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IEP Goals and Objectives

March 1, 2025/
Mikey in his rain jacket and backpack, smiling on our driveway with our car in the background.
Our buddy waiting for the school bus! Well-written IEP Goals and Objectives help each school day to be meaningful and productive.

There are some general ideas I wish I had known when Mikey was starting his journey through the school system, and this is a big one!

ABA Inside Track post from Facebook. Yellow box with white writing, "if an educational objective is unlikely to improve independence, safety or the opportunity to create friends, then there is little point in making a learner unhappy in its pursuit." Steven Ward, MA, BCBA
New skills are hard to develop…take the time to decide if this skill is worth it for your child.

Regardless of your feelings about ABA, this is an excellent metric to decide whether a goal/objective is worthy of being included in your child’s IEP.

  1. Will it improve independence?
  2. Will it improve safety?
  3. Will it enable my child to make friends?

I might add one more. 

  • Will it help my child develop/maintain a healthy lifestyle?

For example, Michael has exercise in his IEP. He works out on machines in the school gym with his one-on-one aide. This isn’t helping him become more independent, safe or well-liked…but it’s good for his heart health!

For more on how to get prepared for the PPT Meeting (used to plan the IEP), click the link below.

Thursday Thoughts on IEPs
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Erica Mauro

About the Author

Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 😉

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