IEP goals for students with cerebral palsy: 12 examples

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

IEP goals for a student with cerebral palsy target school tasks, not the diagnosis: getting around campus, using hands or access tools for class work, communicating, and taking part in self-care. A strong goal names the equipment, the setting, a criterion and a measure. Example: "Using a walker, the student will travel from the bus to class in 6 minutes or less on 4 of 5 days."

Cerebral palsy affects movement and posture, and it looks different in every student. One student walks with ankle braces and needs extra passing time. Another uses a power wheelchair, an eye-gaze device and help with every meal. Goals have to start from the student, not the label.

Under IDEA, many students with cerebral palsy qualify under orthopedic impairment, which includes impairments from congenital anomalies and other causes, with cerebral palsy named as an example. Students with significant additional needs may qualify under multiple disabilities instead.^[1] The category does not change how goals are written. The low-incidence disabilities pillar covers how specialists share the IEP.

Each example below shows the condition, the baseline, the criterion and the measurement, with a link to the matching template. The numbers are illustrations. Set your own targets from your student's baseline.

How to choose the right goal

Student profile	Sub-skill to target	Measurement	Who usually leads
Walks with a walker or crutches, slow between classes	Functional mobility on school routes	Duration in minutes, or days on time	PT
Uses a wheelchair, needs help on ramps and doors	Wheelchair mobility and transfers	Steps of a task analysis completed	PT
Grasp is limited; handwriting is slow or illegible	Keyboarding, switch or eye-gaze access for class work	Rate, or percent accuracy on selections	OT, AT specialist
Speech is hard to understand	Speech intelligibility or AAC use	Percent of utterances understood, or opportunities	SLP
Needs help at lunch and with dressing	Self-care participation	Task analysis steps, prompt level	OT, special education teacher

The task analysis and duration recording pages explain the two most common measures for these goals.

Mobility goals

Goal 1: Walker travel. "Using a posterior walker, the student will travel from the bus loop to the classroom (about 400 feet) in 6 minutes or less on 4 of 5 consecutive school days, measured by stopwatch." Baseline: 11 minutes, with 3 rest stops. Template: walk the arrival route with a walker.
Goal 2: Power chair in hallways. "During passing periods, the student will drive a power wheelchair from class to class without contacting people or walls, on 9 of 10 observed trips." Baseline: 5 of 10. Template: drive a power wheelchair through a busy hallway.
Goal 3: Transfers. "Given a slide board and one adult for safety, the student will complete 7 of 8 steps of a transfer from wheelchair to classroom chair independently, across 3 consecutive weekly probes." Baseline: 3 of 8 steps. Template: slide-board transfer to a classroom chair.

Weak: "The student will improve walking skills." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the device, the route, the distance, the time and the number of days.

Hand use and access goals

Goal 4: One-handed typing. "Using a one-handed keyboard layout, the student will type a dictated passage at 12 correct words per minute on 3 of 4 weekly 3-minute probes." Baseline: 5 correct words per minute. Template: one-handed typing at a working rate.
Goal 5: Eye-gaze selection. "Using an eye-gaze system, the student will select the target from a field of 8 on-screen choices with 85% accuracy across 20 trials in 3 consecutive sessions." Baseline: 40% accuracy from a field of 4. Template: select targets on a computer with eye gaze.
Goal 6: Switch scanning. "Using 2-switch step scanning, the student will answer 4 of 5 multiple-choice comprehension questions during a class lesson on 3 of 4 observed lessons." Baseline: answers 1 of 5 with full adult support. Template: choose answers on a computer with switch scanning.

Weak: "The student will use assistive technology." Measurable: Goal 5 above. It names the tool, the field size, the accuracy and the number of trials.

The district must make assistive technology devices and services available when the student needs them as part of special education, related services or supplementary aids.^[2]

Communication goals

Goal 7: Breath support for speech. "During a structured reading activity, the student will say phrases of 4 to 6 words on one breath, intelligible to an unfamiliar listener, on 8 of 10 phrases across 3 sessions." Baseline: 2 to 3 words per breath. Template: get a full phrase out on one breath.
Goal 8: AAC with eye gaze or switch. "When a partner names a vocabulary word during a lesson, the student will select the matching symbol with eye gaze or a switch on 16 of 20 opportunities across 2 consecutive weeks." Baseline: 6 of 20. Template: select a symbol with eye gaze or a switch.
Goal 9: Repairing a message. "When a listener does not understand, the student will repeat, rephrase or switch to the AAC device within 10 seconds on 4 of 5 observed breakdowns." Baseline: 1 of 5; usually stops trying. Template: repair a message.

