Motor & Sensory Skills (OT, PT & Adapted PE) IEP goals for Cerebral Palsy
54 motor & sensory skills (OT, PT & adapted PE) templates across 2 skills: functional mobility, feeding & mealtime skills. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
54 templates · 2 skills · Pre-K, K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Functional Mobility Motor & Sensory Skills (OT, PT & Adapted PE)
Propel a manual wheelchair to lunch on time
Wheelchair propulsion at school
By the annual IEP review date, during the passing time before lunch, on the route from the classroom to the cafeteria, the student will propel the manual wheelchair the full route, steering around people and objects with no adult pushes or prompts within 5 minutes, on 4 of 5 timed routes, as measured by duration recording collected twice weekly.
Steer a wheelchair through classroom doorways
Ramps, elevators and doors
By the annual IEP review date, when entering or leaving the classroom, the restroom or a special-class room through a standard doorway, the student will line the wheelchair up with the opening and roll through without either wheel touching the door frame, with no adult touching the chair in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 4 of 5 observed days, as measured by direct observation collected daily during the first five doorway passes.
Wheel up and down the school ramp
Ramps, elevators and doors
By the annual IEP review date, when using the ramp at the main entrance on arrival or dismissal, the student will propel up the full ramp without rolling back and come down with hands controlling the speed on the push rims, with no adult hands on the chair in at least 4 of 5 trials, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly with the PT and on daily arrival.
Park at a desk and lock the brakes
Wheelchair propulsion at school
By the annual IEP review date, when arriving at their desk or table at the start of a lesson, the student will park at the desk following the parking steps, performing all 6 steps independently, on 4 of 5 observed days, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected daily at the first work period.
Drive a power wheelchair through a busy hallway
Power wheelchair driving
By the annual IEP review date, during passing time in the main hallway between classes, the student will drive the power wheelchair from one classroom door to the next, keeping to the right and slowing near people, without touching people or bumping into walls and lockers, with no adult cues in at least 5 of 6 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by direct observation collected on six class changes a week.
Stop a power chair at a stop cue
Power wheelchair driving
By the annual IEP review date, when an adult gives the stop cue (the word stop, a raised hand, or a stop sign) while the student drives in the gym or hallway, the student will release the joystick or switch and bring the chair to a full stop with no added cue within 2 seconds, on 3 consecutive practice sessions, as measured by latency recording collected at each power mobility session.
Feeding & Mealtime Skills Motor & Sensory Skills (OT, PT & Adapted PE)
Scoop soft food with a spoon
Spoon and fork use
By the annual IEP review date, during snack or lunch, given a food that holds on a spoon (such as yogurt, applesauce or mashed food) in a bowl, the student will scoop the food with the spoon and bring it to the mouth, keeping most of the food on the spoon with no adult hands on the spoon in at least 7 of 10 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed meals, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected three meals a week.
Spear bite-size pieces with a fork
Spoon and fork use
By the annual IEP review date, during lunch, given bite-size pieces of a firm food such as fruit, cooked vegetables or pasta, the student will spear a piece of food with the fork and bring it to the mouth without the piece falling off, with no adult help in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed meals, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected three meals a week.
Feed self with a built-up handle spoon
Adaptive utensils
By the annual IEP review date, during lunch, given a built-up or angled-handle spoon, a scoop dish and a non-slip mat, the student will hold the adaptive spoon, scoop and bring the food to the mouth with no adult hands-on help in at least 6 of 10 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed meals, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly at lunch.
Pick up finger foods to self-feed
Spoon and fork use
By the annual IEP review date, during snack, given small pieces of a finger food allowed by the feeding plan on a tray or plate, the student will pick up a piece of food with the fingers and bring it to the mouth with no adult hands-on help in at least 6 of 8 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed snacks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected at three snacks a week.
Drink from an open cup with two hands
Open cup and straw drinking
By the annual IEP review date, during snack, given a small open cup with a small amount of the drink allowed by the plan, the student will lift the cup with two hands, take a sip and set the cup back down on the table without tipping it over, with no adult hands on the cup in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed snacks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected at three snacks a week.
Drink from a straw cup or juice box
Open cup and straw drinking
By the annual IEP review date, during snack, given a straw cup or a juice box with the straw already inserted, the student will close the lips around the straw and drink a sip of liquid with no adult help in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 3 of 4 observed snacks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected at three snacks a week.
Fine motor, handwriting, visual-motor, gross motor, fitness, functional mobility, feeding, and sensory processing skills. Cerebral palsy is not its own IDEA category; students are often served under orthopedic impairment, or multiple disabilities when other needs are present. Goals cover the access the student needs to learn: mobility and transfers, fine motor and computer access, AAC or motor speech when speech is affected, and academics written with the student's tools and positioning in the condition.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Duration trackerTimes how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.Used by 4 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 29 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 18 goals here
- Latency trackerTimes the gap between a cue and the start of the response.Used by 1 goal here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 2 goals here
Frequently asked questions
What IEP goals are common for students with cerebral palsy?
Functional mobility, transfers, fine motor or switch access, assistive technology, and communication goals are common, depending on the student. Academic goals follow the same rules as for any student, with the response mode named in the condition. The team chooses from the student's present levels.
Who writes goals for a student with cerebral palsy?
The special educator usually works with the PT, OT, and SLP, each of whom writes or advises on goals in their area. The family and student share what matters most at home and in the community.
Which motor goals are common for students with cerebral palsy?
Fine motor and handwriting goals for classroom tasks, visual-motor skills for copying and organization, and gross motor goals for mobility and PE participation, usually written with the OT, PT, or adapted PE teacher.
How are motor goals measured?
With task-analysis steps, accuracy on a set number of trials, rubric scores for handwriting legibility, or duration and distance for mobility and participation, with equipment named in the condition.
IEP Atlas Pro
Turn these goals into progress reports
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Count trials, prompts, and minutes live in the session; the graph and trend line draw themselves; progress reports are drafted from your data.