Welcome back to our Building Your Best IEP Goals series where we are going over a wide range of IEP suggestions, discussing the importance of varying goal categories, and showing some examples of how to create individualized goals from the listed starter ideas. 

We are also releasing this blog series as a way of highlighting our free IEP Goal Idea Banks, with this week’s focus being on Community Skills. If you are interested in checking out some of our Life Skills goal suggestions you can check those out in part 1. 

We will also briefly go over templating individualized goals in part 1 but if you are interested in a more in depth look you can also find more on the topic of individualizing goals in any of our free goal banks. So let’s take a closer look at Community Skills? 

Broadly speaking, community skills relate to all that we need to do and account for to navigate our community and meet our needs, wants, and goals. Across the broader community there are a huge variety of settings that one might visit in the course of our daily business and often each of those settings is dictated by different norms and procedures. Some of those norms and procedures may be necessary to fulfill that setting’s purpose - waiting in line at the grocery store for example - while others might be a result of allistic social norms and others still might be focused on safety. 

There is a huge variety of potential skills to learn and not all of them will be intuitive to everyone! When it comes to learning community skills, a great starting point with your student or client is identifying goals, wants, and/or needs that require a degree of community participation and honing in on skills that will make those forms of participation easier. 

As a quick reminder before we dive into goal suggestions and sample individualized goals, here is the broad template we use to individualize goal ideas: 

If you are interested in diving a little deeper into this topic you can find more on individualization cover it more closely in part 1 of this series and go into even more detail in each of our free goal banks! 

The following categories are meant to cover as broad a range of scenarios as possible that specifically hone in on a community skills component. As with any IEP goal, the exact category an individualized goal ultimately falls under may change depending on the specific needs of the student, and it’s always possible you will identify specific goals related to areas that aren’t directly covered in this list of suggestions. 

The benefit of having categories and starting points is being able to hone in on something more specific when you have some idea of who your student is but are still honing in on the areas that would be most beneficial to practice. 

Unlike most of our other categories, Community-Based Instruction (CBI) refers to a specific method of teaching skills in a community based setting, and as a result the types of CBI goals you might include on an IEP will vary depending on the activity. The great part about CBI related goals is that you can hone in on the specifics of the activity or focus more broadly on the success of the CBI learning itself, as the skills that help us learn during CBI are also great for learning on the job or following specific instructions in a community setting. 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Preparation

• Learn about the CBI site, describe what the student will be doing doing there
• Research more about the activities, types of jobs, and customer experience at the selected CBI site

Transportation

• Identify on a map where the CBI site will be, map route from school
• Identify transportation options for coming and going from the CBI site
• Learn about the selected transportation option and how long the commute will be

At the CBI

• Participate in CBI at # different locations, for # minutes
• Participate in a specific CBI outing regarding other goals
• Describe the CBI site: what setting, what type of location, and where it is
• Search and identify familiar logos, products, and stores/restaurants
• Use a checklist to complete tasks, activities, and events
• Use a schedule to navigate activities and events
• Identify community safety signs, define each sign, and what they help do
• Hold and use a wallet/purse with money during the CBI
• Count the correct amount of money for a purchase.
• Use an elevator based on its purpose, read the available options, select the correct floor
• Use an escalator based on its purpose
• Identify and use the restroom area in a public space (refer to signs)

After the CBI

• Review the activities, types of jobs, and experience at the selected CBI site
• Evaluate what went well and what to work on next time at the same site and/or future CBI sites 

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: At the CBI - Participate in CBI at [#] different locations for [#] minutes 

“By 5/1, given the opportunity to ask for breaks, Jenny will participate in CBI at 4 different locations for at least 60 minutes each session.”

Example 2: Evaluate what went well and what to work on next time at the same site and/or future CBI sites

“By 10/15, given support from instructor in remembering details, Thomas will list at least three things that went well and three things he wants to practice more after each CBI session.” 

Restaurant meals are in a category all their own because they can be such a crucial component meeting an individual’s needs within the community and they can also be so varied in terms of norms, procedures, and pricing! When it comes to eating at a restaurant, knowing what to expect can be the difference between a routine or wonderful time and a frustrating or upsetting one. From calibrating expectations about what the restaurant will be like based on its advertising to deciding how to pay the bill, there are no shortage of community skills to be practiced! 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Type of restaurants

• Identify and describe the restaurant the student will be going to
• Create a checklist or sequence of events of what to expect (fast food vs. sit-down restaurant, or somewhere in between)

Walking In

• Check in at hosting stand, give number of the party, and wait to be seated
• Search and identify a place to sit based on the number of people, open seating, and clean table

Menu

• Review the menu and select items of interest
• Based on amount of money allotted for the restaurant visit, select items from the menu

Paying

• Order for meal with waiter/waitress
• Ask for check after the meal
• Calculate the tip and add to the total bill
• Order meal at the counter with the cashier
• Pay for the meal with the cashier
• Count money with cash or use a debit/credit/gift card

After ordering

• Prepare needed items for eating (fill up drink cup, grab napkins, get utensils)
• Use table manners with silverware, napkins, and eating food
• Identify and select utensils to use based on the meal

After the meal

• Throw trash away in designated spot
• Gather leftovers and ask for a to-go box if needed 

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Paying - Calculate the tip and add to the total bill 

“By 11/5, given at least 4 practice sessions, Richard will be able to correctly calculate and add a 20% tip on 70% of sample bills in 2 out of 3 quizzes.”

