Hello and welcome to Unlimited Parenting where we discuss having children with disabilities
or special health care needs.
I am your host Allison and with me today is Melissa and we are going to be talking at
you about strength based goals.
So let's get into the stuff and the things.
I thought I would try to be more realistic by letting people know that I would be talking
at them because it's essentially a firehouse.
We're firemen right now.
Yes, this will be very much with me.
Sorry.
Meaning that we are just firehosing information at people.
Is that something that needs explained?
No, because we use that a lot.
I just, okay, sorry.
It's like an acronym.
We use it so much it makes sense to us, but then I pause and wonder, will other people
understand me?
That's what I mean.
I want people to get that fireman joke that we just made.
Wherever you're listening to this podcast on whatever platform, you can contact the
email there and let us know if we make any sense.
Okay.
Strength based IEP goals is kind of a niche into the weeds topic.
It is a webinar that I pull does.
It's actually one of my favorite webinars because making an IEP, not such a doom and
gloom document is, um, it's refreshing from a parent standpoint and a student standpoint
too.
If we want our students to be active participants in their IEP, why would we have goals and
um, you know, present levels of performance statements that are just completely deficit
based?
We don't want that.
We want strength based.
So here we are.
Sorry, I took over.
No, you're right.
It's not that the system is set up for teachers to write a deficit based goal, but it sets
the tone.
If you say little Johnny is proficient or loves to sound out words.
Yeah.
Starting with something that they can do is specific so that you can scaffold to learning
a new skill.
Absolutely.
So it's that compliment sandwich in an IEP, you know, we're talking about some strengths.
Then we go into how those strengths could then potentially support some goals and realistic,
um, you know, benchmarks of where a student is.
And then we try to fluff it with some goals and how we're going to get there.
Exactly.
I'm pausing because I'm thinking, sorry.
So the structure, okay, at the base level, all IEPs have goals and all goals contain
three things.
Yep.
A strength, a concern, and a disability impact.
Well, a parent, parent input, parent input is, is mandatory.
We have to have our parent input to their students goals.
And then how the disability impacts the student.
And then the goal.
That's the whole, there's the three components of the goal.
Yeah.
And then our job becomes, how do we make that strength based?
How do we make that smart?
Exactly.
And all goals are tied to content standards.
Exactly.
They have to be.
Yep.
So what is an example of a smart strength based goal?
So wow, you really put me on the spot.
Is it easier to start with what a strength based goal is not?
Do you want like an actual example of a goal or do you want me to tell you like a strength
based IEP is an approach?
I mean, I guess we already kind of talked about that.
Just how we are, we were pulling out a student's strengths in order to then make a smart goal
that is not deficit.
That is it's the mindset so that students can believe in themselves and believe in,
in what they can obtain.
So what a strength based IEP is not.
It is not deficit.
It is not an adult only process.
We want the students to be part of the process, right?
To the greatest benefit or the greatest extent possible.
My student is unable to really actively participate within his IEP.
He's nonverbal.
So having him provide that input into what some of his goals should be is a little bit
more cumbersome, but you know, still we want to give him the opportunity.
But again, that goes back.
I'm sorry.
I went on him.
I got in the weeds and into the thick of things.
We don't want, we don't want this to be an adult only process.
We, we don't want it to just say, okay, Johnny is really good at reading.
We don't want it just to focus on strengths.
We want it to have some components that we can measurable and then we can move towards
mastery of a goal.
But it should also include like interest and preferences too for the student, especially
as we get older and we start talking about the transition to adulthood and that, you
know, the vocational aspects in an IEP, I'm going off on a really great tangent, but a
strength based IEP should have strengths built into the goals to help a student utilize those
strengths in order to work towards another goal.
Does that make sense?
Yeah, no, you mean complete sets because it should be individualized.
Yeah.
And the more specific you are, the more individualized it is.
And then you can provide because legally an individual cannot be named in an IEP because
if they're not there, then you could be in violation.
