How To Write Self Care Goals in the School Setting
Students with significant disabilities may have educational needs that require a focus on self care goals. These goals set the agenda for the student, faculty and support staff to work toward for the school year. The goals should be specific to the child's needs. Additionally, the goals should be attainable within a school year and must be measurable. Self care goals for children in school help to shape the individualized education plan for that student.
Instructions
-
-
1
Identify self care skills held by typically developing students the same age as the targeted student.
-
2
Compare the self care skills to the targeted student's present level of performance (use the student assessment).
-
-
3
Determine what skills the child can attain with appropriate instruction by the end of the school year. The targeted skill must be in relation to a need or strength identified in their present level of performance. This is your long term goal. The child's support team will need to have a planning meeting to develop these goals as a group.
-
4
Identify milestones or short term goals the child will reach. These goals will all relate to and step toward the long term goal. For example, brushing their teeth may be a long term goal. Appropriate short term goals may be that he will reach for his own toothbrush, put toothpaste on the brush or will move the brush in an up and down motion. An inappropriate short term goal toward brushing his own teeth would be that he puts his shirt on.
-
5
Develop a method of measuring each achievement. An appropriate measurement may be that the task will be performed correctly 3 out of 4 times on a single day, 4 of 5 times on a single day or 3 of 4 times in a week. The measure must relate to the goal. If the goal is to "perform" the measure must be to "perform". If the goal says the child will "attempt" the measure will say "attempt."
-
6
Build the self care goal to incorporate the child's present level of performance, make it measurable and attainable in one year, and include measurable benchmarks. An example of a measurable annual self care goal in the school setting is "Bobby will pull his own pants up without assistance 75% of the time after using the bathroom, by the end of the year."
-
7
Build short term goals to help the student reach their long term goal. The short term goals natural measurement time-lines will be in intervals of the grading period, however your student may need this modified to a shorter interval. An example of a short term goal is "Bobby will reach for his pants and help pull them up by the end of the first six week grading period."
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Always use wording from the present level of performance in your goals.
Never set a low goal for a child just to make it easier on yourself or your staff.
