Conversational repair and clarification goals

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Conversational repair goals target two skills: fixing your own message when a listener is confused, and asking for clarification when you are. Name the breakdown, the repair that counts and a criterion. For example: when a partner says huh or looks confused, Eli will repeat, rephrase or add detail to his message in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 sessions.

Every conversation breaks down sometimes. A word is misheard, a reference is unclear, a direction goes by too fast. Strong communicators fix it in a second and move on. Students without repair skills give up, repeat the same words louder, walk away or nod along without understanding. The breakdown becomes the end of the conversation.

These 16 goals split repair into its two halves. One is speaker repair: fixing your message when the listener didn't get it. The other is listener repair: asking for clarification when you didn't get theirs. Each goal has a condition, a baseline, a criterion and a template link. Numbers are illustrations. For the wider set of social language goals, see the pragmatic language goals for high school students and pragmatic language goals for kindergarten. The speech therapy IEP goals pillar covers every area.

Repair strategies, from easiest to hardest

Students tend to try the easiest strategy first. Goals should name which strategies count, so a student who only repeats louder does not score as repairing.

Strategy	What the student does	Example after "Huh?"
Repetition	Says the same words again	"I want the blue one."
Revision	Changes the words or the order	"The blue marker. Can I have it?"
Addition	Adds a detail the listener was missing	"The blue one, next to your hand."
Background	Explains a term or gives context	"Blue like the sky. The marker for the map."
Mode switch	Points, shows, writes, signs or uses AAC	Points to the marker

Kinds of clarification requests

Teach students to ask in ways that tell the speaker what to fix. A neutral request only says something went wrong.

Type	Example	What it tells the speaker
Neutral	"Huh?" "What?"	Something was missed
Specific	"Which page?" "Where do we put it?"	Exactly which part was missed
Confirmation	"Did you say Tuesday?"	What the student thinks they heard
Request to adjust	"Can you say it slower?"	How to change the delivery

How to choose the right repair goal

What you see now	Sub-skill to target	Measurement method
Repeats the same words louder, then gives up	Revising or adding to own message	Opportunities: repairs that use revision or addition, out of 5
Speech is hard to understand; listeners often guess	Repair for intelligibility	Opportunities with planned "huh?"
Nods along, then does the task wrong	Asking for clarification	Opportunities with planned unclear directions
Uses AAC, walks away when not understood	AAC repair and mode switching	Opportunities: repairs out of breakdowns
Starts talking mid-thought, listeners get lost	Monitoring the listener	Planned check-ins per conversation
Misreads tone or sarcasm, conflict follows	Checking intent	Opportunities in role plays

Speaker repair: fixing your own message

When a conversation partner signals confusion ("Huh?", a puzzled look), Eli will repeat, rephrase or add detail to his message in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 sessions, using revision or addition in at least 2 of the 4. Baseline: repeated the same words in 4 of 5, then stopped. Template.
When a listener does not understand a word because of his speech, Jonah will repeat it once and then rephrase or describe it in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
When a partner repeats back her message incorrectly, Mia will tell them which part was wrong and give the correct part ("No, Tuesday, not Thursday") in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: accepted the error in 3 of 5. Template.
When a partner asks "Which one?" about an item or person, Theo will add a detail (color, place, name) that identifies it in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: pointed vaguely or repeated "that one" in 4 of 5. Template.
When the word he needs is missing on his device or the listener does not understand, Omar will repair the message by finding another word, spelling or rephrasing in 3 of 4 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: walked away in 3 of 4. Template.

Weak: "Eli will repair communication breakdowns." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the signal, the strategies that count and how many must be revisions.

Listener repair: asking for clarification

When a message from a peer or adult is unclear, Ava will ask a specific clarifying question ("Which page?", "Do you mean the red one?") in 4 of 5 planned opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 5; nodded in the rest. Template.
When a classroom direction was not heard or understood, Lena will ask for a repeat or clarification before starting the task in 4 of 5 opportunities across 2 weeks. Baseline: started the wrong task in 3 of 5. Template.
When she misses part of a spoken message, Rosa will ask the speaker to repeat or rephrase it ("Can you say that again?") in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
When an assignment is unclear, Marcus will ask the teacher a clarifying question that names the confusing part within 5 minutes, in 4 of 5 opportunities across a grading period. Baseline: waited or did not start in 4 of 5. Template.
When she missed something because of noise or distance, Sofia will ask for a repeat and say what would help ("I missed that, can you face me?") in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Ava will ask for help when she doesn't understand." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It requires a specific question and uses planned breakdowns so every probe has the same number of chances.

