73 Measurable Self Advocacy IEP Goals and Objectives: Elementary to High School

We do so much for our kids, and we mean well. But time marches on, whether we want it to or not. We have to prepare our kids for independence and life on their own. As scary a thought as that is sometimes.

Every person, not just IEP students, should have self advocacy goals. I think all IEP students should have self advocacy IEP goals. Listen….a lot of advocacy issues could be solved if we could simply educate and teach our kids how to self advocate for sensory breaks. So many behaviors would be avoided!

The best thing we can do for our kids is to maximize their independence and self advocacy. As parents, we can’t live forever…or follow them around forever.

Self-Advocacy IEP Goals

What is self advocacy? A child or student who has sufficient self-advocacy and self-determination skills should be able to exhibit the following skills.

Self Advocacy Skills List

• Choice-making
• Decision-making
• Problem-solving
• Goal setting and attainment
• Self-regulation
• Self-advocacy
• Self-awareness
• Asking for Help or Assistance when needed
• Self-efficacy

What is Self Advocacy?

This is how Google defines Self Determination:

“the process by which a person controls their own life.”

Google

I can only imagine how exhausting, disheartening, and deflating it must be to be for some of our kids. People are always talking about you, your faults, your disabilities, your shortcomings, and your negative behaviors. Telling you what you need to do.

And how often do we let them participate in the process? A child should participate in their IEP process from the earliest age possible that it is appropriate.

Self-advocacy skills are crucial for students as they navigate through their academic journey and beyond. These skills empower students to effectively communicate their needs, seek support, and advocate for themselves.

Here are some essential self-advocacy skills for students:

1. Effective Communication: Students should be able to clearly express their thoughts, concerns, and needs to teachers, parents, and other relevant individuals. This includes verbal and written communication skills.
2. Identifying Student Strengths and Weaknesses: Encouraging students to recognize their strengths and weaknesses helps them understand where they may need support and where they excel.
3. Setting Goals: Teaching students to set realistic and achievable short-term and long-term goals enables them to advocate for the resources and support necessary to reach those goals.
4. Problem-Solving Skills: Students should develop problem-solving skills to address challenges they encounter academically or personally. This involves critical thinking and finding creative solutions.
5. Self-awareness: Understanding one’s learning style, preferences, and needs is crucial for effective self-advocacy. Students who are self-aware can articulate how they learn best and what accommodations or adjustments may be necessary.
6. Seeking Support: Encourage students to seek support when needed, whether it’s from teachers, counselors, or peers. Knowing when and how to ask for help is a valuable skill.
7. Understanding Rights and Responsibilities: Students should be aware of their rights within the educational system, including accommodations for disabilities or special needs, as well as their responsibilities as learners.
8. Assertiveness: Teaching students to assert themselves respectfully and confidently in advocating for their needs helps them navigate various situations effectively.
9. Active Listening: Listening skills are essential for understanding instructions, feedback, and other important information. Students who actively listen can better advocate for themselves by processing information accurately.
10. Self-confidence: Building self-confidence empowers students to speak up for themselves and assert their needs confidently.
11. Organization and Time Management: Helping students develop organizational and time management skills ensures they can plan and prioritize effectively, leading to better self-advocacy.
12. Reflective Practice: Encouraging students to reflect on their experiences, successes, and areas for improvement fosters self-awareness and enhances their ability to advocate for themselves in the future.

By nurturing these self-advocacy skills, students become more independent, confident, and capable of navigating academic and personal challenges effectively.

What is Self Determination?

” the process by which a person controls their own life. “

Self-determination is often talked about at transition time, but not much outside of that. What a huge mistake! When our kids leave the school system or leave the home, they don’t miraculously develop the ability to self-advocate.

This is something that should be worked on and weaved in everything.

It’s also essential that you and your child have a vision, that it is the same vision, and that they have participated in developing the vision. If you don’t know where you are going, how do you know what to advocate for?

Check out the free IEP Vision Statement workbook for future planning below.

Both parents and educators can be intimidated by adding goals like these because they seem to be challenging to measure. Or at least that is the perception. It can be quite simple to measure; just add a quantity. I have a formula chart at the end of the post.

Self Advocacy IEP Goal Examples

If a child has a behavior plan as part of their IEP, then it is absolutely necessary that they have self-advocacy goals.

A student cannot stay on a behavior plan forever or have adults intervening and removing your antecedents when they can. A student needs to be able to self-identify their antecedents, predict them and have an action plan of acceptable coping skills.

But do not shy away from writing these types of IEP goals for self advocacy because you are afraid they are not measurable. For example:

• Given the school lunch menu, I will select between the two options available that day in 4 out of 5 trials.
• If I have five elective class options, I will select one class per semester for my schedule.
• Given a challenging situation to solve, I will define the problem and come up with at least two possible solutions to the problem in four out of five trials.