Yes.
So following that same train of thought, anybody should be able to look at this IEP and implement
the goal.
So the more specific you are, the more set up for success.
Yes.
Everybody is.
Yes, absolutely.
So I can tell you, so my son, again, I said he's nonverbal.
So he has a communication goal that is tied to content standards.
A strength is he is a happy social butterfly that loves interaction with peers, adults,
anyone.
He just loves that interaction.
So he has a goal that is a strength based goal utilizing, you know, his personality
is a strength.
His tenacity is a strength, but we use that goal in order to work on a communication goal
of greeting people using his AAC device.
But it is a very strength based goal in order to obtain additional communication strategies
utilizing what he already is really smart and able to do.
Does that make sense?
Yeah.
And I think that it's interesting to talk about how do we make these goals and then
tie them to content standards.
True.
Yeah.
So it's a little bit off topic, but it lends itself to parents' questions that we hear
every day.
How do I get behavioral goals?
How am I getting advocacy goals?
And then I'm being told I can't do that because they can't be tied to content standards because
they're not reading or math.
So it's good, I think, to hear those examples of how you can tie that in as communication.
It can be done.
Yes.
You are proof.
So we're finding the goals in the IEP under PLAAF and PLOP, which acronyms for you.
Present level of academic achievement and performance.
Some districts call it different things that PLOP or PLOP.
It's really where a student presently lies.
It's essentially their strengths in a benchmark.
Yes.
And not all goals have to have benchmarks though, right?
Correct.
Yeah.
So when we're looking at a well-crafted present level of performance, we're going to look
for it to be written in understandable language, free of educational jargon.
Again, anyone can pick this up and know what we're talking about.
Parent-friendly language.
So describing performance in general curriculum using current information and illustrates
direct relationships to other IEP goals, which is exactly what you had just mentioned.
And again, like we said, tied to Idaho content standards.
That your PLAAF is a snapshot of where your student's skill currently is, how their disability
is really affecting their educational performance in relation to that skill.
But it's just a snapshot.
It's a starting point.
It's a reference piece.
But yeah, it has to be in there for every goal.
And then our job just becomes to make that bare bones into specific and strength-based.
So can we talk a little bit about SMART goals?
Yeah, we can.
Can I say something really quick?
When we say it's our goal, I caution parents sometimes, especially when they call us, because
they'll say, help me write this goal.
Help me write my IEP.
Really this is a team.
It's a team conversation and your educators are trained in this.
Your special education teachers are trained in writing goals.
Perhaps they may not be trained in writing SMART goals or yeah, I'm sure they are.
I hope they are.
I want to refrain from thinking a parent needs to go into a meeting and have these goals
ready.
That is a team that needs to kind of work on this together.
You're exactly right, because I have heard both sides of that coin where a parent goes
in and the goals are completely written and they're just asked to essentially listen.
And that's not a team.
Yeah, exactly.
Or they were told to write their own goals and then they call and they say, I know I
know my child best, but I don't know how to put this on a paper in a way that the school
can help support them.
And then another one that I've also heard is, can you help me write this goal where
a parent will call us and say that?
And then, you know, we say, I'd love to help give some examples or, you know, tell you
what goes into a goal, but I'm not part of that IEP team.
Yeah.
So yeah, I just want to throw that caveat out there that parents don't have to go into
an IEP meeting having all of this.
Now, however, I have been in an IEP meeting and I have said, oh, those aren't SMART goals.
Those aren't strength based goals.
And I would like as a member of this team to really have a conversation around how we
can make those smart and how we can make them strength based.
So exactly.
We're not trying.
We're not out here, Melissa and I trying to add more to your plate as a parent in that
meeting that's already frustrating and stressful enough.
But if you're looking at this document and you're saying, well, I don't really think
these goals are working or I'm not really liking them very much.
Here are some ways that you can look and adapt and bring to the team for conversation.
Yes.
