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 listed starter ideas. Part of our aim with this series is to highlight our free IEP Goal Idea banks, and this week we are honing in on Executive Functioning Skills. We have also already covered our Life Skills Goal Bank and Community Skills Goal Bank in parts 1 and 2 respectively. The primary informational purpose of these posts is to share some of these goal ideas in a different format and to show some examples of individualization, but if you are interested in learning more about the individualization process we cover it more in depth in each of our free IEP Goal Bank downloads!

Executive functioning comprises all the different skills that help us decide what to do and how to do it to complete tasks, meet obligations, and work toward our short and long term goals. 

From how we organize our time to how we evaluate our own progress, if it’s a skill that contributes to our ability to complete tasks more effectively and efficiently then it falls under the umbrella of executive functioning!

It is important to recognize executive functioning skills as abilities that people will have varying levels of success with and that sometimes requires practice and trial and error. Likewise it is important to recognize that executive functioning skills are meant to be tools that individuals can use to achieve their own goals rather than complete tasks in a specific, “proper” way. 

The more we can acknowledge executive functioning skills as things we can work on and also tools that we as individuals decide how to use in our lives, the more our executive functioning related IEP goals will promote growth and independence! 

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 commonly characterized as building blocks of executive functioning and are meant to broadly cover the range of skills that could fit under the executive functioning umbrella. You may have found in your own experience that you use slightly different terminology or use additional categories not listed here. That is perfectly OK! 

There is no perfect way to capture every single executive functioning skill in a neat box with no overlap or exclusion. The more important thing is to have a system that works for you and that can translate to individualized goals, which are ultimately more important than whatever category they happened to come from. Categories are only as important as their ability to help us identify potential skills and goals to work on. 

Adaptable thinking skills are all about handling change in the moment. Managing change can include skills like making personal adjustments to get used to new expectations, coming up with new ideas to address novel problems, or to improvise and go with the flow as part of a creative process. 

Crucially adaptable thinking is about more than setting aside one’s own feelings because a sudden change has occurred. Adaptable thinking skills can allow for space to adjust while still acknowledging a person’s needs and that not everyone will adapt in the exact same way.

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Adjust to changes in plans and expectations 

• Learn about ways to adjust for changes in plans and expectations, identify tools
• Practice adjusting in scenarios and across activities, tasks, and settings (smaller changes to larger changes)
• Describe the change in plans and/or expectations
• Recognize emotions during the changes and self-regulate using coping strategies if needed

Come up with new ideas and approaches to situations that arise in the moment 

• Take into consideration the change and problem, describe and define the change and problem
• Create a list of ideas and approaches to navigate it
• Select an idea and try it
• Adjust the idea as needed, incorporate feedback, learn from mistakes
• Reflect on experience, check in with needs and emotions, and build assurance that it worked out

Improvise and go with the flow as needed 

• Learn about how to improvise and go with the flow, identify tools
• Practice improvising and going with the flow in scenarios and across activities, tasks, and settings (smaller changes to larger changes)
• Adjust the idea as needed, incorporate feedback, learn from mistakes
• Reflect on experience, check in with needs and emotions, and build assurance that it worked out
   

Problem solve and conflict resolution for larger problems and concerns 

• Learn about how to problem solve and conflict resolution, identify tools
• Incorporate others’ perspectives (if involves others), create a list of solutions to the problem, implement solution, and reflect on resolution

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Adjust to changes in plans and expectations - recognize emotions during the changes and self-regulate using coping strategies if needed

“By 10/15, given at least 3 strategies to try, any necessary support tools, and reminders from the instructor, Kayla will use at least one coping strategy in response to at least 60% of schedule changes as monitored by the instructor.” 

Example 2: Improve and go with the flow as needed - Adjust the idea as needed, incorporate feedback, learn from mistakes

“By 11/1, given the opportunity for dialog with an instructor, assistant, or partner, Thomas will create self-evaluations for at least two projects that engages both with self-identified mistakes and with instructor feedback.” 

Metacognition can be most broadly described as connecting multiple executive functioning skills together, evaluating one’s own performance in tasks and activities, and identifying what is succeeding. 

