IEP Goals for task Initiation

List Of IEP Goals For Task Initiation

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Have you ever felt your child performs every task with utter focus and accuracy and that once he is doing something, he will fully focus on the task? Only making him do something in the first place is becoming impossible by each day. In other words, your child does not initiate the tasks, but once he does the task, he is focused and self-reliant. 

You are not alone here. Many parents and teachers struggle with making the child initiate the task in schools or homes without external prompting. Lack of task initiation is sometimes common in young kids, which will improve over time. 

Early interventions can go a long way and benefit the child in almost every part of life. Parents and teachers, with mutual discussion with children, can set up task initiation IEP goals. They can also set strict guidelines regarding the fulfillment of those goals, only if needed. In this article, we have discussed some task initiation IEP goals and the strategies for effectively implementing those goals. 

So gear yourself up, and let’s begin! 

IEP goals for initiating the tasks 

Setting the goals for initiating the tasks acts like an anchor that children can rely on and move forward. Active support and responsibility of parents and teachers for IEP is fundamental for setting and executing goals. Some IEP goals for task initiation are- 

  • The student will complete homework before the evening play hours with 75% accuracy without the parent’s prompts or with minimum prompting as assessed by parents. 
  • The child will complete half of the classroom work with 80% accuracy before the lecture ends without or with minimum prompting by teachers as reviewed by teachers. 
  • The child will create a personal goal of completing a topic (name of the topic) by the end of the week (date) and will complete it with 70% accuracy as assessed by the parents. 
  • The student will make a goal of making notes daily of the content taught in the classroom, as reviewed by parents.  
  • The children will schedule different daily-life tasks in a sequence such as after waking up the first thing is to make the bed, then brush their teeth, and then bathe, and will complete them on time as observed and reviewed by parents. 
  • The child will schedule different educational activities for a day such as completing homework, and working on pending assignments, and will complete them by the end of the designated day with 80% accuracy as assessed by parents. 
  • The child will independently decide which activity they want to do first and when in a day according to the schedule and will complete it with 80% accuracy. 
  • The Children must be involved in transition tasks at least once a day, such as shifting from video games to helping parents in the kitchen, without refusal. 
  • The student will ask their peers to join them in some game or field activity at least once a day during school hours. 
  • The child will initiate active conversions with peers on their own at least three times a day, as observed by teachers.
  • The child will initiate active conversations with parents on their own at least four times in a day, as assessed by parents. 
  • The student will call their friends for discussing any doubt or homework if stuck, for a minimum of ten minutes, as reviewed by parents. 
  • The children will engage in classroom discussion or doubt-clearing sessions at least once a day without external prompting. 
  • The student will begin a non-habitual task such as cleaning a bookshelf within 30 seconds- 1 minute of instructions, as assessed and observed by parents. 
  • The child will get on with habitual tasks such as brushing the teeth within 15 seconds of instructions, as assessed and observed by parents. 
  • The students will perform a self-care act like yoga or meditation for 15-30 minutes a day without parent’s prompts. 
  • The children will help their parents with household chores such as cleaning, and cooking at least twice a week, as assessed by parents. 
  • The child will take part in classroom activities or presentations without external prompting, as observed by teachers. 
  • The children will set a timer for different activities such as homework on their own, without verbal persuasion for effective time management. 
  • The child will engage in any creative activity such as theater, arts, music, etc. during school hours at least 3 times a week without external prompting by teachers. 

Strategies for effectively implementing task initiation goals 

The above-mentioned goals can encourage children to initiate and complete tasks independently with maximum accuracy. However, achieving 100% accuracy in any task is not possible. Therefore, parents and teachers can ensure at least 75- 80% accuracy in the set goals. Some strategies to effectively implement task initiation goals are-  

1. Chunking 

Kids can break down the task into various small parts and perform the easiest tasks first and the difficult ones later or vice versa. It will reduce the pressure on the children, and each completed part will bring a sense of accomplishment within children resulting in enhanced intrinsic motivation. IEP goals based on teaching can also be made easy using chunking teaching strategies. 

2. Self-reinforcement 

Self-reinforcement is a great technique to fulfill any goal. Children can verbally praise them or reward themselves with chocolates or playing hours upon completing the tasks. They can modify the process of self-reinforcement in steps, such as with each part of the task completed, children can reward themselves with little rewards, like five minutes break, and upon completion of the whole task, they can award themselves with big rewards, such as playing hours. 

3. Use Visual planners 

Visual planners made planning fun and organized. They are easy to work on, and writing down the goals will further motivate the child to fulfill them. Various customized planners or schedulers are available in the market, both in physical and virtual form, that can be adjusted according to one’s needs. Also, if a child wants, they can make a planner out of a notebook at their home. 

4. Set timers 

Children can set timers for specific works. For instance, if they have divided their homework into three parts, they can set three timers for 30 minutes with a five-minute break between all the timers. It will motivate the kids not to waste time and focus on the task. The timer will ensure that the completion of tasks goes according to the planned schedule. 

5. Seek support 

Kids sometimes struggle to fulfill their planned goals, or they don’t know how and from where to begin. In that case, children can actively seek support from teachers, parents, or caregivers and then work on the goals with collaboration and mutual discussion. 

6. SMART Goals 

Goals should be SMART– Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Setting big and unrealistic goals will be hard to accomplish and will only bring a sense of demotivation. Therefore, it is important to plan SMART goals. 

Benefits of task initiation IEP goals

Task initiation IEP goals have multiple benefits. Some benefits of task initiation IEP goals are-

1. Prevents task procrastination 

Task initiation goals are useful for preventing task procrastination and avoidance. With planned activities and scheduled goals, children will likely engage in the goals and fulfill them in the stipulated time.

2. Enhanced academics 

IEP goals for task initiation are highly beneficial for improving academics. Children can adapt to classroom routines, plan their different educational activities according to their needs and fulfill them at their own pace without compromising the quality. 

3. Improved social relationships 

Initiating tasks in social situations brings a sense of togetherness and care. Playing games with children, communicating with them, helping each other, etc., are useful for children’s intellectual, physical, and social development. 

4. Better control of daily-life activities 

Task initiation goals help to achieve better control of daily-life activities and make the individual feel self-regulated and self-directed. Initiating and completing basic tasks independently without anyone’s prompting brings a sense of accomplishment in children. 

5. Sense of being independent 

Task initiation IEP goals also help children become self-reliant and independent. They can plan, initiate, and complete the task independently without much external help and can strengthen this habit, resulting in less procrastination. 

Concluding thoughts

Lack of task initiation is normal and a symptom of developmental disorder in children. In both cases, taking early interventions and setting task initiation goals is wise. The goals will help kids develop a habit of performing tasks at a determined and stipulated time. Over time, these habits will be strengthened, and children will learn to initiate the tasks independently. 

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