So, so sorry.
No, don't worry.
We're going.
Who knows where I was going.
I was stuck in a weed.
Okay.
SMART goals.
So specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.
So if we said it once, we said it a hundred times, very individualized and specific.
So we're looking for a goal that's going to give away that it's going to be measured
so that you know how to look for it and how to follow up on it and how long is it going
to take.
And again, that's very individualized.
So is this part of the benchmark?
So like a small component of the goal that you're thinking might take a month or is this
a goal that's going to take a semester?
Yeah.
It who knows?
That's why you have a smart goal.
That is a time bound goal.
And that also kind of gives you as a parent perspective how progress reporting is going
to look too.
Right.
So it's time bound and it's really explained and spelled out.
So if a goal is appropriately smart, we as parents can then see, okay, this is when I
will be receiving progress on this goal.
So you can kind of be looking for that as well.
Perfect.
And can you give an example of one?
I know we have one that we crafted for a made up individual just to give an example.
You want a smart goal or do you want a smart strength based goal?
Let's do a smart goal first without the whole strength based component.
Okay.
So on May 15th, Alice will know from memory all products of two one digit numbers with
90% accuracy.
So measurable time bound specific.
Okay.
So if we turn that into a smart, like a strength based IEP goal, Alice will use her skills
with a times table to help transition by May 15th to knowing from memory all products of
two one digit numbers with 90% accuracy into four out of five tries.
So we are making that a little bit smarter saying that Alice is going to utilize her
skills using a time table.
Alice is really good at using a time table.
So we're going to allow her to use that to help the transition by May 15th.
So again, we have, it's very time bound, but she's still working on that same smart goal.
We're just usually, we've rephrased it a little bit.
Right.
So that we can, yeah, we can track it better and everybody knows because you can put assistive
technology and accommodations into goals.
Yeah, absolutely.
The more specific the better.
So we recognize that this is a pretty short podcast, not our standard length.
Is there anything you want to add on that you think fits with this?
I think any goal can be tied into a smart goal.
Any goal can also be made a strength based goal.
It's just a matter of thinking a little bit.
I don't even want to say outside of the box, but just thinking a little bit more, less
deficit based, more strength based.
It's a mindset shift.
And I would, I guess I would just leave it as some educators need a mind shifts and that's
not a bad thing.
No, it's not a bad thing.
And I would just say, I wanted to add as a, just a final thought that if you, I would
hope that parents don't feel uncomfortable presenting that to the team, that you would
want to alter a goal or change a goal.
It's not reflective of that professional's ability.
It's just, you're part of the team, just like everybody else.
And you have every right to say, can we adjust this a little bit?
In my experience, they've always been super appreciative.
Yes.
Absolutely.
Thanks for giving your input.
We just want to do whatever we can to help your child.
I agree.
I have always been made to feel as a valued member of the team.
And they've, they've taken what I've had even before.
I do what I do now.
You know, I think sometimes people, when, when I have a candid conversation with someone,
they're like, well, you do this.
So they have to, but even before I was always a valued member, I always, whatever I said
was really taken into consideration.
And so yes, don't, don't be afraid to go to the team and say, how can we make this
smarter?
How can we make this more strength based?
Absolutely.
And if you have any questions about your IEP or your goals or your, you feel like something
could be tweaked, but you're not sure how, and you want it run, you want to run it by
us before you present it to the team, you're always welcome to call.
And we'd love, it's what we do.
It's what we do for.
Absolutely.
And if you're not in Idaho, call your parent center in your state.
If you can't, if you don't know how to find that, we can help you find that too.
Absolutely.
Yes.
Thank you so much everyone out there for listening.
And if you are in Idaho or planning on moving to Idaho and have any questions on systems
or services for children with disabilities, please reach out to us on her, our website
at ipulidaho.org.
That is I P U L Idaho.org.
Be sure to come back next time for our discussion on five Oh fours until then.
Thanks for listening.