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Guide · IEP goals

IEP goals for autism: how to write them, with 80+ examples

A good IEP goal for an autistic student is a measurable annual goal built on the student’s present levels: it names the condition, the observable behavior, the criterion for success, how it will be measured and by when. Below you’ll find how to write one step by step, how IEP goals differ from ABA goals, and a filterable goal bank of 80+ sample goals you can copy and adapt.

By Ab Advany, founder of SuperChild · Published

In short

  • A measurable IEP goal has five parts: timeframe, condition, behavior, criterion and measurement.
  • Every goal starts from present levels (the PLAAFP) and a baseline, so the team knows where the skill is today.
  • IEP goals are written by the school team under IDEA; ABA goals are written by a BCBA. The best plans share targets.
  • Assessments like the VB-MAPP show which skills come next; the VB-MAPP goal mapper turns them into plain-language goals.
  • Parents can ask for the baseline, the data and the graph behind every goal, at any IEP meeting.
On this page
  1. What makes a good IEP goal for a student with autism?
  2. IEP goals vs ABA goals: what is the difference?
  3. How to write IEP goals and objectives for autism, step by step
  4. VB-MAPP IEP goals: turning assessment results into goals
  5. Autism IEP goals bank: sample IEP goals and ABA goals examples
  6. IEP goals for students with autism, by skill area
  7. How progress on IEP goals is measured and reported
  8. Tips for parents: getting ready for the IEP meeting

What makes a good IEP goal for a student with autism?

A good IEP goal for autism is a measurable annual goal, written from the student’s present levels, that says under what conditions the student will do an observable skill, how well, how it will be measured and by when.

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every IEP must include measurable annual goals, academic and functional, designed to meet the needs that come from the child’s disability. For students on the autism spectrum those needs often sit in communication, social interaction, play, flexibility and daily living, so IEP goals for autism spectrum disorder usually reach well beyond reading and math.

The test of a measurable goal is simple: if two adults watched the student, could they agree whether the goal was met? “Will improve communication” fails. “Will request 10 preferred items without a prompt in 80% of opportunities” passes. Since the Supreme Court’s Endrew F. decision in 2017, goals also need to be ambitious enough that the IEP is reasonably calculated to help the child make progress appropriate in light of their circumstances.

Timeframe
When the goal should be met, usually the annual review date.
Condition
The setting, materials or support: “given a visual schedule,” “during recess,” “given a field of 3 pictures.”
Behavior
What the student will do, in words you can see or hear: point, say, write, hand over, follow.
Criterion
How well and how consistently: “80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions,” “4 of 5 days.”
Measurement
Who collects what data: trial data, frequency counts, task analysis, work samples.
The weak goal could be marked “progressing” forever. The strong one tells everyone what to teach, what counts and when it is mastered.

IEP goals vs ABA goals: what is the difference?

IEP goals are written by the school’s IEP team under IDEA to help a student progress in school; ABA goals are written by a BCBA in a treatment plan and cover skills and behavior across home, clinic and community. Both are measurable, and the strongest plans share targets.

An IEP covers the school day and is reviewed at least once a year. An ABA therapy treatment plan usually holds many smaller targets, each with its own mastery criterion, and is updated more often as targets are mastered. ABA goals examples look similar on paper (“will mand for 20 items”), but a BCBA breaks them into finer steps and adjusts them weekly from session data.

Neither plan has to adopt the other’s goals. Still, when a child is in both school and ABA, sharing the plan helps: the same request for a break, the same picture system, the same coping steps, taught the same way in more places. Ask the BCBA and the teacher to compare goals once a year, ideally before the IEP meeting.

When the school team and the BCBA compare plans, the overlap is where a child gets the most practice: the same skill, taught the same way, in more places.

How to write IEP goals and objectives for autism, step by step

Start from present levels, pick a few priority skills, take a baseline, write each goal with all five parts, break it into objectives and decide how the data will be collected and graphed.

These six steps work for teachers drafting goals, BCBAs advising a school team and parents preparing their own suggestions.

