Speechreading IEP goals
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
Speechreading IEP goals teach a deaf or hard of hearing student to get meaning from a speaker's face, lips and gestures, usually together with listening. Strong goals name the listening condition, the material (words, phrases or sentences), the set size and the distance, and they add repair goals, because speechreading alone never gives the full message.
Speechreading is understanding speech by watching the speaker: lips, jaw, tongue, facial expression, gestures and context. People often call it lipreading, but the lips carry only part of the information. Many English sounds look the same on the lips. P, b and m look alike, and so do f and v. Sounds made at the back of the mouth, such as k and g, are hard to see at all.
That is why speechreading works best with listening. A student with hearing aids or a cochlear implant who also watches the face gets more than either channel alone gives. For students who sign, speechreading still helps with hearing family members, mouth movements in ASL, and people who do not sign. ASHA's guidance on hearing loss in children covers how visual and auditory information combine in communication.[1]
Speechreading goals sit beside language and listening goals, never in place of them. The 16 goals below are grouped into four areas. Baselines and criteria are illustrations. Templates link to the auditory skills goals page.
Choosing the right goal
| If the student... | Area to target | Measure | Data sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Looks away from the speaker or at the wrong place | Watching the face | Opportunities | Opportunity data sheet |
| Watches but cannot tell similar words apart | Words and phrases with listening | Percent accuracy | Accuracy data sheet |
| Gets single words but loses sentences | Sentences and context | Percent accuracy | Accuracy data sheet |
| Misses information when speakers turn away, cover their mouths or stand in shadow | Managing conversation | Opportunities | Opportunity data sheet |
| Uses ASL as a first language and needs access to spoken English with family | Mixed goals with family input | Percent accuracy | Accuracy data sheet |
Write the condition in every goal: listening plus speechreading, or speechreading alone with devices off or masked sound. They are different skills. Most school goals use listening plus speechreading, because that is how the student hears in class.
Watching the face goals
Young students and new speechreaders first learn where to look and when. Good conditions matter: speaker 3 to 6 feet away, face lit from the front, no hand or object in front of the mouth.
| # | Goal | Baseline | Template |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | During a 10-minute small-group lesson, the student will look at the face of the person talking within 3 seconds of a new speaker starting on 8 of 10 speaker changes. | 3 of 10 | Find who is talking in a group |
| 2 | When a peer starts talking in a circle of 5, the student will locate and look at the peer on 4 of 5 opportunities. | 1 of 5 | Find who is talking in a group |
| 3 | Given 6 everyday facial expressions shown by an adult, the student will name the feeling shown on 5 of 6 trials on 3 consecutive probes. | 2 of 6 | Auditory skills goals |
| 4 | During whole-class instruction, the student will choose a seat facing the teacher with light on the teacher's face on 9 of 10 observed periods. | 4 of 10 | Choose a seat that helps listening |
Weak: "The student will pay attention to speakers."
Measurable: "During a 10-minute small-group lesson, the student will look at the face of the person talking within 3 seconds of a new speaker starting on 8 of 10 speaker changes."
Words and phrases with listening goals
Start with closed sets of words that look different on the lips, such as "ball" and "shoe." Then move to pairs that look alike and can only be told apart by listening, which trains the student to use both channels.
| # | Goal | Baseline | Template |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Given a closed set of 6 pictures of words that look different on the lips, the student will point to the word spoken with face visible and devices on for 9 of 10 trials. | 6 of 10 | Combine speechreading and listening for words |
| 6 | Given a closed set of 4 words that look alike on the lips, such as "pat," "bat" and "mat," the student will identify the word spoken with face visible and devices on for 8 of 10 trials. | 4 of 10 | Combine speechreading and listening for words |
| 7 | Given 10 common classroom phrases, such as "take out your book," spoken with face visible at 6 feet, the student will repeat or act on 9 of 10 on 3 consecutive probes. | 5 of 10 | Combine speechreading and listening for words |
| 8 | Given 10 numbers from 1 to 100 spoken with face visible, the student will write 9 of 10 correctly on 3 consecutive probes. | 6 of 10 | Combine speechreading and listening for words |
Weak: "The student will lipread words."
Measurable: "Given a closed set of 4 words that look alike on the lips, such as 'pat,' 'bat' and 'mat,' the student will identify the word spoken with face visible and devices on for 8 of 10 trials."
Numbers are worth their own goal. Fifteen and fifty look almost the same, and a missed number in math or a phone number causes real errors.