It is our ability to look at, for example, the work we did on a project and ask if we organized our time in a way that best set us up for success, or how well attuned we were to our own needs during the process, or how well we were able to remember multi-step tasks and how that impact our work. If you are taking on a bird’s eye view with your self-evaluation, you are likely be practicing metacognition skills! 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Connecting multiple executive functioning skills to each other 

• Learn about all the types of executive functioning (all 9 components or one at a time)
• Compare and contrast how all types interconnect and help each other
• Practice an executive functioning skill and identify all of the components of executive functioning, reflect on how they have grown and can continue to grow
   

Evaluating your performance on tasks and activities 

• Create a portfolio of student work around a variety of subjects, refer to grades, and take self-assessments/inventories/surveys across skill areas and interests
• Look for patterns, common feedback, what is working, and what is not working
• Create a summary of patterns and feedback
• Reflect on what is working and what is not working
• Identify next steps to continue what is working and what supports may be needed

Developing self-awareness around strengths, interests, challenges, and areas you want to work on 

• Learn about strengths, interests, challenges, needs, and areas to work on
• Learn about how these can change across settings, context, and skill areas (life skills, academics, self-advocacy, social skills, etc.)
• Complete a self-assessment on these areas
• Reflect on strengths, interests, challenges, needs, and areas to work on
• Identify how to use a strength and/or interest to make a challenge easier or make it more fun to work on an area of growth

Identify what is succeeding 

• After a given assignment, task, and/or activity, reflect on its completion
• Identify what was done successfully, how, and why
• Create a “kitchen fridge” folder for a list of wins, successes, and celebrations
   

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Connecting multiple executive functioning skills to each other - Learn about all the types of executive functioning

“By 4/2, given materials and practice time with instructor, Kevin will be able to correctly identify at least 8 out of 9 executive functioning skills and their purposes in 2 out of 3 sessions.” 

Example 2: Connecting multiple executive functioning skills to each other - Learn about all the types of executive functioning 

“By 9/21, given materials and practice time with instructor, Lorelei will be able to explain the concept of self-regulation and identify at least 5 skills that fit under the self-regulation umbrella.” 

Organization is all about creating a system to keep track of the important information in your project, plan, or life in general. It can range from tracking things like deliverables and deadlines to organizing the way you store information related to a particular class, project, or favorite topic. If you are thinking about how to make sure you have the exact information you need at the time you need it, then you are almost certainly working on your organizational skills! 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Create a system to help keep track 

• Identify a skill, activity, and/or task to keep track of
• Create a system to help keep track of the skill, activity, and/or task
  Student uses the data system for self-management across a class, part of a day, or across the day

Keep up with a tracking system 

• Implement the tracking system consistently in a class, part of, or across the day
• Incorporate new information and adjust the tracking system as needed
• Use the tracking system for a given number of days, weeks, months, quarter, semester, or year

Have the necessary materials ready for a task 

• For a given task, identify the necessary materials ahead of time, the moment before, and during the task
• Create a list of materials for each task
• Before the task, get materials ready (refer to the list)
• After the task, put away the materials in a safe space for next time
• Create a back-up list of materials and/or a problem-solving checklist of what to do in case something is missing

Keep track of deadlines 

• Use system to identify and keep track of deadlines (calendar, planner, schedule)
• Identify and implement a system that works best to provide multiple reminders about an upcoming deadline
• Build out system for what to do around a deadline that outlines what is exactly to be done

Manage information for assignments and studying 

• Identify and use a system for notetaking and studying, adjust as needed
   

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Create a system to help keep track - create a system to help keep track of a skill, activity, or task 

“By 3/10, given materials and support from instructor, Devin will create a system that tracks all of the exercises he must routinely complete to work toward his goal of making the varsity soccer team.”

Example 2: Have the necessary materials ready for a task 

“By 10/1, given at least two practice sessions, Susan will be able to identify on a quiz which materials she needs to have ready for at least 4 out of 5 routine class activities in 2 out of 3 attempts.” 

