Phone, tablet and texting safety IEP goals

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A texting IEP goal teaches one part of using a phone safely and politely: sending a check-in text, contacting a trusted adult, keeping personal information private, ignoring scam texts, or waiting before replying when upset. It names the device, the situation, a criterion and the measure. Example: after arriving at work, Ben will text his mother a saved check-in message, completing 6 of 6 steps.

For many teenagers and young adults, the phone is how they reach family, coordinate rides, hear about shift changes and keep up with friends. It is also where scams, pressure and hurtful messages arrive. Texting goals teach the useful parts and the safety parts together.

The 24 goals below cover six areas. Each has a condition, a baseline, a criterion and a measure, and links to its template. All numbers are illustrations. For broader safety goals, see IEP goals for calling 911 and stranger safety IEP goals. The life skills IEP goals pillar covers every domain.

Before writing a texting goal

Agree with the family. Phones are personal and often family-owned. Ask which apps and contacts are allowed, and what rules apply at home.
Use the student's real device where possible, or the same type of device. Skills do not always carry over from a school tablet to a personal phone.
Respect privacy. Staff should not read a student's personal messages without consent. Teach with practice threads, role-plays and a school device.
Pick goals that serve a real need now: getting home safely, keeping a job, staying in touch with friends.

How to choose the right goal

What you see	Area	Measure
Cannot send or read a text without help	Sending and reading messages	Task analysis: steps done alone
Does not contact anyone when lost, late or worried	Contacting trusted adults	Opportunities: contacts made out of chances
Shares address, photos or passwords freely	Privacy	Percent accuracy on sorting tasks, plus role-play opportunities
Replies to unknown numbers or clicks links	Scams and unsafe contact	Opportunities in practice scenarios
Sends many messages in a row, or angry texts	Etiquette and self-control	Opportunities: messages that follow the rule
Phone use pulls attention from class or work	Device routines	Frequency of checks, or opportunities

Sending and reading messages

Given a text message from a parent or job coach asking for an action ("Bring your lunch box home"), Maria will read the message and do what it asks in 4 of 5 opportunities across 2 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Using a saved contact and a quick-reply list, Ben will send a check-in text when he arrives at school or work, completing 6 of 6 steps on 4 of 5 days. Baseline: 2 of 6. Template.
Using the learning platform's message tool, Kai will send his teacher a message with a greeting, a clear question and his name in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Given an appointment card, Ava will add the appointment to her phone calendar with the correct date, time and place in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Ben will use his phone appropriately." Measurable: Goal 2 above. It names the message, the contact and the steps.

Contacting trusted adults

When he is lost, late or something goes wrong in a community practice scenario, Omar will call or text a trusted adult from his saved list in 4 of 5 scenarios. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
When answering a call at home in a role-play, Sam will respond without saying he is home alone in 5 of 6 trials. Baseline: 1 of 6. Template.
To make weekend plans, Lily will text a friend with the activity, the day and the time, then confirm with a parent, in 3 of 4 opportunities. Baseline: 0 of 4. Template.
Given due dates for assignments or job tasks, Grace will set phone reminders with the right date and time for 9 of 10 items. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Omar will ask for help when needed." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It says who he contacts, how and when.

Privacy

Given 12 examples of information, Ava will sort them into "OK to share by text with friends" and "keep private" (address, passwords, school schedule, photos of self) with 11 of 12 correct on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 6 of 12. Template.
When a peer asks for her phone or account password in a role-play, Mia will say no and keep it private in 5 of 5 trials. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
Using a step list, Ben will set his messaging and social app profiles to private, completing 6 of 6 steps. Baseline: 1 of 6. Template.
Given 10 example photos or posts, Kai will decide whether each is safe to send or share and say why, with 9 of 10 correct on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Ava will understand online privacy." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It uses real categories of information and a count.

Scams and unsafe contact

Given 10 sample texts and emails, Omar will identify the scam or phishing messages and say what to do (ignore, block, tell an adult) with 9 of 10 correct on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
When a practice text or call asks for money, gift cards or a code, Ben will hang up or not reply, and tell a trusted adult, in 5 of 6 scenarios. Baseline: 2 of 6. Template.
Given 10 online or text requests (meet in person, send a photo, keep a secret), Lily will identify the unsafe ones and state the safe response with 10 of 10 correct on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
When a practice message is threatening or makes her feel unsafe, Maria will stop, save a screenshot and tell a trusted adult in 4 of 5 scenarios. Baseline: replies to the sender in 4 of 5. Template.