Monitoring the listener

While explaining a game or a process to a peer, Dev will stop at least 2 times to check whether the listener is following ("Make sense so far?") and add detail when they are not, in 3 of 4 explanations. Baseline: 0 check-ins. Template.
Before starting a new message on his device, Leo will name the topic first ("About lunch...") so partners can follow, in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
When a speaker's words and tone seem to differ, such as possible sarcasm, Kai will ask what they meant ("Are you joking?") in 3 of 4 role plays and 2 of 3 real opportunities. Baseline: responded to the literal words in 4 of 4. Template.

Weak: "Dev will be aware of his listener." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It counts check-ins and what Dev does after a "no."

Mode switching, writing and reflection

When a spoken or device message is not working after one try, Nia will switch to another mode (point, show, write, sign) in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: repeated the same message in 4 of 5. Template.
When a text message is misunderstood, Ty will send a follow-up message that clears it up in 3 of 4 role plays. Baseline: stopped replying in 3 of 4. Template.
After a miscommunication, Jade will explain what went wrong and one way to fix it next time in 3 of 4 opportunities with an adult. Baseline: blamed the other person in 3 of 4. Template.

Weak: "Nia will use her AAC when she isn't understood." Measurable: The first goal in this section. It names the trigger (one failed try) and every mode that counts.

How to measure repair goals

Natural breakdowns are too rare and too uneven to measure alone. Plan them. In a 15-minute probe, build in 5 breakdowns of the type the goal targets.

For speaker repair: say "Huh?" or look confused after 5 of the student's messages, or "mishear" a word on purpose.
For listener repair: give 5 directions that are missing a detail ("Put it over there"), too fast or too quiet.
For mode switching: pretend not to understand a device message once per activity.

Score each breakdown on the opportunity trial data sheet: repaired or not, and which strategy. Read more on measuring by opportunities. Then add real-world checks: ask the teacher to note 3 breakdowns a week and what the student did.

Tell the student about planned breakdowns once the skill is taught. Repair is a skill students can practice openly, and knowing the game makes the probes feel fair.

Short-term objectives

Move from planned to natural breakdowns, and from adult to peer partners. For the speaker repair goal: 3 of 5 repairs with the SLP and a visual strategy card, then 4 of 5 without the card, then 4 of 5 with a peer during group work. The short-term objectives guide shows the format.

Adapting by grade

Grade band	Focus	Example change
K to 2	Neutral requests, repetition, pointing	Picture card with "Say it again" and "Show me"
Grades 3 to 5	Specific questions, revision, addition	Barrier games with missing details
Middle school	Confirmation questions, checking intent, texting	Peer role plays, group projects
High school and transition	Requests to adjust, workplace clarifications	Job site and community settings

Repair is part of social communication, and difficulty with it can show up in many profiles, not only one diagnosis.^[1] Full wording is on the pragmatic language goals page and the conversation skills goal hub. Check each draft in the goal checker. Clarification goals tied to classroom listening also fit the listening comprehension IEP goals page.

Frequently asked questions

What is conversational repair in speech therapy?

It is fixing a conversation after a misunderstanding. A speaker repairs by repeating, rephrasing, adding detail or switching modes. A listener repairs by asking for clarification. Both keep the conversation going instead of letting it end.

How do you create opportunities to practice conversational repair?

Plan breakdowns. Say huh after some of the student's messages, give directions with a missing detail, or pretend to mishear. Build in 5 per probe so every session has the same number of chances to score.

Does repeating the same words count as a repair?

It counts as an attempt, and it is the easiest strategy. A goal should usually require revision, addition or a mode switch for at least some repairs, because repeating louder often does not fix the problem.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Social Communication Disorder, ASHA
Spoken Language Disorders, 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.