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Lesson 1: Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Development of the Individualized Education Program

"Autism doesn't define me. I define autism." Kerry Magro

If a child has been diagnosed as having ASD, he or she will likely receive specialized services or accommodations in school settings. The document that details a plan for the provision of special services is called the individualized education plan (IEP). An IEP is a legal document that lists what services the child will receive, who is responsible for carrying out the services, how often the services will be received, and how data will be collected. Teachers, parents, specialists, medical personnel, and the individual with ASD can all be part of the team that develops this important document. The IEP is used as a blueprint for the instruction that will occur. Critical to the IEP are the goals and objectives that are developed for the student. These goals and objectives outline the activities and skills the student will be working on. Below, you'll find a primer on the parts of the IEP. You'll also see samples of well-written goals and objectives.

Six Required Parts of the IEP

Description of the Child’s Present Level of Performance or Functioning

This section describes the child’s current level of learning or performance, including performance in academic areas, functional skills, and behavioral skills. Descriptions of the child’s current interests and preferred learning style will also be addressed in this part of the IEP.

Annual Goals and Objectives

This section describes the specific skills the student will learn within a designated amount of time. Goals are typically long-term expectations for what the student will achieve within the school year. Objectives are more short-term expectations. An objective breaks down a goal into manageable pieces, or a skill into components.

Related Services

This section lists additional services that supplement the educational services the child receives in the classroom—for example, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

Educational Placement

This section describes the educational setting in which the IEP will be implemented.

Time and Duration of Services

This section lists the starting and ending dates for goals, objectives, and related services. It also specifies how often and for how long the related services will take place (e.g., the child will receive physical therapy three times per week for 30 minutes each session).

Evaluation of the IEP

This section lists and describes how the student’s progress toward short-term objectives and annual goals will be measured.

Creating Goals and Objectives

When writing goals and objectives, you are specifying the details of what you're trying to accomplish. Goals and objectives must be measurable and observable; this is critical for data collection and the ability to report student progress.

Well-written objectives must contain four pieces of information:

  • the learner: Who is performing the behavior? Be specific and list the student's name.
  • the behavior: This is the specific, operationally defined (i.e., observable, measurable, and repeatable) behavior that the learner will be required to display.
  • the condition: Under what settings will the learner be expected to perform the behavior? Be specific as to what cues, materials, settings, and other people will be present.
  • the criteria: These define how it will be determined that the student has displayed the behavior. Criteria can include number of times the learner must perform the behavior, the level of independence that must exist during the performance, and the time period across which the performances must occur.

Self-Check

Please note the components of the goal below based on the information above.

  • Example: Given a calculator and two amounts (condition), Clifford (learner) will add the two amounts (behavior) with 90% accuracy in five consecutive trials (criteria).

Now try a few on your own. Look at the examples below and identify the four components. Please select the arrows to reveal feedback.


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