Sentences and context goals
Context does much of the work in real conversation. A student who knows the topic is "lunch" can fill in a word they could not see. Teach the student to use the topic, the situation and the first words of a sentence to predict the rest.
| # | Goal | Baseline | Template |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Given a known topic and 10 related sentences spoken with face visible, the student will repeat the key words of 8 of 10 sentences on 3 of 4 probes. | 4 of 10 | Repeat sentences heard in quiet |
| 10 | Given 10 sentences with no topic given, spoken with face visible, the student will repeat the key words of 6 of 10 on 3 of 4 probes. | 2 of 10 | Repeat sentences heard in quiet |
| 11 | After watching and listening to a 5-sentence story told face to face, the student will answer 4 of 5 questions on 3 consecutive probes. | 2 of 5 | Answer questions about a passage heard |
| 12 | When a word is missed in a sentence, the student will use the topic and the rest of the sentence to guess it and check the guess with the speaker on 4 of 5 trials. | 1 of 5 | Use a repair strategy for a missed word |
Weak: "The student will understand sentences by speechreading."
Measurable: "Given a known topic and 10 related sentences spoken with face visible, the student will repeat the key words of 8 of 10 sentences on 3 of 4 probes."
Managing conversation goals
Speechreading fails when the speaker turns to the board, talks with a hand over the mouth, has a beard or mask, or stands with a window behind them. The student needs to fix these situations, politely and quickly.
| # | Goal | Baseline | Template |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | When a speaker turns away or covers their mouth, the student will ask them to face them on 4 of 5 observed opportunities. | 1 of 5 | Ask for a repeat when something was missed |
| 14 | When a message is missed, the student will use a specific repair, such as asking for a key word, for it to be rephrased or written, on 4 of 5 breakdowns. | Says "what?" on 4 of 5 | Use a repair strategy for a missed word |
| 15 | In a noisy setting such as the cafeteria, the student will move to face the speaker or to a quieter spot on 3 of 4 opportunities. | 0 of 4 | Use a listening strategy in noisy places |
| 16 | When meeting a new teacher, the student will explain 3 things that help speechreading, such as facing the class and not talking while writing on the board, scoring 3 of 4 on a rubric. | 1 of 4 | Explain own hearing to a teacher |
Weak: "The student will self-advocate."
Measurable: "When a speaker turns away or covers their mouth, the student will ask them to face them on 4 of 5 observed opportunities."
How to measure progress
Most speechreading goals use percent accuracy on sets of 10 items. Conversation goals use opportunities. Record on the accuracy data sheet.
Write the conditions on each probe:
- Channel: listening plus speechreading, or speechreading alone.
- Distance and angle: feet, and face-on or side view.
- Speaker: familiar or unfamiliar. Students do better with people they know.
- Set: closed set with the number of choices, or open set.
- Lighting: front-lit or backlit.
Score key words, not every word. For "The dog ran to the park," the key words are dog, ran and park. Decide the key words before the probe. Paste drafts into the goal checker.
Adapting by grade
| Grade band | Focus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool | Looking at faces, turn-taking, simple routines | Looks at the speaker when a new person talks |
| K to 2 | Closed-set words with listening, classroom phrases | Picks the word from 6 pictures |
| 3 to 5 | Sentences with topic, numbers, repairs | Repeats key words with a known topic |
| 6 to 12 | Unfamiliar speakers, noise, explaining needs | Asks a speaker to face them |
For the listening levels behind these goals, see the auditory skills hierarchy guide. Students who rely on an interpreter for class can still benefit from speechreading with family and in the community; see working with an educational interpreter. For all goal areas, see IEP goals for deaf and hard of hearing students, and the low-incidence disabilities guide for who writes which section. The IEP team must consider the student's language and communication needs, which is where speechreading fits.[2]
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between speechreading and lipreading?
Lipreading means watching the lips. Speechreading is broader: it uses the whole face, gestures, body language and context. Teachers of the deaf usually say speechreading because the lips alone give too little information.
Can a deaf student understand everything by speechreading?
No. Many sounds look the same on the lips and some cannot be seen at all. Speechreading works best combined with listening, context and repair strategies. It does not replace sign language or captions where a student needs them.
Should speechreading be tested with the voice off?
Only if the goal is speechreading alone. Most school goals measure listening plus speechreading, because that matches how the student communicates in class. State the condition in the goal.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Auditory skills goals (access skills)
- IEP goals for hearing loss
- Goals for the DHH teacher role
- Hearing impairment in the IEP glossary
- IEP goal checker
Related guides
- Low-incidence disabilities in the IEP: vision, hearing, deaf-blindness and physical needs
- IEP goals for deaf and hard of hearing students
- Auditory skills hierarchy for IEP goals
- Working with an educational interpreter: student IEP goals
Sources
- Hearing Loss in Children, ASHA
- 34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, 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.