IEP Goals for Autism: 21 Examples by Skill Area and Age

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

IEP goals for autism are measurable annual goals in an autistic student’s IEP that target the needs autism creates at school: communication, social interaction, flexibility, self-regulation, daily living, academics and, later, work. Federal law has no list of “autism goals”: IDEA requires a measurable goal for each need that results from the disability, so the goals follow the student, not the label. This guide covers the IDEA definition, 21 example goals by area (including AAC users), adaptations by age, the evidence-based practices behind the goals, and what district leaders should check.

Executive Summary

The CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network estimated that 1 in 31 children aged 8 had been identified with autism in 2022, with rates from 9.7 to 53.1 per 1,000 across its 16 sites. In schools, 15% of the 8.2 million students ages 3 to 21 served under IDEA in 2024-25 were served under the autism category (OSEP).

The range inside that 15% is wide: a non-speaking kindergartner learning to use a speech-generating device and a junior preparing for college need different goals. Strong goals share one target (communication, participation, independence) and one constraint: adult time for practice.

What Are IEP Goals for Autism?

IEP goals for autism are measurable annual goals that target the needs an autistic student’s disability creates at school, written from the student’s present levels and reviewed at least once a year.

IDEA defines autism in 34 CFR 300.8(c)(1) as “a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” It adds characteristics “often associated with autism”: repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

The definition describes characteristics; it does not write the goals. Every IEP needs “measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals” for the needs that result from the disability (34 CFR 300.320), so two autistic classmates may share no goals. See the complete guide to IEP goals for the method and these PLAAFP examples for baselines.

How to Write IEP Goals for Autism

Use the four components listed in the New Jersey Department of Education’s IEP toolkit on writing goals: condition, target, performance criterion and timeline. Two choices matter more for autism than for most categories.

Target Participation, Not Looking Typical

Ask of each goal: will this skill help the student communicate, learn, take part or stay safe? ASHA’s Practice Portal on autism calls for goals that “embrace the priorities and preferences of the individual and family.” A goal to hold eye contact or stop a harmless hand movement changes how the student looks; a goal to request a break changes what the student can do. When behavior impedes learning, the team must consider positive behavioral interventions and supports (34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(i)) and pair any behavior IEP goal with a replacement skill.

Consider Communication and Assistive Technology

Among the special factors in 34 CFR 300.324(a)(2), the team must “consider the communication needs of the child” and “consider whether the child needs assistive technology devices and services.” The U.S. Department of Education’s 2024 assistive technology guidance restates that this happens each time the IEP is developed, reviewed or revised. For non-speaking or minimally speaking students, this usually means augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). ASHA’s AAC Practice Portal is explicit: “There are no prerequisites for AAC intervention,” and AAC use may help improve natural speech.

IEP Goals for Autism: 21 Examples by Area

These are original examples written for this guide. Treat each as a starting point: set the criterion from the student’s own baseline, name the real setting and communication mode, and open the goal with the timeline (“By [date of the next annual IEP review],”), left out below for readability.

Communication Goals, Including AAC

1. Requesting with AAC: During snack and play, [Student] will request a preferred item using their AAC system (sign, pictures or a speech-generating device) without a physical prompt in 8 of 10 opportunities, as measured by event recording.
2. Requesting help or a break: When a task is too hard, [Student] will request help or a break with words, a card or a device in 4 of 5 opportunities, as measured by event recording.
3. Commenting: During shared reading, [Student] will make at least 3 comments (not requests) with speech or AAC in a 10-minute session in 4 of 5 sessions, as measured by teacher data sheets.
4. Answering questions: After a read-aloud, [Student] will answer who, what and where questions with speech, a choice board or a device in 8 of 10 questions, as measured by teacher data sheets.
5. Repairing a breakdown: When a listener does not understand, [Student] will repeat, rephrase, point or show the message on their device in 3 of 4 breakdowns, as measured by observation records.

Speech sound, fluency and language goals are covered in speech IEP goals.

Social Interaction and Play Goals

The full social skills bank, with a section for autistic students, is in social emotional IEP goals.

1. Joint attention: When an adult or peer points to an object, [Student] will look toward it, point or comment in 4 of 5 opportunities, as measured by event recording.
2. Shared play: During centers, [Student] will play with a peer using shared materials for 5 minutes, from a baseline of 1, in 4 of 5 sessions, as measured by duration recording.

