Self-determination activities for students with IEPs
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
Self-determination activities give students repeated practice making choices, setting and tracking their own goals, solving problems and speaking up about what they need. The core tool is a goal and action plan sheet the student fills in, tracks weekly and reviews. This page has an activity menu by skill, the fill-in sheet and a completed example for a grade 9 student.
Self-determination is the set of skills a person uses to steer their own life: knowing what they want, making a plan, acting on it and adjusting. In the IEP, it shows up in two places. The student must be invited to meetings where transition is discussed, and their preferences and interests must be considered.[1] And the transition plan works best when the student has had practice deciding things long before that meeting.
The activities below are short and repeatable. Most take 10 to 20 minutes and fit into a resource period, an advisory class or a life skills block. For the transition plan these skills feed, see transition planning in the IEP.
Activity menu by skill
| Skill | Activity | Time | Goal template |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choice making | Student picks the order of 3 work tasks each session | 1 minute a session | Choose the order of work session tasks |
| Choice making, significant support needs | Offer 2 real items; honor the choice right away | Through the day | Choose between two items |
| Self-awareness | One-page profile: strengths, interests, what helps, what does not | 2 sessions of 20 minutes | Build a one-page profile |
| Self-awareness | Describe a good day and a hard day at school | 15 minutes | Describe a good day and a hard day |
| Goal setting | Weekly personal goal with 2 or 3 action steps | 15 minutes Monday, 5 minutes Friday | Set a personal goal with an action plan |
| Self-monitoring | Graph own data each week | 5 minutes | Graph own progress data each week |
| Decision making | Decision chart: options, pros, cons, choice | 20 minutes | Weigh options with a decision chart |
| Problem solving | Use a 4-step problem card on a real problem | 10 minutes | Work through a real problem step by step |
| Self-evaluation | Predict own score, then compare with the actual score | 5 minutes | Predict own score then check the result |
| Values | Rank work values with a card sort | 20 minutes | Rank work values with a card sort |
| IEP participation | Prepare and present part of own IEP meeting | 3 to 5 sessions | Prepare for own IEP meeting |
Start with one routine and keep it going all year. A weekly goal sheet used 30 times does more than 10 different one-off lessons.
Fill-in goal and action plan sheet
The student fills this in, with as much help as needed at first. Read it aloud, use pictures or let the student dictate.
| Part | Student fills in |
|---|---|
| 1. My goal this week | One thing I want to do or get better at |
| 2. Why it matters to me | How it connects to something I care about |
| 3. My steps | Two or three things I will do, and when |
| 4. What might get in the way | One problem I expect |
| 5. My plan B | What I will do if that happens |
| 6. Who can help | One person and how I will ask |
| 7. How I will know | What I will count or check |
| 8. Friday check | Did I meet it? Yes, partly or no |
| 9. What I learned | What I will keep or change next week |
Completed example: Amira, grade 9
Amira is 14 and in a resource English class. Her teachers report that she rarely turns in homework. In her transition interview she said she wants to be a veterinary technician.
| Part | Amira's sheet, week of October 6 |
|---|---|
| 1. My goal this week | Turn in 4 of my 5 English homework assignments |
| 2. Why it matters to me | Vet tech school needs a diploma, and I'm failing English |
| 3. My steps | Write homework in my planner before the bell. Do it at the kitchen table before my phone. Put it in my folder right away. |
| 4. What might get in the way | I forget my planner in my locker |
| 5. My plan B | Take a photo of the board with my phone |
| 6. Who can help | Ms. R. I will ask her at the start of class to check my planner |
| 7. How I will know | Count assignments turned in on the class website |
| 8. Friday check | Partly: 3 of 5 |
| 9. What I learned | The planner worked on the days I used it. Next week I will keep it in my binder. |
Across 8 weeks, Amira's teacher graphs the weekly count beside Amira's own graph. The baseline was 1 of 5 assignments a week. By week 8, Amira turns in 4 of 5 in 3 of the last 4 weeks. Her IEP goal: "Each week, Amira will set a personal goal, list 2 or more action steps and record the result, completing 9 of 10 weekly sheets." The weekly homework count is the evidence that the routine works.
What reviewers and parents look for, section by section
- The goal (1). It should be the student's, in their words. A goal the teacher wrote and the student signed is not self-determination practice.
- Why it matters (2). This is the link to the postsecondary goal. Reviewers like to see it. Families like to hear their child connect school to a future.
- Steps (3). Concrete actions with a time. "Try harder" is not a step.
- Obstacles and plan B (4 and 5). This is problem solving. Expect blanks at first and prompt with a question, not an answer.
- Who can help (6). Practice in asking for help, which is self-advocacy in small form.
- How I will know (7). The student's own measure. It should be countable.
- Friday check and learning (8 and 9). Reviewers want to see adjustment over time. Keep old sheets so the student can see their own pattern.
Building toward the IEP meeting
The strongest use of these routines is the student's own IEP meeting. A student who has set and tracked goals all year can report on them. Templates for each piece:
- Review own present levels and give feedback
- Draft own annual goal in own words
- Report own goal progress at the IEP meeting
- Describe a vision for adult life
The student input survey and the vision statement examples help with preparation. For the speaking-up side of these skills, see teaching self-advocacy skills and self-advocacy goal examples. As the student nears 18, add the steps in the age of majority notice.
NTACT:C includes self-determination instruction among its effective practices for transition, and the OSERS transition guide stresses the student's active role in planning.[2][3] The self-determination glossary entry and the student-led IEP entry give short definitions for families.
Frequently asked questions
What are examples of self-determination skills?
Choice making, decision making, problem solving, goal setting and tracking, self-monitoring, self-evaluation, self-awareness of strengths and needs, and self-advocacy. They are taught through repeated practice in real situations, such as choosing task order or setting a weekly goal.
At what age should self-determination instruction start?
Choice making and asking for help can start in preschool and elementary school. Goal setting and self-evaluation fit upper elementary and middle school. By the time transition planning begins, the student should have practiced these skills for years.
How do I measure self-determination?
Count what the student does: goals set and checked, choices made when offered, problems solved with a step framework, or parts of an IEP meeting led. Self-rating scales completed by the student and a teacher once or twice a year add a broader picture.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Self determination goals (transition)
- Self determination in the IEP glossary
- Student-led IEP in the IEP glossary
- Transition IEP goals
Related guides
- Transition planning in the IEP: what is required and when
- Transition services and activities examples
- Career exploration activities for special education
- Transition IEP goals for elementary students
- Voting skills for students with disabilities
Sources
- 34 CFR §300.321: IEP Team, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
- Effective Practices, NTACT:C
- A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities (August 2020), U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
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.