Planning skills hone in on how we are going to reach our goals, as well as to consider how we might address challenges or opportunities that could pop up along the way. If you are trying to prepare for or anticipate what happens next then you are likely using your planning skills. Likewise if you are trying to figure out what steps you need to take to reach a goal that will require time and effort, then you are likely using your planning skills in that situation too! 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Set goals 

• For a given task, activity, and/or project identify what is needed for submission
• From the list, create goals
• If needed, create a timeline of when to complete goals

Anticipate and prepare for what happens next or in the future 

• When setting goals, identify short-term benchmarks
• Create a timeline for completing short-term benchmarks to the full goal
• Practice planning short-term tasks, activities, and/or projects
• Identify what could be needed next, try it, and incorporate feedback for next time

Identify steps to reach a goal 

• For a given goal, identify the steps needed to reach it
• For a given task, activity, and/or project, identify the steps to completion
• Create a list of the steps and walk through it, add any missed steps
• Practice going through the lists, identify common steps, create tools

Chip away at long-term tasks  

• For long-term tasks, identify steps and work systems within each step (sub-steps)
• Create a list of ideas of how to work on long-term tasks, select one and try it
• Practice working on bigger projects, incorporate tools to track progress

Select materials you need to complete a task 

• Identify the tools ahead of time, during, and after a task needed to complete it
• Create a list, ideal places to store materials, and reminders to keep track of them across the day

Prioritize what to do first 

• Given a list of items to complete or a project, prioritize what to complete first

Sequence activities 

• From a checklist and/or list of steps, sequence activities to completion

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Anticipate and prepare for what happens next or in the future - Create a timeline for completing short-term benchmarks to the full goal

“By 11/1, given instructor assistance, Alia will identify one long term goal she wishes to pursue this year, identify at least 5 benchmarks along the way to meeting the goal, and share her reasoning as to why each of those 5 benchmarks is important.” 

Example 2: Prioritize what to do first - given a list of items to complete or a project, prioritize what to complete first

“By 10/15, given at least 3 practice worksheets, Craig will be able to identify the first step in a list of steps for a sample project 80 percent of the time in 2 out of 3 sessions.” 

Self-monitoring is all about checking on how we are doing in the context of the thing we are working on. It includes self-awareness skills like identifying strengths, preferences, challenges, and needs. It also includes project monitoring skills like checking on the status of crucial project components, checking in with team members for progress, and identifying when things aren’t going to plan. If you are thinking about how you can ensure that everything continues to run smoothly, then you are likely using self-monitoring skills! 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Build self-awareness of yourself 

• Learn about needs, sensory needs, and emotions and how to maintain self-regulation 
• Use a check-in system to keep monitor own needs, emotions, and sensory needs

Keep track of yourself (energy, stress levels, emotions, self-regulation state) 

• Learn what different levels of stress, regulation vs. dysregulation may look like
• Learn what they may look like and feel like for the student
• Identify strategies, coping strategies, and how to keep track of states, support

Develop self-knowledge about your strengths, challenges, and areas you want to work on 

• Learn about the types of interests, preferences, strengths, challenges, and areas to work on
• Compare and contract how they all interrelate
• Identify own interests, preferences, strengths, challenges, and areas to work on 

Track progress across areas, tasks, and/or activities 

• Track progress on skill areas, tasks, and/or activities based on identified needs and goals
• Define and describe identified needs and the related goal to support identified needs
• Create a self-management or tracking system to support tracking progress
• Adjust tracking system as needed

Check where you are within a project, task, or activity 

• Complete check ins for a given project, task, or activity
• Provide a status update (use a tool to complete and share)
• Identify next steps

• Create a list of questions, ask for feedback, and clarification needs

  
  

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Develop self-knowledge about strengths, challenges, and areas you want to work on - Identify own interests, preferences, strengths, challenges, and areas to work on 

“By 3/1, with assistance from the instructor, Chris will create a self-evaluation sheet ahead of starting a project that identifies areas he thinks he will excel, areas he is most interested in, areas he thinks will be challenging, and areas where he thinks he needs to improve his skillset.” 

