IEP goals for seizure safety

A student with epilepsy or a seizure disorder should have a seizure action plan from their health care provider and family, carried out by the school nurse and trained staff.^[4] The plan describes the student's seizure types, what staff do during and after a seizure, when to call for emergency help and any rescue medicine. None of that belongs in an IEP goal, and teachers should never change it.

IEP goals come in when the student can learn part of their own safety. Some students feel an aura and can learn to tell an adult and sit down. Others can learn the recovery routine their plan describes, keep a log with family or explain their condition to a coach. Classmates can learn when to get an adult. This page gives 24 goals with illustrative baselines, all written to sit inside the plan. The life skills IEP goals pillar covers the other health goals.

Before writing a goal

• Read the current seizure action plan with the nurse. Use its exact words for warning signs and student steps.
• Ask the family and student (when appropriate) what the student notices before and after seizures.
• Decide who records data. The nurse usually logs seizures; the teacher may record practice and reporting.
• Practice uses scenarios and role-play only, planned with the nurse.

School health services and school nurse services are related services when a student needs them to benefit from special education.^[1] Some students with seizure disorders have a 504 plan rather than an IEP; see IEP vs 504. Many qualify for special education under other health impairment when the condition affects learning.

Choosing a seizure goal

Knowing and reporting warning signs

Weak: "The student will recognize seizure warning signs."

Measurable: "When the student feels a warning sign listed in their plan, the student will tell the nearest adult or press their alert button within 30 seconds on 5 of 5 practice scenarios, measured on an opportunity data sheet."

Moving to a safe spot

Weak: "The student will get to safety before a seizure."

Measurable: "After reporting a warning sign, the student will sit or lie down in the safe spot named in the plan within 30 seconds, 3 of 3 steps, on 5 of 5 practice drills, measured by task analysis."

After-seizure routine

What happens after a seizure is set by the plan and staff. These goals cover the student's part once the nurse or trained staff say the student is ready.

Weak: "The student will recover from seizures."

Measurable: "After a seizure, when staff say it is time, the student will follow the recovery routine on their picture card, 2 of 2 steps, on 4 of 5 occasions, measured by task analysis."

Logs and daily safety habits

Use only the habits the student's plan or provider has named.

Medication routines are covered on the medication goals page.

Weak: "The student will follow seizure precautions."

Measurable: "When the plan says to wear a helmet for a named activity, the student will put it on and fasten it before starting on 5 of 5 opportunities, measured by task analysis."

Self-advocacy and classmate awareness

Goals 23 and 24 are written for a different student: one with an IEP who shares a classroom with a peer who has seizures, or who is learning workplace safety. They teach only what the school's training teaches students to do: get an adult and help keep the space clear. Adults handle everything else.

Weak: "The student will know seizure first aid."

Measurable: "When a practice drill shows a peer having a seizure, the student will get the nearest adult and move chairs out of the way, as the school plan teaches, on 3 of 3 drills, measured by task analysis."

How to measure seizure goals

Real seizures are unpredictable, so most data comes from practice drills and scenarios planned with the nurse. Record real events too, using the nurse's log. Use the opportunities method for reporting goals, task analysis for moving to safety and recovery routines, and rubric scoring for self-advocacy.

Run practice drills every 1 to 2 weeks in different rooms, then monthly once the criterion is met. Keep drills short and calm, and never simulate symptoms that could frighten the student or peers.

Adapting by age and support level

More templates are on the health self management goals and school nurse role pages. Related guides: reporting pain goals, what to do if lost goals and stranger safety goals. Check each draft in the goal checker.

The IEP describes how a student's condition affects participation in school and what the student needs.^[2] Section 504 also requires schools to meet the needs of qualified students with disabilities.^[3]

Frequently asked questions

Use it in IEP Atlas

• Health self management goals (functional skills)
• Goals for the School nurse role
• Other health impairment in the IEP glossary
• IEP goal checker

Related guides

• Life skills IEP goals: the complete map by domain
• What to do if lost: safety IEP goals
• IEP goals for stranger safety
• Medication self-administration goals
• Safety signs IEP goals

Sources

1. 34 CFR §300.34: Related services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
2. 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
3. Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools (2016), U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
4. Seizure Action Plans, Epilepsy Foundation

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.