  1. 1Describe present levels (PLAAFP)Write what the student can do now, in observable terms, with data: “Requests 2 snacks with a sign after a model.” Pull from observation, teacher reports and assessments like the VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R or AFLS.
  2. 2Choose a few prioritiesPick the skills that unlock the most: communication, following classroom routines, coping, self-care. A focused IEP with well-chosen goals beats a long list nobody can track.
  3. 3Take a baselineMeasure the exact skill for 3 or more sessions before writing the criterion. A baseline of 20% makes 80% in a year a real target; guessing makes it a wish.
  4. 4Write the measurable goalTimeframe, condition, behavior, criterion, measurement, in one sentence. Use the goal bank below as a starting point, then match the numbers to the baseline.
  5. 5Break it into objectivesTwo or three steps toward the goal: fewer prompts, more targets, more settings, or longer durations. Each objective gets its own criterion and date.
  6. 6Plan the dataDecide who collects data, how often and on which sheet. The ABA data sheet generator makes DTT, frequency and task analysis sheets with the targets filled in; the ABA graph maker turns them into a graph for progress reports.

VB-MAPP IEP goals: turning assessment results into goals

Yes, VB-MAPP results are a strong basis for IEP goals: the milestone areas where a student scores just below mastery are usually the next skills to teach, and they translate directly into present levels and measurable goals.

The VB-MAPP scores 170 language and learning milestones across three developmental levels, from requesting and labeling to listener skills, play and early academics. The ABLLS-R tracks a wider grid of skills, and the AFLS covers daily living for older students. If you’re unsure which fits, the assessment comparison lays them side by side.

Pick the emerging skills, not the ones far ahead. Put the score into a plain-language present level, then write the goal one step beyond it. The VB-MAPP goal mapper does the translation for you: choose a level, domain and milestone area and it gives practice goals in plain words, with activities for home and the classroom.

The assessment says where the skill is. The present level puts it in plain words. The goal and objectives say where it can be, and the steps on the way.

Autism IEP goals bank: sample IEP goals and ABA goals examples

The goal bank below holds 87 measurable sample IEP goals for autism, filterable by skill area and age, each with a copy button and a link to a matching printable or tool.

Every goal follows the same pattern: condition, behavior, criterion, measurement, with the timeframe in front. Treat them as drafts. Change the condition to the student’s supports, set the criterion from the baseline and swap examples for things the student cares about. BCBAs can use the same entries as an ABA goals bank for treatment plans.

Autism IEP goal bank: 87 measurable goals

Skill area
Age

87 goals

  • RequestingPreschool (3–5)

    By [date], given a preferred item in view but out of reach, [Student] will request it with a word, sign or picture, without a verbal prompt, in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by trial-by-trial data.

    Short-term objectives

    1. Requests 5 preferred items after a full model in 80% of opportunities.
    2. Requests 10 preferred items after a partial prompt (first sound or partial sign) in 80% of opportunities.
    Manding in ABA
  • RequestingPreschool (3–5)

    By [date], given a paused preferred activity (bubbles, swing, song), [Student] will request “more” or name the activity within 5 seconds in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by frequency data.

    VB-MAPP goal mapper
  • RequestingEarly elementary (5–8)

    By [date], given a task with a needed item missing (a puzzle without its last piece, coloring without crayons), [Student] will request the missing item by name in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by trial data.

    Manding in ABA
  • RequestingEarly elementary (5–8)

    By [date], given a task they cannot complete alone (a tight lid, a stuck zipper), [Student] will request help with a word, phrase, sign or AAC message in 80% of opportunities across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by teacher data sheets.

    Short-term objectives

    1. Requests help after a gestural prompt in 80% of opportunities.
    2. Requests help within 10 seconds with no prompt in 60% of opportunities.
  • RequestingEarly elementary (5–8)

    By [date], given a demanding or long task, [Student] will request a break with a break card, sign or phrase before showing signs of distress in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by ABC and frequency data.

    First-then board maker
  • RequestingElementary and up (8+)

    By [date], across natural opportunities in the school day, [Student] will make at least 10 spontaneous requests with 3- to 5-word phrases (“I want the red marker”) per day for 5 consecutive school days, as measured by frequency data.

  • RequestingElementary and up (8+)

    By [date], given a preferred item or activity held by a peer, [Student] will ask the peer for a turn with a full sentence (“Can I have a turn, please?”) and wait for the answer in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by observation data.

  • RequestingElementary and up (8+)

    By [date], given a contrived need for information (a missing folder, an unknown activity), [Student] will ask a relevant WH question (“Where is my folder?”) in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by trial data.

    WH questions printables
  • Following directionsPreschool (3–5)

    By [date], given a field of 3 pictures or objects, [Student] will touch or give the item named by an adult for 20 everyday items with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by trial-by-trial data.

