Writing neurodiversity-affirming goals requires us to think beyond whether a goal is simply measurable or observable. This blog explores three questions that can help us write more neuro affirming IEP and therapy goals: Is the goal meaningful to the person? Is it fairly timed? Does it allow for the level of support the person needs to succeed? The goals should never be focused on making someone look less neurodivergent. They should help them participate in ways that are meaningful, achievable, and well-supported.
Why Do Neurodiversity-Affirming Goals Matter?
Goals can look like a few sentences we put on an IEP or therapy plan. But once they’re written, they become so much more than words on a page. They influence what we practice, what we prompt, what we measure, and ultimately what we call “progress.”
And there is a real person on the receiving end of all of that. Day after day, they may be working toward goals chosen by the adults around them. When we prioritize what matters to us rather than what matters to them, we can spend precious time working toward outcomes that have little meaning in their life, and potentially send the message that parts of who they are need to be fixed. Those messages matter, because our goals don’t just influence what a person practices; they can influence what a person learns about themselves.
And what we choose to work on isn’t the only thing that matters. When and how matter too. For example, if we ask for a skill before the underlying awareness or capacity is there, we can unintentionally set someone up to experience failure again and again. And if we define progress by how independently they can perform rather than ensuring they have access to the supports they need, we may end up measuring the removal of support rather than meaningful success.
That’s why neurodiversity-affirming goal writing matters so much. Yes, our goals need to be measurable. But measurable isn’t enough. The question isn’t only, “Can we measure their progress?” It’s also, “Are we working toward something that matters to them, at a time that makes sense, with the support they need to have a fair and just chance to succeed?”
Questions to Ask When Writing Neurodiversity-Affirming Goals
So how do we slow down and think beyond whether a goal is simply measurable or well-written? Here are three questions I often use to help me look a little deeper.
Question 1: Is This Goal Meaningful to the Person?
We can write a perfectly measurable goal, but that doesn’t necessarily make it meaningful. One of my favorite questions is: Who benefits if this goal is achieved?
Imagine a goal focused on having a student initiate an interaction with a peer three times during recess. On paper, that sounds pretty great: connection, communication, social participation. But what if this student genuinely prefers spending recess alone? What if recess is their much-needed time to recover from the social and sensory demands of the classroom? Whose goal is increased peer interaction? The student’s or ours? In other words: who benefits if this goal is achieved?
That doesn’t mean peer interaction is never a meaningful goal. It means we can’t assume something is meaningful simply because we value it. We need to get curious about the assumptions underneath the goal. Will this goal help the person participate in something that matters to them, communicate what they need, have more autonomy, feel more connected, or understand themselves better? Or are we targeting something primarily because the adults around them have decided what participation should look like? Because ultimately, meaningful participation should be defined by the person, not by someone else’s definition of what a “successful” life should look like.
Question 2: Is This Goal Fairly Timed?
Sometimes a goal makes sense, but the timing doesn’t. We may be asking someone to meet a goal before the underlying skills needed to succeed are accessible to them.
Take a common goal of using a break card when becoming overwhelmed. I see this one quite frequently in the schools. Before repeatedly practicing handing over the break card or even saying “I need a break,” we need to think more deeply. Does the person have the underlying skills to meet the goal? For example, does the person recognize body signals that might indicate growing overwhelm? Do they notice that they need a break? If not, knowing the “right time” to use the break card would be pretty hard! And furthermore, when they do become overwhelmed, do they know if a break in the way we have it structured is actually what their body needs? Do they have enough knowledge about their body to know what individualized strategies they need to regulate during periods of overwhelm? If not, using a break strategy deemed helpful by us might not actually work.
Without that deeper understanding, someone may learn to memorize or perform the expected response because they’ve been prompted or rewarded to do it without actually understanding when or why they need it (or whether they need it at all).
Before writing a goal, I like to ask: What does this person need to know, notice, understand, or be able to access for this goal to be possible? Sometimes we’re writing a goal for Step 4 when the person is still discovering Steps 1 and 2. That doesn’t mean we lower the expectation. It means we pause, rewind a bit and support what’s underneath so the person has a fair chance to succeed every step of the way.
Question 3: Does This Goal Allow for the Support the Person Needs to Succeed?
Consider how often words like independently, without prompting, and without adult assistance appear in IEP goals and therapy goals. I know I’ve written my fair share of these goals!!! Somewhere along the way, needing less support became one of our default measures of progress. But does a neurodiversity-affirming goal always need to prioritize independence?
Imagine a student has a goal to independently transition from one classroom to another. But what if the support of a safe adult walking next to them allows them to feel regulated enough to do this successfully? Or providing them with a visual schedule is exactly what allows them to understand what’s happening next, organize themselves, and successfully get where they need to go? Why should focusing on complete independence and removing a support that works be the measure of progress?
The same could be true of AAC, movement, extra processing time, environmental accommodations, or the help of other humans. A person may need some of these supports temporarily, in certain situations, or throughout their life. Needing support, including support from other people, doesn’t make their participation less successful.
And this isn’t about lowering expectations. We can hold meaningful expectations while providing the support a person’s body and brain need to meet them. Independence doesn’t have to be the ultimate measure of success. We’re all interdependent in different ways. Maybe the better measure of progress isn’t how little support someone needs, but how successfully they can participate with the support that works for them.
Neurodiversity-Affirming Goal Writing Starts with Curiosity
These are not the only three questions to ask when writing neurodiversity-affirming goals. There are so many more. But they help me slow down and look beyond whether a goal is technically well-written, measurable, and observable to consider the person who will be living it. Because affirming goal writing isn’t just about finding better words for the same old goals. It’s about getting curious about what we’re asking, why we’re asking it, when we’re asking it, and what the person needs from us along the way.
And I know this list of questions could be SO much longer. What question do YOU ask yourself when you’re trying to write a neurodiversity-affirming goal?
Want to Go Deeper into Neurodiversity-Affirming Goal Writing?
These three questions are a starting point. But writing truly individualized, meaningful, and measurable goals requires us to go much deeper. That’s exactly what Autistic speech-language pathologist Rachel Dorsey teaches in our new on-demand course: Writing Affirming Goals for Autistic Students. Rachel takes you through the clinical reasoning behind neurodiversity-affirming goal writing: from deciding which skills are meaningful to target, to considering the whole person, identifying appropriate supports and accommodations, and turning that thinking into measurable goals. You’ll also work through case studies so you can practice applying the process yourself. Plus, Rachel gives us a comprehensive goal bank to use to help us get started! It’s gold!
If you’re ready to move beyond simply making your goals sound more affirming and dig into how to actually thinkdifferently about the goals you write, this course is your next step.