Flexibility and Transition Goals

1. Visual schedule: At each transition, [Student] will check their visual schedule and move to the next activity within 2 minutes with no more than one prompt in 8 of 10 transitions, as measured by latency recording.
2. Accepting a change: When an activity is changed or cancelled, [Student] will use a taught response (a “change” card, a choice of two alternatives) and continue the day in 4 of 5 changes, as measured by event recording.
3. Ending a preferred activity: When a timer sounds, [Student] will put away preferred materials and move on within 1 minute in 4 of 5 opportunities, as measured by latency recording.

Self-Regulation and Sensory Goals

Write these about what the student will do to stay regulated, not about removing a harmless sensory behavior.

1. Rating own level: Shown a 5-point scale, [Student] will identify their current level and choose a matching strategy in 4 of 5 opportunities, as measured by teacher data sheets.
2. Requesting a sensory support: When a setting is too loud or crowded, [Student] will request headphones, a quieter space or a movement break in 4 of 5 opportunities, as measured by event recording.
3. Resuming work: After a scheduled movement break, [Student] will resume work within 2 minutes of the timer in 4 of 5 breaks, as measured by latency recording.

Daily Living Skills Goals

These cover everyday routines and safety, the life skills a student uses daily. More are in functional IEP goals.

1. Arrival routine: On arrival, [Student] will complete a 5-step routine using a picture checklist with no more than one prompt on 4 of 5 days, as measured by task analysis data.
2. Toileting: [Student] will indicate the need to use the bathroom with speech, sign or a device and complete the routine with no more than one verbal prompt in 4 of 5 opportunities, as measured by task analysis data.
3. Personal information: In a role-play, [Student] will state or show their full name and a caregiver’s phone number in 4 of 5 trials, as measured by teacher data sheets.

Academic Goals

1. Comprehension: After reading a grade-level passage, [Student] will complete a graphic organizer with the main idea and two details in 4 of 5 passages, as measured by work samples.
2. Independent work system: Given a work system (tasks, a finished bin, a “what’s next” cue), [Student] will complete 4 tasks without adult prompts in 4 of 5 sessions, as measured by teacher data sheets.

Pre-Vocational and Vocational Goals

From the first IEP in effect at age 16, or younger if the team decides, IDEA requires measurable postsecondary goals (34 CFR 300.320(b)). Annual goals like these support them; see transition IEP goals.

1. Job sequence: In a school job, [Student] will complete a 6-step task using a video model with at least 90% of steps done independently across 4 sessions, as measured by task analysis data.
2. Asking a supervisor: When materials are missing at a work site, [Student] will ask the supervisor with a taught script or a device in 4 of 5 opportunities, as measured by job coach records.
3. Self-advocacy: [Student] will name one accommodation they need and request it from a teacher or supervisor in 3 of 4 opportunities, as measured by observation records.

Adapting Autism IEP Goals by Age

For preschoolers, IDEA frames present levels around “how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities” (34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)(ii)), so goals live inside play and snack routines.

Evidence-Based Practices for Students With Autism

IDEA asks for services “based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable” (34 CFR 300.320(a)(4)). For autism, the 2020 review by the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice (NCAEP) covered research from 1990 to 2017 on individuals from birth to 22 years and identified 28 evidence-based practices from 972 articles.

The pairings are examples, not rules. NCAEP points practitioners to the free AFIRM modules, which describe each practice’s steps and fidelity checklists.

How to Measure Progress on Autism Goals

Most of these goals use direct observation: event recording (how often), duration (how long), latency (how fast) and task analysis data for routines. IDEA requires the IEP to state how progress will be measured and when it will be reported (34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)). Measure across adults and settings, record the prompt level, and probe weekly. Templates are in IEP data collection sheets.

Funding and Staffing

Sources: 34 CFR 300.34; 34 CFR 300.105(b); TEA on CEIS. Staffing is the tighter limit: ASHA’s 2026 Schools Survey reports a median monthly caseload of 50 students per full-time school-based SLP, against 40 that SLPs judge manageable.

Common Mistakes District Leaders Make

1. Writing goals from the label. Copied “autism goals” ignore each student’s present levels.
2. Targeting looking typical. Eye contact and “quiet hands” goals change appearance, not participation.
3. Waiting to introduce AAC. ASHA states there are no prerequisites.
4. Treating the device as a session tool. An AAC system used only with the SLP is not a communication system.
5. Measuring with one adult in one room. Mastery without generalization is an assumption.
6. Writing more goals than the practice time allows. Six goals with no practice plan produce six unmet goals.