Self Advocacy IEP Goals and Objectives

Below are some IEP goals and objectives for self advocacy. The full list of self advocacy IEP goals is further down. I added objectives to the first eight self advocacy goal examples, so that you get an idea of how to add objectives to the ones you use.

1. Goal: Co-lead annual review and help develop IEP goals.
   • Objective: The student will actively participate in annual IEP meetings by contributing ideas and preferences for their educational goals, as observed by meeting participants and documented in meeting notes.
2. Goal: Communicate academic strategies or compensation skills that work best for him/her.
   • Objective: The student will compile a list of two academic strategies or compensation skills that have proven effective for them, providing examples and explanations for each, as demonstrated through written or verbal communication with the teacher or support staff.
3. Goal: Demonstrate appropriate skills in asking for a curriculum modification and will negotiate the modification with some adult cuing.
   • Objective: With occasional adult guidance, the student will initiate a discussion with the teacher regarding the need for a curriculum modification, articulating specific reasons and negotiating possible solutions, as observed during classroom interactions and documented instances of successful negotiation.
4. Goal: Student will demonstrate appropriate skills in asking for help at appropriate times.
   • Objective: The student will independently identify at least two appropriate situations per week where asking for help is necessary, as evidenced by verbal requests to the teacher or other appropriate individuals and documented instances of successful assistance-seeking.
5. Goal: Demonstrate a knowledge of community resources.
   • Objective: The student will research and compile a list of at least three community resources relevant to their educational or personal needs, providing descriptions and contact information for each resource, as presented to the teacher or support staff for review.
6. Goal: Student can communicate an understanding of the goals on the IEP. (read over with them and discuss)
   • Objective: The student will accurately explain two academic or behavioral goals listed on their IEP, including the purpose and methods for achieving each goal, during a discussion with the teacher or support staff, with 80% accuracy.
7. Goal: Demonstrate an understanding of what a learning disability (or other condition if appropriate) is and able to communicate to others how he/she learns best.
   • Objective: The student will research and prepare a presentation explaining their learning disability (or relevant condition), including its impact on their learning and effective strategies for learning, to be delivered to the class or a small group with support from the teacher or support staff.
8. Goal: Describe personal strengths accurately.
   • Objective: The student will create a visual or written representation highlighting at least three personal strengths, providing specific examples or anecdotes to support each strength, as shared with the teacher or support staff and displayed in the classroom.

Asking for Help IEP Goals

Self Advocacy Goals Speech Therapy

IDEA does not define who is responsible for self advocacy goals for an IEP. It can be anyone.

I have found that it is often the speech therapist or special education teacher who does this. Or, another IEP team member who has a really good relationship with the student.

Better yet–ask the student to self advocate and tell you who they’d like to work with on self advocacy goals.

Self Advocacy IEP Goals

1. Co-lead annual review and help develop IEP goals.
2. Communicate academic strategies or compensation skills that work best for him/her.
3. Demonstrate appropriate skills in asking for a curriculum modification and will negotiate the modification with some adult cuing.
4. Student will demonstrate appropriate skills in asking for help at appropriate times.
5. Demonstrate appropriate skills in asking for modification independently.
6. Student demonstrates skills that they know when or how to ask for help.
7. Demonstrate a knowledge of community resources.
8. Student can communicate an understanding of the goals on the IEP. (read over with them and discuss)
9. Demonstrate an understanding of what a learning disability (or other condition if appropriate) is and able to communicate to others how he/she learns best.
10. Demonstrate an understanding of what their learning disability is and communicate to others what he/she needs to learn successfully.
11. Describe student strengths accurately
12. Evaluate the effectiveness of their learning strategies and make modifications as needed.
13. Assess the effectiveness of learning strategies and make appropriate modifications
14. Evaluate the effectiveness of learning strategies and make modifications as needed.
15. Explain the kind of help needed for a situation. (set the stage for weekly situations)
16. Identify a strategy for approaching a learning task (self-monitoring skills will not be in place at this time).
17. Communicate/Identify academic strategies or compensation skills that work best for him/her.
18. Identify one or two curriculum modifications (I need to have more time to complete work, I need to have directions written on the board)
19. Explain and communicate one or two environmental needs (I need to sit in the front of the class, I need a quiet place to work)
20. Identify one or two learning strategies that they use.
21. Student can identify specific curriculum modifications that are in the IEP and why they are needed (My listening skills are not as strong, so I will need a note taker)
22. Identify specific environmental modifications and to tell why they are needed.
23. Lead annual IEP meetings to help develop goals. (YES! I do know of some kids who do this! It can be done!)
24. Can demonstrate skills that they can communicate how and when to ask for help in the classroom.
25. Learn the appropriate skills for negotiating a curriculum modification and will practice these skills in a structured setting.
26. List possible antecedents to their own behaviors (“I get upset when…..”) and list possible acceptable alternatives to their negative behavior.
27. Make decisions between two or more choices.
28. Initiate or participate in goal setting conferences and help to set own goals.
29. Participate in school meetings (parent/teacher conference or annual review) and advocate for self with the support of parent and teachers.
30. Self identifies that they need assistance and know who is appropriate to ask for help and ask for help.
31. Share with the classroom teacher that the IEP is a legal document and what kinds of information can be found on the IEP.
32. Share work and accept help from an adult (this is a good one for ODD)