Example 2: Create a checklist or sequence of events of what to expect (fast food vs. sit-down restaurant, or somewhere in between)

“By 4/2, given at least 3 practice sessions and instructor support, Clarissa will create procedural checklists for 3 different restaurants in the community, at least one of which requires ordering from a menu and at least one of which qualifies as fast food.” 

Much like eating at restaurants, shopping can entail many different types of skills and social norms depending on the specific setting. Shopping can also be an overwhelming experience at times and may require some extra preparation before the trip to know exactly what to look for and where to find it. Sometimes you may even need to be prepared with a couple different types of skills at the same store, like using the self-checkout machine or interacting with a cashier. A great place to start in identifying shopping oriented goals is to go through some different shopping scenarios to identify parts that might be intimidating or require more practice. 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Before shopping

• Create a shopping list based on needs (can use a scenario, pretend list)
• Identify and describe the store the student will be going to
• Create a checklist or sequence of events of what to expect (grocery store, mall, individual store, large box store, or somewhere in between)

At the Store

• Identify signs and what they mean (store hours, restrooms, where to stand in line, aisle names)
• Search for items on the shopping list
• Use shopping list to identify store aisles and group items on the list by aisle
• If purchasing items, select a grocery cart or basket if needed
• Place selected item in the cart/basket carefully, stack items as needed
• Compare brands and prices of the same item (look at volume, cost per X, name brand vs. store brand)

Waiting in line

• Select a check out lane that is open
• Stand in line and wait until the student’s turn to check out

Check Out

• Self Check Out
  • Scan items by their bar code one at a time
  • Move items from unscanned to scanned side of the scanner
  • Count money and put into the machine to pay
• Check Out with Cashier
  • Place items on the conveyor belt, use plastic bar to designate student’s purchases over another person’s
  • Count money and pay cashier 

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Check Out - Self Check Out - Scan items by their bar code one at a time. 

“By 5/1, given supervision and up to 3 reminders by instructor, Chelsea will correctly scan 95% of items in at least two different self-checkout settings.” 

Example 2: At the store - Search for items on the shopping list 

“By 10/15, given hints and suggestions related to the correct aisle by the instructor, Robert will correctly locate at least 80% of items on a ten item shopping list in at least 3 different locations.” 

Community safety covers yet another wide range of potential scenarios, from onsite safety instructions in a CBI setting to identifying specific signs to good pedestrian habits to the general practice of ensuring one’s own safety while out in public. Just about any safety skill is worth practicing, but to identify specific IEP goals it may be worth considering which safety contexts are most common - or most likely to become common - in your student or client’s life. 

If they frequently walk to different locations, for example, then it may be worth some added emphasis on best practices when it comes to road safety. If they are frequently learning in different CBI settings, it may be worth focusing on learning and adhering to unique safety rules in different settings. 

If an individual most commonly uses one particular setting in their day to day life, identifying signs and emergency exits at that location could be the most important immediate goal. As always our categories can inspire us to think about each individual’s goals based on their unique needs and context. 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Safety directions

• Learn about specific safety directions for a given CBI site
• Describe why safety directions are important and how to use them

Safety signs

• Learn about and identify safety signs in the community
• Describe what safety signs mean
• Locate exits and emergency exits based on their signs
• Identify emergency buttons and signs throughout the CBI site (emergency button on the elevator, fire alarms)

Pedestrian safety

• Learn about pedestrian safety signs vs. driving signs, specifically ones in the community and at the CBI, and how they work
• Look both ways before crossing the street – make sure there are no cars coming quickly through the crosswalk, no cars right at the crosswalk, space to safely cross
• Use the Walk/No Walk sign to cross or wait to cross
• Use and stay on the sidewalk when walking in the community
• When walking through the parking lot, walk around cars, keep an eye out for cars coming and going from parking spots while walking by

Practicing safety behaviors

• Follow safety directions from designated adults (teachers, staff, and staff at CBI)
• Hold handrail on the escalator, wait until the step arrives at the top/bottom before getting off
• Stay close to group and staff during the CBI
• Stay close to peer partner/assigned buddy during the CBI
• Reflect on safety practices and behaviors, review any safety protocol, and determine what worked and what to work on next time 

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Pedestrian safety - Learn about pedestrian safety signs vs. driving signs, specifically ones in the community and at the CBI, and how they work 

“By 5/1, given at least 3 practice sessions, Mark will correctly identify with 95% accuracy which signs on a list are for drivers and which are for pedestrians, then correctly identify the purpose of 80% of pedestrian signs on at least 2 out of 3 quizzes.” 