Weak: "The student will communicate wants and needs." Measurable: Goal 8 above. It names the access method, the setting and a count with a denominator.

Self-care and participation goals

Goal 10: Self-feeding. "Using a built-up spoon and a scoop dish, the student will feed self 15 of 20 bites at lunch with no more than 2 spills, on 4 of 5 observed lunches." Baseline: 6 of 20 bites; adult feeds the rest. Template: feed self with a built-up handle spoon.
Goal 11: Shoes over orthotics. "Given shoes one size up and a seated position, the student will put both shoes on over ankle-foot orthoses and fasten the straps within 4 minutes on 3 consecutive weekly probes." Baseline: needs full help; 10 minutes. Template: fit shoes over ankle-foot orthotics.
Goal 12: Asking for a position change. "When uncomfortable or after 45 minutes in one position, the student will ask an adult for a position change using speech or the device, on 8 of 10 opportunities across 2 weeks." Baseline: 2 of 10; shows distress instead. Template: ask for a position change.

Weak: "The student will be more independent with self-care." Measurable: Goal 10 above. It names the tools, the bites, the spill limit and the number of lunches.

How to measure progress

Duration and timed routes: stopwatch each trip and record minutes on the duration data sheet. Note rest stops and assistance.
Task analysis: list the steps of a transfer, dressing or feeding routine, and mark each as independent, prompted or done by the adult on the task analysis data sheet.
Opportunities: for communication and position-change requests, count the chances and the responses on the opportunity data sheet.
Rate and accuracy: for typing and access goals, use timed probes and percent accuracy across a set number of trials.

Collect at least every 2 weeks for motor goals, and weekly for access and communication goals while the student is learning a new tool. Fatigue, spasticity and seating change performance from day to day, so note them on the sheet.

Writing objectives for these goals

Break each goal into steps that change one thing at a time: distance, time, independence or field size. For goal 5, objectives might move from a field of 4 at 70% accuracy, to a field of 6 at 80%, to a field of 8 at 85%. For goal 1, they might move from 9 minutes with 2 rest stops, to 7 minutes with 1, to 6 minutes with none. The how to break down an IEP goal into objectives guide shows the method.

Adapting by grade and support level

Grade band	Mobility focus	Access and communication focus	Self-care focus
PK to K	Moving to group areas, playground access	Choice-making with switches or eye gaze	Feeding, hand washing
1 to 5	Hallways, ramps, fire drills	Typing or AT for class work, AAC in lessons	Dressing for recess, toileting routines
6 to 8	Passing periods, lockers, elevators	Notes and tests with AT, peer conversation	Lunch line, managing equipment
9 to 12	Campus and community routes, transport	Email, job tasks, self-advocacy for AT	Personal care routines, directing caregivers

Full template sets are on the IEP goals for cerebral palsy hub and the orthopedic impairment hub. School PT and OT roles are explained in school-based physical therapy and physical therapy IEP goals. For AAC, see AAC goals examples. Paste any draft into the goal checker to catch missing parts.

Physical and occupational therapy are related services when a student needs them to benefit from special education.^[3] APTA Pediatrics publishes resources on school-based physical therapy that help teams define PT's role in these goals.^[4]

Frequently asked questions

What disability category is cerebral palsy under IDEA?

Most often orthopedic impairment, which names cerebral palsy as an example. A student with significant cognitive or sensory needs as well may qualify under multiple disabilities. The category does not decide which goals the student gets.

Who writes IEP goals for a student with cerebral palsy?

It depends on the goal. The PT usually leads mobility goals, the OT hand use and self-care, the SLP speech and AAC, and the special education teacher academic and participation goals. The team should agree on shared data collection.

Should goals for cerebral palsy focus on therapy skills or school tasks?

School tasks. A goal about reaching the classroom on time or answering questions with a switch matters more at school than an isolated exercise. Therapists can still work on underlying skills in sessions.

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Sources

34 CFR §300.8: Child with a disability, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.105: Assistive technology, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.34: Related services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
APTA Pediatrics, Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, American Physical Therapy 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.