California State University, Long Beach

College of Health and Human Services

Department of Speech-Language Pathology

Writing Goals and Short-Term Objectives in Clinical Practica

Purpose: To ensure continuity in writing goals and objectives in on-campus clinics, the following definitions, guidelines and formatting have been adopted by the department.

GOALS describe behaviors to be acquired by the client over the course of the semester but will not include a performance criteria (e.g., “How Much”) or a time statement (e.g., “When”). The goals will describe what the client can reasonably accomplish during the semester.

COMPONENTS OF GOALS
Goals and objectives do not have to follow any particular order but must include the following components
COMPONENTS / COMPONENTS DEFINED / EXAMPLES
Who / The client / The client
Thomas
Does What / Observable behavior
(Use action verbs) / will produce structured conversations
will point and label pictures
will imitate a verbal model
Given What / Statement of conditions under which observable behavior occurs / in response to a question
during free play
in the clinic setting
with both familiar unfamiliar communication
partners
SOME GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING SEMESTER GOALS:
1.  Develop goal statements that are observable and measurable
2.  Develop goals that are based on assessment data and the client’s current levels of performance
3.  Develop goals that are clear and specific (Avoid goals that are too vague or broad (e.g., improve reading; increase self-esteem)
4.  Develop goals that capitalize on client’s strengths, preferences and learning styles
5.  Develop goals that help to meet the client’s needs that result from the impairment, disorder, or disability
EXAMPLES OF GOALS
AURAL REHAB:
The client will maintain her lipreading skill by correctly lipreading phrases/sentences pertaining to different topics (e.g., greetings, family, current events) presented by the clinician in an adverse listening situation (e.g., conversational partner interrupts, eats, etc. while conversing).
ADULT LANGUAGE:
The client will use print-to-sound conversion processes (e.g., accessing knowledge about a word’s spelling to generate the appropriate spoken word) to independently name 20 words determined to be difficult for the client to produce.
FLUENCY:
The client will complete the monologue stage of the establishment phase in the Ryan Fluency Program (Van Kirk & Ryan, 2005) with stutter-free speech (zero words per minute) with the clinician in the clinic setting.

SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES** describe the intermediate steps that will assist the client in accomplishing the semester goals and will include a performance criteria (e.g., How Much) and a time statement (e.g., “When”).

COMPONENTS OF SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES
Goals and objectives do not have to follow any particular order but must include the following components
COMPONENTS / COMPONENTS DEFINED / EXAMPLES
Who / The client / Thomas
The client
Does What / Observable behavior
(Use action verbs) / will point and label
will verbally imitate
When / Completion date / by the end of the fall semester
by mid-May 2009
(__/__/__)
Given What / Statement of conditions under which observable behavior occurs / in response to a question
during free play
in the classroom
How Much
(Not all objectives have both Accuracy & Consistency) / Consistency: number of times behavior must be observed
Accuracy: performance accuracy or allowable errors / in 4 out of 5 trials
over three consecutive sessions
100% of the time
Less than 3 errors
SOME GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES
1.  Develop the incremental steps that will culminate in the achievement of the semester goals
2.  Write objectives in observable and measurable terms
3.  Determine evaluation used to show progress
4.  Consider the client’s rate of learning
EXAMPLES OF SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES
FLUENCY:
By the end of the fall semester, the client will use a slow rate of speech (four syllables per second) with 80% accuracy or higher while reading single sentences over two consecutive sessions.
AUTISM:
By the end of the spring semester, Thomas will initiate bids for interaction with others given 4 out of 5 opportunities to do so.
MORPHYOLGY/SYNTAX:
By December 2008, Emily will independently produce modals (can, could, would, may, might, shall, should) in sentences when responding to questions about grade-level familiar stories with 90% accuracy in 3 out of 5 trials.

**also referred to as behavioral objectives and in educational settings, benchmarks

References

ACSA & CARS+ (2004). Handbook of Goals and Objectives Related to Essential State of California Content Standards. Sacramento: California Association of Resource Specialists and Special Education Teachers (CARS+).

Roth, F., & Worthington, C. (2005). Treatment Resource Manual for Speech-Language Pathology, 3rd Edition, United States: Thomson, Delmar Learning.

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