IEP goals for yes and no questions
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
A yes and no question goal names whether the questions are about wants or facts, how the student answers and a criterion with half yes and half no items. Example: given 10 questions about pictures, half true and half false, Eli will answer yes or no correctly by head nod or symbol in 9 of 10, up from 5 of 10.
"Do you want juice?" and "Is this a dog?" look like the same kind of question. They are not. The first asks about a want, and most children answer it well before the second, which asks them to judge a fact. A student who says "yes" to everything may understand wants perfectly and still be guessing on facts. Good yes and no goals keep the two apart.
What this page adds: the wants-versus-facts split, a decision table, 24 goals across six question types and response modes, a weak and measurable pair per section, and a scoring method that catches a yes bias. Numbers are illustrations, not norms. The speech therapy IEP goals pillar covers every other area, and receptive language IEP goals covers the wider area.
Wants first, then facts
| Question type | Example | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Wants (accept or reject) | "Do you want the swing?" | Knowing what you want and signaling it |
| Facts about things in view | "Is this a cup?" | Matching a word to what you see |
| Facts about people and events | "Did you ride the bus today?" | Memory and personal information |
| Facts in stories and statements | "Did the bear eat the porridge?" | Comprehension and recall |
| Asking a yes or no question | "Is it my turn?" | Question grammar and intonation |
Teach and measure them as separate goals. A student at 10 of 10 on wants and 5 of 10 on facts is at chance on facts, which is a different need.
Pick and keep one clear response
Choose the mode that is easiest and most reliable for the student: a head nod and shake, a sign, two symbols on a board, a device button, eye gaze to two cards, or a switch during partner-assisted scanning. Put yes and no in the same places every time. AAC has no prerequisites, so start with a symbol mode right away if speech or head movement is unreliable.[2]
Honor every "no" about a want. If the student says no to the swing, they do not go on the swing. A no that is ignored teaches the student their answer does not matter.
How to choose a yes and no goal
Yes and no understanding is part of receptive language, and it builds on vocabulary and sentence comprehension.[1]
| What you see | Sub-skill to target | Measurement method |
|---|---|---|
| Cries or pushes away instead of saying no | Yes and no for wants | Opportunities out of 5 or 10 |
| Says yes to every question about pictures | Yes and no about things in view | Items out of 10, half yes and half no |
| Answers "Did you...?" questions inconsistently | Yes and no about people and events | Items out of 10 |
| Cannot judge whether a sentence is true | True or false and story questions | Items out of 10 |
| No reliable way to answer at all | Yes and no with AAC, eye gaze or switch | Items out of 10 in the chosen mode |
| Asks questions as statements ("You go?") | Asking yes or no questions | Questions out of 10 |
Yes and no for wants
- When offered a preferred or non-preferred item and asked "Do you want ___?", Eli will answer yes or no in his chosen mode in 9 of 10 offers across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10, reaches for everything. Template.
- When asked about a want or need during snack ("Are you thirsty?"), Ruby will answer yes or no in 4 of 5 opportunities across 2 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
- When an unwanted item or activity is offered, Ruby will signal no with a head shake, sign or symbol instead of pushing it away in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
- During choice time, Owen will answer "Do you want this one?" for each of 3 offered activities and go to the one he said yes to in 4 of 5 choice times. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Weak: "Eli will answer yes and no questions." Measurable: Goal 1. It says the questions are about wants and names the response mode.
Yes and no about things in view
- Given 10 questions about objects (half true, half false), Mia will answer yes or no correctly in 9 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 5 of 10, says yes to all. Template.
- Given 10 questions about a picture scene ("Is the boy sleeping?"), half true and half false, Mia will answer correctly in 8 of 10 across 2 probes. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
- Given 10 questions about colors and shapes of objects in view, Andre will answer yes or no correctly in 9 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
- Given 10 silly and true questions mixed ("Is this a banana?" while holding a shoe), Andre will answer correctly in 9 of 10 across 2 sessions. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
Weak: "Mia will answer yes/no questions with 80% accuracy." Measurable: Goal 1. Half yes and half no items make 80% meaningful; all-yes items would let a guess pass.
Yes and no about people and events
- Given 10 questions about her own information ("Is your name Sara?", "Do you have a brother?"), Sara will answer yes or no correctly in 9 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
- Given 10 questions about something she just did ("Did you paint?"), half true and half false, Sara will answer correctly in 8 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
- Given 10 questions about the class schedule ("Is music today?"), Tomas will answer correctly in 8 of 10 across 2 probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
- When asked a yes or no question by a classmate during centers, Tomas will answer in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Weak: "Sara will answer personal questions." Measurable: Goal 2. It names the question type, the mix and the count.
