usually 6 to 14 depending on the student. Score each step every time as independent or with the prompt used, then count independent steps. A common 10-step version runs from walking to the sink to throwing away the towel.

A handwashing task analysis is a numbered list of the observable steps in washing hands, with one column per day to mark how each step went. The student's score is the number of steps done with no adult help. This page gives the list at three sizes, a blank version to copy, a scored example and the notes a reviewer will look for.

Handwashing is often the first routine a team writes as a task analysis, because it happens several times a day and the steps are easy to see. The task analysis examples guide shows an 8-step list beside 19 other routines. This page goes further on the one routine: how to size the list, how to score it and how to write the goal from it. For data methods in general, start with the IEP data collection pillar.

The fill-in task analysis

Copy this table onto the task analysis data sheet or a blank grid. Write the steps that match your sink, not the steps on someone else's poster.

Step	What the adult should see	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
1. Goes to the sink	Walks to the sink within 1 minute of the cue
2. Turns on the water	Water running at a usable temperature
3. Wets both hands	Both palms under the water
4. Gets soap	One pump or one pass on the bar
5. Scrubs palms	Palms rubbed together
6. Scrubs backs and between fingers	Backs of both hands and fingers rubbed
7. Rinses	No soap visible on either hand
8. Turns off the water	Tap closed, with the towel if the school asks for that
9. Dries hands	Hands dry to touch
10. Throws towel away	Towel in the trash, not on the counter
Independent steps		__ of 10	__ of 10	__ of 10	__ of 10	__ of 10

Fill in a cell with I for independent or the code of the most help you gave. Leave a short note under the table for anything that changed, such as a different sink or a substitute adult.

How many steps to use

The right number of steps depends on where the student gets stuck. Fewer steps are faster to score. More steps show exactly which part needs teaching.

Version	Who it fits	Steps
6 steps	Student does most of the routine and misses one or two parts	Water on, wet, soap, scrub, rinse, dry and throw away
10 steps	Student needs help at several points, or the team is not sure where	The fill-in list above
14 steps	Student needs physical help at many points, or has a motor or sensory barrier	Splits scrubbing into palms, backs, between fingers and thumbs, splits drying into taking a towel, drying and throwing away, and adds pushing up sleeves and checking for soap

Start with 10 steps if you are unsure. After a week of data, merge the steps the student always does alone and split the steps that keep needing help. The goal's denominator changes when the list changes, so make that change at a goal review or by amendment, not in the middle of a reporting period.

Prompt codes for scoring each step

Use one set of codes for every adult who scores the routine. The prompt hierarchy examples explain each level in more detail.

Code	Meaning at the sink
I	Did the step after the natural cue ("Time to wash up" or seeing the line at the sink)
G	Adult pointed at the soap or the tap
V	Adult said a hint, such as "Soap next"
Vis	Adult tapped the picture strip above the sink
M	Adult showed the step with their own hands
PP	Adult touched the student's wrist to start the motion
FP	Adult guided the student's hands through the step

Score the most help given on that step, not the first. If you said "soap" and then had to point, write G. Give the student 3 to 5 seconds to start each step before you prompt, and use the same wait time every day. A shorter wait on some days will make the data look worse than the student is.

Completed example: Eli's handwashing data

Eli is a fictional second grader in a resource classroom. His team picked the 10-step list. He washes hands before snack and after recess, and his para scores the snack wash only, so every score comes from the same sink and the same time of day.

Step	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
1. Goes to sink	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
2. Water on	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
3. Wets hands	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
4. Gets soap	V	V	G	G	I	G	I	I	I	I
5. Scrubs palms	M	V	V	V	V	I	V	V	I	I
6. Backs and fingers	PP	M	M	M	V	M	V	V	V	I
7. Rinses	V	V	I	V	I	I	I	I	I	I
8. Water off	V	G	G	I	G	I	I	I	G	I
9. Dries hands	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
10. Towel in trash	G	G	V	G	I	G	G	I	I	I
Independent steps	4	4	5	5	7	7	7	8	8	10

The scores rose from 4 of 10 to 10 of 10 over two weeks. The median of the first three days was 4, and the median of the last three was 8. One perfect day is not mastery. If his goal says 9 of 10 steps on 4 of 5 days, Eli has met it on 1 day so far.

The columns also show what to teach. Step 6 needed help on 9 of the 10 days, so the para added a picture of the backs of the hands to the strip and modeled that step only. Step 8 slipped back on the second Thursday, when a substitute ran snack. That note belongs on the sheet, because it explains the dip.

What reviewers and parents look for, section by section

The step list. Each step should be something two adults would score the same way. "Washes well" fails that test. "No soap visible on either hand" passes it.
The conditions. The sheet should say which sink, which time of day and what support is always there, such as a picture strip. A score from the classroom sink and a score from the cafeteria restroom are not the same task.
The prompt codes. A parent reading "V" needs a key. Put the code table at the bottom of every page you send home.
The independent count. The total row should count only I marks. A step done with a gesture is progress, but it is not independence.
The notes. Reviewers look for an explanation of every dip. Substitutes, a new soap dispenser and a cold week with chapped hands all change the data.
The graph. The weekly median of independent steps goes on a line graph, the same as any goal. The guide to graphing IEP data shows how.

Families also ask whether the routine is the same at home. If the home sink has a lever and school has a push tap, write that down. A student can be independent at one sink and not the other.

From task analysis to IEP goal

The goal names the routine, the conditions, the count of independent steps and how many days it must hold. A ready template is the handwashing goal in the builder, and more routines are on the daily living goals page and the hygiene goal hub.

Weak: "Eli will wash his hands appropriately."
Measurable: "Before snack at the classroom sink, with a picture strip posted, Eli will complete 9 of 10 handwashing steps independently on 4 of 5 consecutive school days, as measured by a task analysis data sheet."

Objectives can step up the independent count (5, then 7, then 9 of 10), or they can fade a support, such as removing the picture strip after the steps are steady. Pick one path, not both at once. A goal that raises the count and removes the strip in the same quarter makes a flat graph hard to read.

The IEP must say how progress on each goal will be measured and when reports go home.^[1] A task analysis sheet with a total row and dated columns answers both. Score the routine daily for the first two weeks, then 3 days a week once the trend is clear. The task analysis measurement page has the scoring rules, and the brushing teeth task analysis uses the same format for the next hygiene routine.

Teaching choices that change the data

How you teach the routine changes what the sheet shows. If you teach all 10 steps every time and prompt only where needed, you are using total task teaching. If you teach the last step first and add steps backward, the data look different in the early weeks. The guide to task analysis vs chaining explains how to score each approach.

Check for barriers that look like refusal. A student who pulls away at step 3 may dislike the water temperature or the feel of the soap. Ask the OT before adding more prompts. Changing to foam soap or warmer water can move the data faster than any prompt plan.

Frequently asked questions

How many steps should a handwashing task analysis have?

Most students do well with 8 to 10 steps. Use 6 if the student only misses one or two parts, and 14 if the student needs physical help at many points or has a motor or sensory barrier.

Should a gestural prompt count as independent?

No. Count only steps the student started after the natural cue with no adult help. Record the gesture with its code so the data still show that less help is needed over time.

How often should I score the handwashing routine?

Score one planned wash every school day for the first two weeks, then 3 days a week once the trend is clear. Use the same sink and the same time of day for the scored wash.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

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.