    Short-term objectives

    1. Identifies 5 items in a field of 2 with 80% accuracy.
    2. Identifies 10 items in a field of 3 with 80% accuracy.
    Receptive language activities
  • Following directionsPreschool (3–5)

    By [date], given a one-step instruction with a gesture (“Sit down,” “Give me the cup”), [Student] will follow it within 5 seconds in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by teacher data sheets.

    Short-term objectives

    1. Follows 5 one-step instructions with a gesture in 80% of opportunities.
    2. Follows 10 one-step instructions without a gesture in 80% of opportunities.
    Following directions worksheets
  • Following directionsPreschool (3–5)

    By [date], given a verbal instruction (“Touch your nose”), [Student] will point to 10 body parts on themselves or a doll with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by trial data.

    Body parts printables
  • Following directionsEarly elementary (5–8)

    By [date], given a two-step related instruction without gestures (“Get your coat and line up”), [Student] will complete both steps in order within 10 seconds in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive school days, as measured by teacher data sheets.

    Short-term objectives

    1. Completes two-step instructions with a visual cue card in 80% of opportunities.
    2. Completes two-step instructions with no visual cue in 60% of opportunities.
    Following directions worksheets
Replace [Student] and [date], then adjust the condition and criterion to the learner’s baseline. Copy adds the short-term objectives where a goal has them.

IEP goals for students with autism, by skill area

The most common IEP goals for students with autism target communication, following directions, answering questions, social and play skills, self-care and self-regulation, with the exact skill set by the student’s present levels.

Here is what a strong goal looks like in the areas parents and teachers search for most, with a link to practice materials for each. The full set sits in the goal bank.

IEP goals for following directions

Following directions goals climb from one-step instructions with a gesture, to two-step related instructions, to multi-step and whole-class directions. Spell out whether gestures or visuals are part of the condition, because “follows directions with a picture card” and “follows spoken directions” are different skills.

Example: “Given a two-step related instruction without gestures, [Student] will complete both steps in order in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive school days, as measured by teacher data sheets.” Practice pages: following directions worksheets.

IEP goals for WH questions

Teach WH questions in order of difficulty: “what” and “who” with a picture in front of the student, then “where,” then “when,” “why” and “how,” which need more language and reasoning. Name which questions the goal covers, and whether a picture or a story is part of the condition.

Example: “Given a picture scene, [Student] will answer what, who and where questions with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by trial data.” Practice cards: WH questions printables.

Social skills IEP goals for autism

Good social goals describe an action, not a trait: returning a greeting, taking four turns in a game, starting a conversation at recess, naming how a classmate feels. Avoid goals that ask an autistic student to look or act “normal,” such as forced eye contact or stopping harmless stimming. Target skills that help the student connect and take part on their own terms.

Example: “During recess, [Student] will start an interaction with a peer at least 3 times per period on 4 of 5 days, as measured by frequency data.” Social stories help prepare new situations.

IEP goals for nonverbal students with autism

For nonspeaking or minimally speaking students, write communication goals around the system they use: picture exchange, a communication book, sign or a speech-generating device. The goal is communication, not speech, so the behavior can be “exchanges a picture” or “selects a symbol.” List the AAC system and its availability in the IEP’s supplementary aids and services, too.

Example: “Given an AAC system, [Student] will combine two symbols to request in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions.” Read the AAC for autism guide and start with the PECS book printable.

Preschool autism IEP goals

IEP goals for preschoolers with autism (ages 3 to 5, served under IDEA Part B) focus on the foundations: requesting, imitating, responding to their name, matching, playing next to peers and following simple routines. Many of these build directly on the skills worked on in early intervention.

Example: “Given a preferred item out of reach, [Student] will request it with a word, sign or picture without a prompt in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions.” If speech is late, the speech delay guide explains what to expect. Filter the bank to Preschool for 28 more.

How progress on IEP goals is measured and reported

Progress is measured with the data named in each goal (trial data, frequency counts, task analysis or work samples), graphed over time and reported to parents at least as often as the IEP states, often alongside report cards.

IDEA requires every IEP to say how progress toward each annual goal will be measured and when parents will get periodic reports. A progress report that only says “progressing” tells you little. Ask for the number: the baseline, the latest data and which objective is met.

A graph makes the story visible. Plot each session, mark when the team moved to the next objective and draw the criterion line. A flat line for six weeks is a signal to change teaching, not to wait for the annual review.