Example 2: Safety directions - Lean about specific safety directions for a given CBI site
 

“By 10/15, given at least 2 opportunities to review with instructor, Kendall will correctly identify the 4 key safety directions at Food Lion in at least 2 out of 3 visits.” 

Access to transportation can be one of the most transformative tools a person can have when it comes to accessing community resources, and included among all the potential barriers to that access are the skills one must learn to identify different types of transportation and how to use the options that are available in one’s own community. 

Some students or clients may benefit from practicing the specific procedures associated with a given transportation option while others may benefit more from practicing how to interpret the options presented by a given transportation choice to reach a variety of different potential destinations. 

As always a good starting point is to communicate with your student about what transportation currently looks like for them, and determining realistic steps forward from there. 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Transportation Options

• Learn about transportation options available in the local community
• Research how to use transportation options
• If buses available, search for bus schedules and routes
• Map out bus schedules and routes, identify locations of interest along the way
• Calculate costs of using transportation options
• Compare and contrast using transportation options
• Locate how to access each transportation option and determine how to use them

Taking the bus/train

• Locate nearby stops/stations
• Identify times on the schedule and route
• Calculate timing to head to the to the stop/station on time and time arriving at destination
• Be on time/early to stop/station
• Pay for a ticket or a pass (online, in person)
• Find seating that is open, in an ideal location for the student (towards the back door to easily get out, space between seats)
• Complete a full trip of using the bus/train:
  • Get on bus/train at stop/station
  • Get off bus/train at destination
  • Get on bus/train at destination
  • Return to original stop location and get off
• Use the bus protocol to indicate a stop (pull on rope, push button)
• Use community signs to locate entrances and exits at train stops
• Create a list of strategies for when scheduling issues, emergencies, and questions arise

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Transportation options - Map out bus schedules and routes, identity locations of interest along the way 

“By 10/12, given instructor assistance in identifying locations, Alice will be able to utilize a local bus route map to identify which line she would take to reach at least 5 different destinations.” 

Example 2: Taking the bus/train - pay for a ticket or a pass
 

“By 5/1, given at least two practice sessions, Marco will order his own MetroCard as well as correctly identifying the procedure for refilling the Metrocard with $20 in at least two out of three attempts.” 

Interacting with people in a public community setting often takes a different tenor from the day to day social interactions we might have with the friends, family members, and even colleagues who are most familiar to us. 

Depending on who we are speaking with and where we are doing it, the norms of a given interaction can shift wildly. To add to the potential confusion, every individual is different and there is no guarantee that any individual will act exactly as you might expect in any particular community interaction. 

On top of learning what to do to help others feel comfortable, it’s also incredibly important to practice identifying what helps us feel comfortable in potentially crowded community settings. Whether we want to practice navigating how to speak with a cashier, our dentist, a total stranger, or just figure out how to avoid getting overwhelmed sitting on a crowded bus, there is likely to be a specific goal we can identify and work on! 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Ask for help from an employee

• Learn through scenarios various reasons and ways to ask an employee for help
• Identify ways to ask for help across locations, reasons, and scenarios
• Role play asking for help across locations, reasons, and scenarios
• During CBI, practice asking for help across locations, reasons, and scenarios

Completing a purchase

• Learn about the process of completing a purchase with a cashier/customer representative across locations and scenarios
• Role play completing a purchase and all of the steps involved
• Identify scenarios where someone may have to ask questions, ask for help, use coupons, and communicate other needs
• During CBI, practice completing a purchase with a cashier across locations and scenarios

Being around others

• Learn all of the many ways community spaces are constructed to hold small number of people to larger numbers of people, then compare and contrast (small stores, shopping malls, and big box stores)
• Identify strategies to navigate being amongst larger groups of people, crowds
• Role play maintaining personal space strategies across settings, locations, and scenarios
• During CBI, practice maintaining personal space strategies across settings, locations, and scenarios

Community safety

• Learn about communicating with strangers, what is safe/unsafe across settings
• Role play interacting with strangers across scenarios and settings
• During CBI, practice interacting with strangers across scenarios and settings 

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Completing a purchase - Identify scenarios where someone may have to ask questions, ask for help, use coupons, and communicate other needs 

“By 9/25, given at least 4 practice sessions with an instructor, Keisha will correctly identify and carry out the steps for alerting the window employee at her train stop about her accommodation needs.” 

Example 2: Being around others - Identify strategies to navigate being amongst larger groups of people, crowds
 

“By 10/15, given time to plan together with instructor, Jonathan will identify decompression spaces - defined as a space where he can find temporary reprieve when overwhelmed by crowds - in at least 5 different locations he visits in the community.” 

We hope that our list of community categories and goals has inspired some thought as to ways they could be applied to individual students or clients that you are working with, and that some of our example individualized goals have shown just how flexible these goals are to fit a given person’s specific context and needs. 

If you are interested in sharing some of your own experiences in building community skill based goals or offer some suggestions for future IEP related topics you’d like to see covered then we would love to hear from you! Just drop us a line at hello@autismgrownup.com and we will be back next week with part 3 where we will be diving deeper into executive functioning skills!