For safety requests, 100% is the right criterion in the long run. The life skills IEP goals page explains when 80% is too low.

Weak: "Lily will be safe online." Measurable: Goal 3 above. It names the kinds of requests and the response.

Etiquette and self-control

When upset by a message, Sam will wait at least 10 minutes and reread his reply before sending in 4 of 5 opportunities, tracked through self-report and practice threads. Baseline: sends at once in 4 of 5. Template.
Before posting a comment or group message, Ava will pause and reread it, changing anything unkind, in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
When texting a friend who has not replied, Kai will send no more than 2 messages before waiting for an answer in 4 of 5 practice threads. Baseline: sends 6 or more in a row. Template.
In a discussion board or class group chat, Grace will post a reply that answers the question and uses respectful language in 4 of 5 posts. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.

Goal 3 uses a texting template as a base and adds a reply rule. Check the social skills goal hub for more conversation goals.

Weak: "Sam will use good texting manners." Measurable: Goal 1 above. The 10-minute wait is the skill.

Device routines at school and work

At the teacher's cue at the start of class, Ben will put his phone away in the agreed place in 4 of 5 classes. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
During 45-minute class periods, Omar will check his phone no more than 2 times, down from a baseline of 9, on 4 of 5 days. Template.
Using his phone's screen time setting, Kai will set a daily limit for one app and keep to it on 5 of 7 days, checked with his family. Baseline: no limit set. Template.
Before leaving a shared school computer, Mia will sign out of all accounts in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Omar will reduce phone use." Measurable: Goal 2 above. It gives a baseline, a target and the setting.

How to measure: task analysis, probes and a sample sheet

Multi-step skills, such as sending a check-in text, are best measured with a task analysis. List the steps, then score each one on a weekly cold probe: the first try of the week, with no teaching beforehand. Teach on the other days. Breaking skills into steps and teaching them in order has research support for autistic learners.^[1] Prompts should fade in a planned order.^[2]

Probe frequency. One cold probe per week for each task analysis goal. One short probe set every 2 weeks for sorting and scenario goals. Graph the number of steps done alone.

Filled-in example for goal 2 under sending messages (Ben's check-in text). Codes: I = independent, V = verbal prompt, G = gesture, P = physical help.

Step	Sep 8	Sep 15	Sep 22	Sep 29	Oct 6
1. Take phone out on arrival	V	I	I	I	I
2. Enter the passcode	I	I	I	I	I
3. Open messages	G	G	I	I	I
4. Choose "Mom" from saved contacts	P	G	G	I	I
5. Choose "I'm here" from quick replies	P	P	G	G	I
6. Press send and put phone away	V	V	I	I	I
Steps independent	1 of 6	2 of 6	4 of 6	5 of 6	6 of 6

The sheet shows which step to teach next. In week 3, step 5 was the sticking point, so the teacher practiced choosing the quick reply on the other days. Use the task analysis data sheet for the blank form.

For sorting goals, use the accuracy data sheet. For count goals like phone checks, use the frequency data sheet.

Adapting by age and support level

Student	Focus	Example goals
Middle school, new phone	Saved contacts, check-in texts, privacy sorting	Sending 2, privacy 1
High school	Scams, etiquette, phone away in class	Scams 1 and 2, etiquette 1, routines 1
Transition age, working	Shift texts, appointments, reminders	Sending 1 and 4, contacting 4
Needs high support	Quick replies, one trusted contact, saved messages	Sending 2 with picture quick replies

Texting goals often belong in the transition plan, because phone skills support work and independent living.^[3] More templates are on the functional skills IEP goals hub and the digital literacy goals page. Paste a draft into the goal checker before the meeting. Every goal must say how progress will be measured and reported.^[4]

Frequently asked questions

Can texting be an IEP goal?

Yes. Texting and phone safety are functional skills. Goals can cover sending a check-in text, reading a message and acting on it, contacting a trusted adult, keeping information private, ignoring scams and waiting before replying when upset.

Should teachers read a student's personal text messages?

Not without the student's and family's consent, and school policy should guide it. Teach and measure with practice threads, role-plays and school devices instead. Agree with the family which apps and contacts are allowed.

How do you measure a texting goal?

For multi-step skills, list the steps and score each one on a weekly cold probe as independent or prompted. For safety and privacy, use sorting tasks and role-play scenarios. For phone checks in class, count how often they happen.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Task Analysis (AFIRM Module), AFIRM, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, UNC Chapel Hill
Prompting (AFIRM Module), AFIRM, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, UNC Chapel Hill
34 CFR §300.43: Transition services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
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.