Questions District Leaders Should Ask

• Does every non-speaking or minimally speaking student have an AAC system available across the day?
• What share of autism IEP goals state a numeric baseline?
• How many practice opportunities a day does a student get on each communication goal?
• What share of autism goals were met at the last annual review?
• How often do teams revise an IEP for lack of progress on these goals?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some good goals for a student with autism?

Good goals target a skill the student needs to communicate, learn, take part or live more independently, starting from their own baseline. Common areas are requesting and commenting with speech or AAC, joining play, coping with schedule changes, requesting a sensory break, daily routines, independent work and, in high school, job tasks and self-advocacy.

Can you teach empathy to an autistic child?

An IEP goal cannot measure empathy itself. Teams can teach and measure perspective-taking and social-communication skills: naming how a character or peer might feel, noticing a cue, asking about a peer’s interest, offering help. ASHA notes that social communication difficulties also affect communication partners and includes training for peers, teachers and families in service delivery, so understanding is taught in both directions.

What are some effective strategies for teaching students with autism?

The 2020 NCAEP review identified 28 evidence-based practices, including visual supports, prompting, time delay, task analysis, video modeling, peer-based instruction, naturalistic intervention, functional communication training and AAC. In a classroom, that means predictable routines with visual schedules (see this autism classroom setup guide), short clear instructions, practice embedded in real activities, and trained peers and staff.

What are some helpful life skills for autistic children?

The most useful are the ones the child needs every day: communicating needs, toileting, dressing, eating independently, following routines, sharing personal information in an emergency and, for teens, handling money and getting to work. Teach them in the real setting with task analysis and visual or video models, as in these functional IEP goals.

Should an IEP goal target eye contact?

Usually not. A goal should help the student communicate, learn or take part, and eye contact is rarely what blocks those. ASHA notes that whether direct eye contact is seen as respectful or disrespectful depends on culture. If the real need is joining a conversation, write that skill, such as responding on topic.

Can AI tools help draft IEP goals for autism?

They can turn notes on a skill and a baseline into clear, measurable wording, or break a routine into steps for a task analysis. Remove names and identifying details first, follow district policy, and keep every decision with the IEP team, family included. The ChatGPT for teachers guide covers safe prompting.

Related Resources

• IEP Goals: How to Write Measurable Goals
• Social Emotional IEP Goals
• Speech IEP Goals
• Functional IEP Goals
• Transition IEP Goals
• IEP Data Collection Sheets

Conclusion

IEP goals for autism work when they target what the student needs to communicate, learn, take part and act independently, start from a measured baseline, and rest on a practice with evidence behind it. The wording is the easy part. Progress depends on how often the student practices each skill, with how many people, where it is used.

Sources: 34 CFR 300.8, Child with a disability; 34 CFR 300.320, Definition of individualized education program; 34 CFR 300.324, Development, review, and revision of IEP; 34 CFR 300.34, Related services; 34 CFR 300.105, Assistive technology; U.S. Department of Education, Myths and Facts Surrounding Assistive Technology Devices and Services, January 2024; CDC, Prevalence and Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 and 8 Years, ADDM Network, 16 Sites, 2022 (MMWR, April 2025); U.S. Department of Education, OSEP, 2024-25 Static Tables (Part B Child Count & Educational Environments); National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice, Evidence-Based Practices for Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Autism, Executive Summary (2020); ASHA Practice Portal, Autism; ASHA Practice Portal, Augmentative and Alternative Communication; New Jersey Department of Education, IEP Toolkit: Writing Goals and Objectives; TEA, Requirements of Coordinated Early Intervening Services; ASHA, 2026 Schools Survey: SLP Caseload and Workload Characteristics Report.

Join the 2027 Special Education Pilot

Autistic students often learn a new skill through many short, repeated practice turns, and there are rarely enough adults to give each student those turns 1-on-1. Telo AI is being adapted for students with IEPs: patient, 1-on-1 practice aligned to each student’s IEP goals, including daily living skills, social-emotional learning and speaking practice. We are inviting districts to shape it with us in a 2027 pilot.

Apply to pilot Telo AI in your Special Education program