Social-Emotional & Communication IEP goals for Down Syndrome
24 social-emotional & communication templates across 6 skills: relationships, boundaries & personal safety, functional communication, self-advocacy, peer interaction, requesting help, play & social participation. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
24 templates · 6 skills · 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.
Relationships, Boundaries & Personal Safety Social-Emotional & Communication
Sort public and private places
Public and private places
By the annual IEP review date, given 12 photos of everyday places at school, home, and in the community, and a two-column board labeled public and private, the student will sort each place as public or private and say one reason independently with at least 90% accuracy on place photos, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Tell a safe secret from an unsafe secret
Safe and unsafe secrets
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short scenarios read aloud about secrets and surprises (such as a birthday surprise, or an older student saying not to tell an adult about a touch), the student will say whether each secret is safe to keep or should be told to a trusted adult, and give a reason independently with 100% accuracy on secret and surprise scenarios, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
See all 30 relationships, boundaries & personal safety goals
Functional Communication Social-Emotional & Communication
Repair a message when a listener doesn't follow it
Repairing communication breakdowns
By the annual IEP review date, when a communication partner signals they did not understand (such as "What?", "Show me," a confused look paired with a question), the student will repair the message by repeating, rephrasing, adding a gesture or sign, showing the item, or using their communication device independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive data collection days, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Deliver a message to another adult in the building
Delivering a message to another adult
By the annual IEP review date, when asked to deliver a short message to the office, another teacher, or the cafeteria, the student will deliver the message to the correct adult, performing at least 5 of 6 steps independently, across 3 consecutive deliveries, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected twice weekly during classroom jobs.
Self-Advocacy Social-Emotional & Communication
Decline to share personal information when asked by a peer or stranger
Protecting personal information
By the annual IEP review date, when a peer, an unfamiliar person, or an online contact asks for personal information (such as password, address, phone number, photos) or asks them to keep a secret from adults, the student will decline to share the information (such as "I don't give that out") and, if the request came from an unfamiliar person or online, tell a trusted adult independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive monthly probe sets, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected monthly role-play and message probes plus any reported real events.
Show a support card to a supervisor at work
Telling a supervisor what helps at work
By the annual IEP review date, at a work-based learning or community job site, when meeting a new supervisor or coworker who will give directions, the student will show or hand a support card to the supervisor and point to the support they need right then independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected at each job site session.
Peer Interaction Social-Emotional & Communication
Attend a club and interact with a peer at each meeting
Participating in a club or extracurricular activity
By the annual IEP review date, during a weekly school club or activity chosen by the student, the student will attend the club meeting and interact with at least one peer (a comment, question, shared task, or game turn) independently in at least 3 of 4 opportunities, across 2 consecutive months, as measured by direct observation collected after each club meeting, reported by the sponsor or observer.
Interact with coworkers during a break at a work site
Interacting with coworkers
By the annual IEP review date, during a 15-minute break at a work-based learning site with coworkers present, the student will greet a coworker and make one comment or ask one question (such as about the work, the weekend, or a shared interest) independently in at least 3 of 4 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of work sessions, as measured by direct observation collected each work session, recorded by the job coach.
Requesting Help Social-Emotional & Communication
Ask an employee or supervisor for help in a community or work setting
Asking for help in community and work settings
By the annual IEP review date, during community-based instruction when they cannot find an item, a location, or a price, the student will ask an employee or supervisor for help by getting their attention and stating what they need (such as "Excuse me, where is the bread?", "I'm out of boxes, where do I get more?") independently in at least 3 of 4 opportunities, across 3 consecutive community or work sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected each community-based instruction or work-based learning session.
Play & Social Participation Social-Emotional & Communication
Take part in a recreation activity with peers in the community
Leisure and recreation with peers
By the annual IEP review date, during a community recreation activity with peers (such as bowling, a recreation center class, a gaming group), the student will participate in the activity alongside peers, taking their turns and responding to peers' comments independently for at least 30 minutes, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by duration recording collected each session.
Self-advocacy, requesting help, peer interaction, conflict resolution, and regulation. Down syndrome is not an IDEA category on its own; students are usually served under Intellectual Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, or Developmental Delay. The goals below are the ones teams most often write: speech intelligibility, expressive language, fine and gross motor skills, and daily living routines.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 11 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 4 goals here
- Duration trackerTimes how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.Used by 1 goal here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 8 goals here
Frequently asked questions
Which eligibility category applies to a student with Down syndrome?
The evaluation team decides based on the student's needs. Common categories are Intellectual Disability, Speech or Language Impairment, and, for young children, Developmental Delay. The category does not limit which goals can be written.
How are intelligibility goals measured?
Usually by percent of words understood by an unfamiliar listener in a short sample, or by accuracy on target sounds in words and phrases. The SLP picks the measure that matches the student's speech profile.
How are social-emotional goals measured for students with Down syndrome?
By opportunities in which the student used a taught skill, frequency of a behavior during a period, latency to use a strategy after a cue, or a rubric for multi-part skills. The behavior is defined so two observers would agree.
Should the goal name the strategy?
Yes, when the strategy is observable: 'request a break using a card' or 'state the problem and one solution'. That makes the goal countable and tells staff what to teach.
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