Social-Emotional & Communication IEP goals for Other Health Impairment
38 social-emotional & communication templates across 5 skills: emotional regulation, self-advocacy, requesting help, peer interaction, functional communication. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
38 templates · 5 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.
Emotional Regulation Social-Emotional & Communication
Remain in a non-preferred activity using a strategy
Staying with a non-preferred task
By the annual IEP review date, during To choose for the student: the non-preferred activity identified in their plan (such as handwriting, a specific subject, a group lesson), the student will independently remain in the activity, using a strategy from their plan when needed, without leaving the area or refusing for at least 12 minutes, across 3 consecutive data collection days, as measured by duration recording collected daily during the identified activity.
Use a pre-task routine before a test or presentation
Managing anxiety before a stressful task
By the annual IEP review date, before a test, quiz, presentation, or performance identified in their plan, the student will complete the steps of their pre-task routine with no adult reminder, performing at least 4 of 5 steps independently, across 3 consecutive stressful tasks, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected before each identified task, with practice runs weekly.
Self-Advocacy Social-Emotional & Communication
Request a listed accommodation when a task calls for it
Requesting IEP accommodations in the moment
By the annual IEP review date, when given a classroom task or assessment for which one of their IEP accommodations applies, the student will request the accommodation by naming it to the teacher (spoken, written, signed, or shown on an accommodation card) independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly data collection sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly across at least two class periods.
Report a health need and ask for the related support
Health-related self-advocacy
By the annual IEP review date, when they notice To choose for the student: the symptom listed in their health plan (such as wheezing, shakiness, headache, tiredness) during the school day, the student will tell an adult the symptom and ask for the matching support (such as "My chest is tight, I need my inhaler," "I need to see the nurse") independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 2 consecutive monthly reviews, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected monthly, combining nurse logs and scenario probes.
Requesting Help Social-Emotional & Communication
Try one listed strategy before asking the teacher for help
Using a self-help strategy before asking
By the annual IEP review date, during independent work when they reach an item they are unsure about, the student will use one strategy from their "before I ask" list (reread the directions, check the example, look at a completed item, ask a peer) and then ask the teacher if still stuck independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive data collection days, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected three times per week during independent work.
Attend a help session when a grade or assignment is at risk
Using school help resources
By the annual IEP review date, when their grade in a class drops below the threshold agreed with their case manager, or an assignment is more than one week late, the student will attend a help session (office hours, tutoring, resource period, or review session) and ask the staff member about the specific class or assignment independently in at least 3 of 4 opportunities, across 2 consecutive grading periods, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during grade reviews, confirmed with sign-in sheets or staff.
Peer Interaction Social-Emotional & Communication
Contribute to peers in a virtual breakout room
Group chat and online peer interaction
By the annual IEP review date, during a 10-minute virtual breakout room with 3 or 4 peers and a task, the student will contribute to peers in the breakout room by speaking, typing a chat message, or adding to the shared document independently at least 3 times per 10-minute breakout room, across 3 consecutive virtual sessions, as measured by frequency recording collected weekly.
Answer a teammate's question in a project chat
Group chat and online peer interaction
By the annual IEP review date, during a group project with a class chat or shared document thread, the student will answer a teammate's question or request in the project chat by the time the group agreed on independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 2 consecutive group projects, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly from the project chat.
Functional Communication Social-Emotional & Communication
Describe symptoms to the school nurse
Communicating pain or illness to the nurse
By the annual IEP review date, when they visit the nurse office because they are unwell or hurt, the student will describe their symptoms to the nurse by answering what, where, when it started, how bad, and what they need, performing at least 5 of 6 steps independently, on 3 consecutive scored visits or role-plays, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected monthly during role-play and at each real nurse visit.
Self-advocacy, requesting help, peer interaction, conflict resolution, and regulation. Other Health Impairment covers conditions that limit strength, vitality, or alertness, including ADHD, epilepsy, diabetes, and many chronic illnesses. The goals below address the school effects teams see most: attention, work completion, organization, and self-advocacy about health needs.
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 18 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 7 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 4 goals here
- Latency trackerTimes the gap between a cue and the start of the response.Used by 3 goals here
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 3 goals here
- Duration trackerTimes how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.Used by 3 goals here
Frequently asked questions
What conditions fall under Other Health Impairment?
IDEA lists examples such as asthma, ADHD, diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome. The condition must adversely affect educational performance for the student to qualify.
What goals are common under OHI?
Executive function goals (task initiation, sustained attention, assignment completion), organization and self-monitoring, and self-advocacy goals such as requesting a break or communicating a health need. Academic goals are added when assessment shows a need.
How are social-emotional goals measured for students with other health impairment?
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.
IEP Atlas Pro
Turn these goals into progress reports
Pro tracks every goal on your caseload and drafts the report for you. Free for 14 days.
Count trials, prompts, and minutes live in the session; the graph and trend line draw themselves; progress reports are drafted from your data.