True or false and story questions
- After a short story read aloud, Kayla will answer 10 yes or no questions about it (half true, half false) with 8 of 10 correct across 3 stories. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
- Given 10 spoken statements about a science unit, Kayla will judge each as true or false in 8 of 10 across 3 probes. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
- Given 10 spoken sentences, Ben will say whether each makes sense or is silly in 9 of 10 across 2 sessions. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
- Given 10 pairs of spoken sentences, Ben will say yes or no to "Do these mean the same thing?" in 8 of 10 across 3 probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Weak: "Kayla will understand stories." Measurable: Goal 1. Yes or no story questions are a clear first step for students who are not yet answering WH questions.
Yes and no with AAC, eye gaze or switches
- Using yes and no symbols on his device, Zane will answer 10 questions about wants and things in view with 8 of 10 correct across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
- During partner-assisted scanning, Zane will signal yes when the partner names his choice from 4 options in 8 of 10 trials across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
- Using eye gaze to yes and no cards held apart, Lila will answer 10 questions about pictures with 8 of 10 correct across 3 sessions. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
- Using a head nod and shake, Lila will answer 10 questions from a new partner with 8 of 10 correct, as confirmed by the partner's notes, across 2 weeks. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
Weak: "Zane will indicate yes and no." Measurable: Goal 1. It names the mode, the question types and the count.
Asking yes or no questions
- Given 10 picture prompts, Leo will ask a yes or no question with the verb first ("Can I have it?") in 8 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
- When reading aloud or talking, Leo will use rising intonation on yes or no questions in 8 of 10 questions across 2 probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
- Given 10 spoken sentences, Nora will tell whether each is a question or a statement in 9 of 10 across 2 sessions. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
- During a guessing game, Nora will ask 5 yes or no questions to find a hidden picture in 4 of 5 rounds. Baseline: 1 question. Template.
Weak: "Leo will ask questions correctly." Measurable: Goal 1. It names the question form and the count.
How to measure yes and no goals
Build each fact probe with 10 items, 5 true and 5 false, in a random order. Score percent accuracy on the accuracy data sheet and note yes errors and no errors separately. A student who gets all 5 true items and 0 false items is at chance with a yes bias, even though the total looks like 5 of 10. For want questions, use the opportunity data sheet and include non-preferred offers. Probe every 2 to 3 weeks.[3]
Short-term objectives for yes and no goals
For Mia's picture goal: by the first report, 7 of 10 with one feature at a time ("Is this a dog?"); by the second, 8 of 10 with actions ("Is the dog running?"); by the third, 9 of 10 with new pictures and a new partner. The short-term objectives guide has the format.
Adapting by age and profile
| Age or profile | Typical focus | Example change |
|---|---|---|
| Preschool | Wants with real items | Snack and play offers |
| K to 2 | Facts about pictures and the day | Picture scenes and schedule questions |
| Grades 3 to 5 | True or false statements; stories | Read-alouds and science facts |
| Middle and high school | Yes or no for self-advocacy and health | "Do you need a break?" "Does it hurt?" |
| AAC user | Symbols or device buttons | Fixed positions for yes and no |
| Physical access needs | Eye gaze, switch or scanning | Partner-assisted scanning routines |
The next step after reliable yes and no answers is usually WH questions; see WH questions IEP goals. For asking questions, see asking questions IEP goals, and for concept words inside questions, basic concepts IEP goals. Templates are on the receptive language goals page. The goal checker catches missing criteria.
Frequently asked questions
Why separate yes and no for wants from yes and no for facts?
They are different skills. Most children answer questions about what they want well before they can judge whether a statement is true. Mixing the two in one goal hides whether the student is guessing on facts.
How do I know if a student has a yes bias?
Use half true and half false items and track errors by type. If the student gets nearly every true item right and most false items wrong, they are saying yes to everything, not understanding the questions.
What response mode should a student use for yes and no?
Whatever is easiest and most reliable for that student: head movements, signs, symbols, a device, eye gaze or a switch. Keep yes and no in the same positions every time and name the mode in the goal.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Receptive language goals (speech language)
- Receptive language in the IEP glossary
- AAC goals (speech language)
- Accuracy data sheet
- IEP goal checker
Related guides
- Speech therapy IEP goals: examples by area
- WH questions IEP goals
- IEP goals for asking questions
- Receptive language IEP goals
Sources
- Spoken Language Disorders, ASHA
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), ASHA
- Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention
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.