Self Advocacy Goals for High School Students

1. Student will demonstrate knowledge of student strengths, areas of need, personal learning style and their applications in daily school, community life and career options.
2. Develop an understanding and verbalize what supports they need to be a good employee (address EF skills, etc).
3. Explain your understanding of Rehabilitation Act 504 (for students attending college)
4. Given five elective class options, student will select one class per semester for schedule.
5. Participate in the development of a post-secondary plan.

Self Advocacy Goals Elementary

Here are eight examples of self-advocacy IEP goals and objectives for elementary students:

1. Goal: The student will demonstrate the ability to identify personal strengths and weaknesses.
   • Objective 1: By the end of the school year, the student will create a list of three personal strengths and three areas for improvement, with 80% accuracy, as assessed by teacher observation and self-assessment.
2. Goal: The student will effectively communicate their needs and preferences in the classroom setting.
   • Objective 1: During group activities, the student will raise their hand and express their opinions or preferences at least twice per class session, as observed by the teacher, over the course of the school year.
   • Objective 2: The student will use a communication notebook to write at least one question or concern per week to the teacher, demonstrating effective written communication skills, with 70% accuracy, as measured by teacher review.
3. Goal: The student will actively participate in the development of their Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals and accommodations.
   • Objective 1: During IEP meetings, the student will articulate at least one personal goal related to their academic or social-emotional development, with support from the teacher or advocate, as observed by meeting participants, by the end of the school year.
   • Objective 2: The student will review their current IEP accommodations and suggest at least one new accommodation based on their needs and preferences, with guidance from the teacher, by the end of each semester.
4. Goal: The student will seek assistance when encountering academic challenges.
   • Objective 1: When faced with a difficult assignment, the student will ask the teacher for clarification or assistance at least three times per week, as observed by the teacher, throughout the school year.
   • Objective 2: The student will use a visual cue (e.g., raising a colored card) to signal when they need help during independent work time, with fading prompts as appropriate, achieving independence in seeking assistance by the end of the school year.
5. Goal: The student will advocate for appropriate accommodations and modifications in the classroom.
   • Objective 1: The student will independently request a preferred seating arrangement or assistive technology tool when needed, with verbal or written communication, with 80% accuracy, as assessed by teacher observation, by the end of the school year.
   • Objective 2: During assessments, the student will remind the teacher of their approved testing accommodations, such as extended time or use of a calculator, demonstrating awareness and self-advocacy skills, with 90% accuracy, as observed by the teacher, by the end of the school year.
6. Goal: The student will demonstrate understanding of their learning style and preferences.
   • Objective 1: The student will complete a learning style inventory assessment and discuss the results with the teacher, identifying at least two preferred learning strategies, with 70% accuracy, by the end of the first semester.
   • Objective 2: Using a graphic organizer or checklist, the student will self-monitor their engagement and productivity during independent work time, adjusting their approach based on their learning preferences, with guidance from the teacher, achieving independence by the end of the school year.
7. Goal: The student will practice problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles.
   • Objective 1: When encountering a challenging task or situation, the student will independently generate at least two possible solutions and evaluate the consequences of each, with guidance from the teacher, achieving independence in problem-solving by the end of the school year.
   • Objective 2: The student will participate in role-playing scenarios or social stories to practice assertive communication and conflict resolution skills, demonstrating understanding and application in real-life situations, with 80% accuracy, by the end of the school year.
8. Goal: The student will develop self-confidence in their abilities.
   • Objective 1: The student will engage in self-affirmations or positive self-talk daily, either independently or with teacher support, demonstrating improved self-confidence as observed by the teacher, by the end of each marking period.
   • Objective 2: The student will participate in extracurricular activities or projects outside of their comfort zone, gradually expanding their skills and interests, with encouragement and support from the teacher, achieving increased self-confidence by the end of the school year.

These goals and objectives can be tailored to meet the specific needs and abilities of individual students, and progress should be regularly monitored and documented through ongoing assessment and feedback.

How to Measure Self-Advocacy Goals

Use the IEP Goal Formula below to make an IEP goal measurable.

Self Advocacy Examples

Hope this helps and as always, ask in our forums if you have questions.