Example 2: Track progress across skill areas, tasks, or activities - create a self-management or tracking system to support tracking progress
 

“By 10/1, given a long term goal agreed upon by student and instructor, Desiree will identify at least two methods of tracking her progress toward that goal and establish a plan for using at least one of those methods for the time period she is working toward her goal.”

Self-regulation skills are all about how we manage our ability to manage our workload. It includes identifying what emotions we are feeling and related needs, identifying when we need a break, how we manage moving forward after mistakes, and coping with setbacks. If it is a skill related to checking in with yourself and making sure your needs have been attended to so you can work to the best of your ability, then that skill is likely a good fit under the self-regulation umbrella! 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Identify your emotions and related needs 

• Learn about emotions and related needs (e.g., sensory)
• Identify what emotions and dysregulation feels like 
• Identify triggers and proactive strategies together to support self-regulation
• Identify coping strategies that may be a good match for supporting self-regulation
• Try coping strategies, practice using them ahead of time and during dysregulation, adjust as needed

Navigate your emotions as they arise 

• Identify and label emotions (if possible in the moment, and afterwards) 
• Practice using coping strategies, adjust as needed
• Create a list of coping strategies that may be applicable across emotions, use as a helpful tool to refer to during the moment

Take a break when you need to  

• Identify when to take a break
• Create a system of communication (use AAC, specific communication systems) to use consistently
• Practice taking a break before, during, and after the need to take a break
• Go to break space, use break time strategies 

Make mistakes and learn from them 

• Learn about making mistakes, that they are a part of the process, and how to learn from them
• Use tools to navigate making mistakes (coping strategies, What to do when I make a mistake, map, visual supports) 

Use coping skills to help reach long-term goals, across settings, and contexts 

• Identify coping strategies that can be useful across settings, for long-term goals
• Use coping strategies and adjust as needed across the year
   

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Identify your emotions and related needs - Identify triggers and proactive strategies together to support self-regulation

“By 3/1, Devin will use a communication tool to indicate that he needs to use his decompression space in at least 60% of cases where he is feeling overwhelmed by group work settings without disrupting the group’s work.” 

Example 2: Take a break when you need to - go to break space, use break time strategies
 

“By 10/1, working together with an instructor, Casey will identify at least two break time strategies that she feels are effective in helping her self-regulate when she needs a break.” 

Task initiation is all about getting started on the things we need to work on in a timely fashion. For some people it might be as simple as laying out what needs to be done and when it needs to be done, but for others it can include identifying challenges to getting started, developing routines that help to ease into task initiation, and learning how to breakdown where to get started with particularly complex or thorny tasks. If it is about making sure you are ready to get started, getting yourself started, or deciding where is best to start then it’s likely a task initiation skill!

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Identify challenges to getting started 

• Learn about common challenges in getting started
• Identify own challenges in getting started with a task, activity, and/or project
• Reflect on challenges and on what can be challenging to get started

Develop routines to help with starting a task 

• Given a listed challenge with starting a task, create a routine to help with getting started
• Create a tool to support the routine (visual support, checklist, self-management system)
• Practice getting started with the routine using the tool, adjust the routine as needed
• Build self-confidence with getting started

Problem solve how to navigate obstacles to begin a task 

• Create a list of common obstacles in beginning a task
• Develop solutions for each of the common obstacles
• Create a problem-solving tree for each common obstacle
• When a common obstacle arises, use the problem-solving tree or other tools to support problem-solving

Break down how to get started on a difficult task, assignment, or project 

• Identify a difficult task, assignment, or project
• Make a list of steps to complete it
  Identify the difficult steps, sections, and/or ideas
• Find the matches for each difficult section, what can make it easier and simpler to complete, and what tools the student can use
• Practice this process for scenarios and real-life difficult tasks, assignments, and/or projects 

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Develop routines to help with starting a task - Given a listed challenge with starting a task, create a routine to help with getting started

“By 10/15, with assistance from instructor, Ahmed will create a routine of 5 minutes or less that helps him with initiating eating at the beginning of lunch period.” 

