As your child goes through the formal education years, there will be many goals. Most of them will be recorded on paper at the annual review meetings, but the goal-making process involves several steps before and after that meeting.

Be Aware of Peers

Always keep an eye on what your child's peers are doing. One of the best (and easiest) ways to do this is to volunteer at your child's school.

Seeing the books that are checked out of the library is a good indicator of the educational level of students. Although some kids select books that are too advanced for their reading level and some select books that are too simple, most will choose books that they can truly read for enjoyment.

If you need to better understand what the peers are doing socially, spend time at a park, movie theater, or pizza restaurant. You can easily observe social interactions, language, and styles.

Be Aware of State Benchmarks

You can read the learning standards and benchmarks for your state by going to the state board of education website. Your child's IEP will “be aligned to the state standards.” That means that goals will be established in the subjects where your child shows a delay. The goals will address moving toward the desired benchmarks of learning for all students.

Be Aware of Your Child

As you become more familiar with your child's peers and the state's expectations for learners, consider your child's unique needs. You will need to think about the level of her current abilities. Remember that the small steps for some other children can be huge for your child.

Reaching the next level of educational or behavioral expectations probably won't “just happen.” If that were the case, goals and therapies and IEP plans would not be needed. Work with your child's educational team to understand how to break down the goals into tiny, manageable steps. Make taking those steps a goal for your child and yourself.