  • Trial-by-trial data for skills taught in discrete trials: percent correct per session.
  • Frequency data for spontaneous skills like requests or greetings: how often per day.
  • Task analysis data for routines like handwashing: how many steps done independently. See task analysis in ABA.
  • Duration and interval data for engagement, play and waiting.
Each dot is one session’s percent correct. Dashed lines are the criterion for each phase; the vertical lines mark when the team moved to the next step. Make your own with the ABA graph maker.

Tips for parents: getting ready for the IEP meeting

Bring your own priorities and examples from home, ask for the baseline and data behind every goal, and remember that you are an equal member of the IEP team with the right to agree, disagree and ask for changes.

You know your child across more places than anyone at the table. Write down three things you most want your child to be able to do this year, with an example of each, and share them before the meeting so the team can draft goals with them in mind. The for parents page has more on supporting practice at home.

  • What does my child do now in this area, and what data shows it?
  • How will you measure this goal, how often, and who collects the data?
  • Can I see the graph for each goal at progress report time?
  • How does this goal show up in the school day, not just in therapy?
  • What can we practice at home so the skill carries over?
  • If progress stalls, when will we meet to change the plan?
Participation
Parents are members of the IEP team and take part in decisions about goals and services.
Prior written notice
The school must tell you in writing when it proposes or refuses a change, and why.
Progress reports
You get periodic reports on each goal, on the schedule written in the IEP.
Reviews and meetings
The IEP is reviewed at least once a year, and you can ask for a meeting sooner.
Evaluations
If you disagree with the school’s evaluation, you can ask for an independent educational evaluation.

Free skill packs

Practice packs for the goals in this bank

All 94 skill packs of the Essential Practice Collection in one download, for practicing IEP goals between school and home and logging every round.

  • Matching, receptive language, WH questions, following directions, math and more.
  • Every pack has instructions, practice rounds, a check and a log.
  • A start-here guide to pick the right pack for a goal.

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Sources

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Where SuperChild fits

Daily practice on the goals the team picks

Goals move when a child gets enough practice between sessions. SuperChild lets young children with autism, intellectual disability or developmental delay practice skills independently on a tablet with an AI coach, in small methodical steps built on VB-MAPP and ABLLS-R: 342 trainings, each a 10-level ladder.

The teacher, BCBA, speech therapist or parent picks the goals and keeps oversight. Every trial is recorded, so the data you need for an IEP progress report is already there. SuperChild never replaces therapy or the professional; it adds focused practice time. See how it works or request a demo.

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A young child tapping a picture on a tablet during a short practice session

FAQ

Questions parents and professionals ask

What are good IEP goals for autism?
Good IEP goals for autism are measurable, built on the student’s present levels and focused on skills that matter most for school and daily life, such as requesting, following directions, answering questions, social interaction, self-care and coping. Each goal names the condition, the observable behavior, the criterion, how it will be measured and the timeframe.
How many goals should an IEP have?
IDEA sets no number. The IEP needs enough goals to address each area of need the evaluation found, but not so many that the team cannot teach and measure them all. Many teams write a focused set of goals per area of need, each with clear objectives, rather than a long list that is hard to track.
What is the difference between IEP goals and ABA goals?
IEP goals are written by the school IEP team under IDEA and focus on progress in school, reviewed at least once a year. ABA goals are written by a BCBA in a treatment plan, often cover home and community too, and are updated more often. Both should be measurable, and when a child receives both, sharing targets helps the skills carry over.
Can I use VB-MAPP results for IEP goals?
Yes. VB-MAPP results show which language and learning milestones a student has mastered and which are emerging, and the emerging skills make good next goals. Turn the score into a plain-language present level, take a baseline on the exact skill, then write a measurable goal one step beyond it.
What are examples of social skills IEP goals?
Examples include returning a greeting within 5 seconds, taking turns for 4 exchanges in a game, starting an interaction with a peer 3 times during recess, keeping a conversation going for 4 exchanges, and naming how someone feels and why. Good social goals describe an action you can count, not a personality trait.
How do I write a measurable IEP goal?
Start with the student’s present level and a baseline. Then write one sentence with a timeframe, a condition, an observable behavior, a criterion such as 80 percent across 3 consecutive sessions, and the way it will be measured. If two adults watching could agree whether the goal was met, it is measurable.

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