Example 2: Problem solve how to navigate obstacles to begin a task - create a list of common obstacles in beginning a task
 

“By 12/15, with assistance from instructor, Emma will identify a list of obstacles she feels gets in the way of her ability to initiate a task, and for each of those obstacles will include at least 1 strategy for trying to address it.” 

If planning is about figuring out all the things we need to get done, time management is all about getting those things done when we need them to be ready. Whereas planning might include the list of tasks that need completing, time management is all about putting them on a schedule that accurately reflects the time you will need to execute your plan. The combined skills of breaking down the time that is available to you and estimating how long specific tasks will take are both crucial skills for excelling with time management!

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Create a schedule 

• Learn about the components of a schedule (checklists, timing, paper vs. digital, checks vs. strikethroughs, etc.)
• Create a schedule for a class, part of the day, full day
• Create a schedule for an assignment, task, activity, and/or project
• Use the schedule, identify what worked and what didn’t work
• Use the schedule as a tool across the course of the day, across settings, and events 

Stick to a schedule and modify as needed 

• For a given activity, class, day, follow a schedule
• Make adjustments to the schedule as needed
• For schedule changes, update the schedule

Estimate how much time you have, how long something will take 

• Learn about time management and length of time that may be needed for a given task, activity, assignment
• Self-assess amount of time it takes to complete a variety of tasks, activities, and assignments (that vary across strengths, challenges, and interests)
• Practice estimating how long a task or activity will take to complete and compare with results
• Identify and use tools that support short-cuts without depleting quality

Manage time limits 

• Use a timer or related tool to support understanding of elapsed time, how much time is left for an activity/task, and completing a task
• Use varying time limits to self-assess needed time to complete tasks/activities

Break down long-term tasks and chip away at them over time 

• Create a list of steps or checklist for long-term tasks
• Practice chipping away at the long-term task over time, track progress
   

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Create a schedule - learn about the components of a schedule 

“By 9/20, given an informational guide and at least 2 practice worksheets, Arnold will be able to identify 80% of vocabulary words related to schedule building and identity their purpose.” 

Example 2: Estimate how much time you have, how long something will take - practice estimating how long a task or activity will take to complete and compare with results
 

“By 10/15, Corinne will estimate how long it will take her to complete at least 1 task per day, and correctly estimate within a 30%." 

Working memory is all about how well we keep track of the specifics related to our job, task, or goal. It can include skills like remembering the steps for a specific routine task, remembering crucial information that may impact what decisions you make, and how well you can recall the information you need at the time you need it. Crucially working memory is about more than just how your brain stores information - if you are using tools to help remind yourself of a crucial piece of information at a key time then that is also a part of engaging with working memory skills. 

Sample goal ideas and subcategories:

Complete tasks and routines with multiple steps 

• Identify tasks and routines with multiple steps, sequence steps
• Complete and practice tasks and routines with multiple steps

Remember routines

• Learn about routines and how they can be helpful for building habits
• Learn about working memory and how helpful habits can be for supporting it
• Identify routines that may need support, types of routines
• Learn about tools and how to use them
• Use tools to remember routines
• Reflect on progress and use a self-management or data system to track progress

Remember information 

• Identify information, classes, and study skills that may need support 
• Learn about tools and how to use them
• Use tools to remember information
• Reflect on progress and use a self-management or data system to track progress

Use tools for reminders 

• Identify reminders that may need support, types of reminders
• Learn about tools and how to use them
• Use tools for reminders
• Reflect on progress and use a self-management or data system to track progress 

Take notes 

• Identify types of notetaking, how support may be needed for notetaking
• Learn about tools and how to use them
• Use tools to take notes
• Adjust tools and system as needed
• Reflect on progress and use a self-management or data system to track progress 

Individualizing goal ideas:

Example 1: Remember information - use tools to remember information 

“By 10/1, given her visual aid, Cynthia will correctly complete at least 80% of the steps for tidying her work area on 4 out of 5 test days.” 

Example 2: Take notes - use tools to take notes
 

“By 1/10, Bobby will use his new iPad app to take notes on at least 3 teacher lessons and capture at least 50% of facts the teacher deems crucial to understanding in 2 out of 3 lessons.”

We hope that our list of executive functioning 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 4!