How to measure goals for students who do not speak
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
To measure goals for a student who does not speak, first define exactly how the student responds, such as eye gaze, a switch, a sign or a device. Set a wait time, use enough choices that guessing can't pass, rotate positions, and record the prompt level on every trial. Then count correct responses the same way every session.
A student who does not speak can still show what they know. The measurement problem is on our side: we need to see the answer clearly, give enough time for it, and make sure a guess doesn't look like a skill. Get those three things right and the data is as solid as any spoken probe.
These steps apply to every goal, not just communication goals. A student who answers math questions by eye gaze needs the same care as one learning to request with a device. For the goals themselves, see the pillar on IEP goals for students with severe and profound disabilities and the AAC goals page.
Communication access comes first. The IEP team must consider the student's communication needs and whether the student needs assistive technology devices and services.[1] If the student has no reliable way to respond yet, that becomes the first goal, and the other measurement depends on it.
What you need before you start
- A list of the student's current response modes. Eye gaze, reaching, touching, a switch, signs, vocalizations, a speech-generating device. Ask the SLP, OT and family.
- Positioning information from the OT or PT. Where the student's hands, eyes and head work best. A student who can't reach the left side of a board will look like they don't know the left-side answers.
- The student's AAC system and vocabulary, if they have one, set up and charged.
- A data sheet with columns for response, prompt level and position. The opportunity data sheet works.
Step by step
1. Define the response in one sentence
Write what counts as a response so every adult scores it the same way. "Selection by eye gaze: the student looks at one picture for at least 2 seconds and then looks back at the adult." "Switch response: the student presses the switch with enough force to activate it." Vague definitions like "indicates" produce data no one can compare.
2. Set the wait time
Many students need 10 to 30 seconds to plan and make a motor response. Write the wait time into the goal and on the data sheet. Count silently. If you prompt at 3 seconds when the student needed 15, you are measuring your patience, not their skill.
3. Control for guessing
With 2 choices, a student who guesses will be right about half the time by chance. A criterion of 4 of 5 correct with 2 choices is not strong evidence. Use one of these fixes:
- Increase the field to 3 or 4 choices when the student's access allows it.
- Increase the trials to 10 or more per session.
- Rotate positions so the correct answer is not always on the same side. Record the position on each trial.
4. Separate the access method from the skill
If the goal is identifying coins, the student's eye gaze is the access method, not the skill. Check access first with highly preferred items. If the student selects a favorite snack 9 of 10 times by gaze, gaze works, and errors on coins are about coins.
5. Record the prompt level on every trial
Name the levels in the goal: independent, gestural, model, partial physical, full physical. A student moving from full physical to a light touch is making progress. If you score only "correct" or "incorrect," that growth disappears.
6. Count communication that isn't on the device
Pushing a cup away, turning the head and leaning toward an item are communication. Write them down. For a student without a reliable mode yet, these are the baseline. For a student who uses a device, they show where the device vocabulary needs to grow.
Worked example from start to finish
Ana is a fictional 9-year-old with cerebral palsy. She does not speak and has limited hand use. She communicates with eye gaze, smiles and vocalizations. Her team wants a goal for identifying numbers 1 to 5.
September: check access. The SLP sets up a clear eye gaze frame with 4 photo positions. Using 4 preferred items, Ana selects the named item on 9 of 10 trials with a 15-second wait. Gaze is reliable in a 4-item field.
Baseline: 3 sessions. The teacher names a number and shows 4 number cards in the frame, rotating positions. With a 15-second wait, Ana selects the correct number on 3 of 10, 2 of 10 and 3 of 10 trials. Chance with 4 choices is about 1 in 4, so her baseline is near chance. Median: 3 of 10.
The goal: given 4 number cards (1 to 5) in an eye gaze frame and a 15-second wait, Ana will select the number named on at least 8 of 10 trials, with positions rotated, across 3 consecutive sessions.
Teaching and data. The teacher teaches numbers through counting real objects. Probes run twice a week, 10 trials each.
| Week | Probe 1 (of 10) | Probe 2 (of 10) | Prompts noted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 3 | 2 | None given during probes |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Missed mostly position 4 (far right) |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | Frame moved 10 cm left; errors spread evenly |
| 8 | 7 | 8 | None |
| 10 | 8 | 9 | None |
The position notes mattered. In week 3, most errors were on the far right. The OT moved the frame, and the errors evened out. Without that column, the team might have decided Ana didn't know 4 and 5.
Measurement methods that fit
| Goal type | Method | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing, identifying, answering questions | Opportunities with a fixed field | Correct of trials, position, wait time |
| Requesting, commenting, greeting with a device | Frequency per session | Count of independent messages, by function |
| Multi-step routines | Task analysis | Prompt level for each step |
| Staying with an activity | Duration | Minutes engaged |
| Replacing a behavior with a message | Frequency of each | Behavior count and message count, graphed together |
Common mistakes
- Weak: "Ana will indicate the correct answer." Better: "Ana will select the correct answer by eye gaze, looking at it for 2 seconds." Name the mode and what counts.
- Weak: 2 choices and a 4 of 5 criterion. Better: a field of 3 or 4, or 10 trials per probe, with positions rotated.
- Weak: Prompting after 3 seconds and scoring no response as wrong. Better: a written wait time of 10 to 30 seconds, counted silently.
- Weak: Scoring only correct or incorrect. Better: a prompt level on every trial, so the move from full physical to a touch shows up.
- Weak: Taking the device away for "testing." Better: Assess with the device the student uses every day. Removing it removes the student's voice.
- Weak: Ignoring behavior as communication. Better: Record what the behavior seemed to say and add that message to the device.
Templates and tools
- AAC goal templates: the AAC goals page and IEP goals for AAC users, such as selecting a symbol with eye gaze or a switch and signaling yes during partner-assisted scanning.
- Glossary: partner-assisted scanning and switch access.
- Data sheets: the opportunity data sheet and the task analysis data sheet.
- Before the meeting, run your draft through the goal checker.
For participation goals in care routines, see personal care participation IEP goals. For device goals in more depth, see AAC goals examples. ASHA's practice portal on AAC covers assessment and intervention for this group.[2]
Frequently asked questions
How do you assess a nonverbal student?
Find a reliable response mode first, such as eye gaze, a switch, a sign or a device. Check it with preferred items, then present tasks in that mode with enough wait time, enough choices to rule out guessing, and rotated positions.
How many choices should a nonverbal student have during a probe?
As many as their access method allows, often 3 or 4. With only 2 choices, guessing gives about half right, so use 10 or more trials and rotate positions before treating a high score as mastery.
Can a student who does not speak take part in progress monitoring?
Yes. The same methods apply: opportunities, frequency, duration and task analysis. The difference is that the response is defined in the student's mode and the data sheet records wait time, position and prompt level.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- AAC goals (speech language)
- IEP goals for AAC users
- AAC in the IEP glossary
- Opportunity data sheet
- IEP goal checker
Related guides
- IEP goals for students with severe and profound disabilities
- Personal care participation IEP goals for students who need full support
- Present levels examples for students with severe disabilities
- IEP goals for students who take alternate assessments
- IEP goals for students with intellectual disabilities
Sources
- 34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), ASHA
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.