IEP Goals for Social Skills Speech Therapy Teachers

Social Pragmatic Goals Speech Therapy (Free Printable Goal Sheets)

In any social situation, a speech therapist may need to identify goals and a child’s ability to respond appropriately to conversational exchanges, facial expressions and social communication skills. These social pragmatic goals speech therapy may provide some insight into how we can help children develop these all important social language skills.

A speech-language pathologist may find these goals helpful (a printable list is included at the end of this post).

Behavior-IEP-Goals

Download these super helpful behaviour goals IEP tracking sheets here too.

Nonverbal communication in children

Nonverbal communication is a form of communication that does not rely on the use of words.

Also, nonverbal communication includes both verbal and non-verbal language.

It can be used to express feelings, emotions, thoughts, and attitudes.

Sometimes, even verbal prompts or visual cues can encourage kids to use nonverbal signals to communicate.

It is important to know that there are different types of nonverbal cues that people can use when they are communicating with one another.

These cues can send messages about what a person is feeling or thinking without them having to say anything at all.

It is important for children to learn about nonverbal communication in order for them to understand how it works and why it is important for their social development.

For instance, teaching children on ways to use their body language skills to convey interest is so essential.

A lot of people dismiss nonverbal communication, however, it is an essential component to learning.

Nonverbal communication can be very effective in conveying messages without saying anything at all.

It can show emotions and feelings even when someone does not want to show them or cannot find the words to say what they are feeling.

Some examples include facial expressions, eye contact, posture, gestures and touch.

Pragmatic skills school setting

When assessing pragmatic skills in speech therapy, these can include things like a child’s ability to have conversational turns, respond in everyday life communication settings, share information,

Use correct sentence structure to convey emotion, identify and name emotions, turn taking and more!

Sometimes, with consecutive sessions in therapy and learning, a child may learn verbal cue and single word utterances to respond to particular prompts.

For children, learning a new skill is sometimes not easy, therapists need to take into consideration social skills goals, articulation goals (I have listed here some speech therapy articulation printables which my learners love), social cognition, and the autism spectrum.

Some speech therapy articulation games:

Social pragmatic sample goals

It’s best to have structured activity to target particular goals, especially when trying to target specific areas to improve.

Social cues, tone of voice and best practice for different purposes like daily life etc are all important factors.

Try these super simple conversation starter cards for older kids ages between 6-9.

** Grab this printable pack at the end of this post.

Teaching Turn Taking

Turn taking is basically one of the most common problems associated with social skills.

Children need to learn why turn taking is important first, then have them understand how to actually participate in constructive social dialogues to help them develop this skill.

Sometimes, there may be a social communication disorder, however, this is not always the case and it is best diagnosed by professionals in the field.

Teaching turn-taking to kids at a very young age is a good idea because it will help them develop the skills they need to be independent and successful adults.

The best way to teach turn-taking is by using games and activities that are fun and engaging.

Turn taking is an important skill for children to learn. It’s a way of communicating with one another and a way of showing respect.

** Grab this printable pack at the end of this post.

Turn taking activities can be used as a way to teach this skill.

There are many turn taking activities that can be used in the classroom to teach children this skill. Some examples are:

– passing and catching

– playing tag

– sharing toys

Social pragmatic goals for young children

Here are some of the goals I have listed that you can use to target these skills.

They are not an exhaustive list of course, so you can add as many goals as you wish. The free printable along with the empty template is at the end of this post.

Learner is able to understand that there are turns for speaking.

Learner will follow rules for speaking on cue.

Learner will speak when it is their turn.

** Grab this printable pack at the end of this post.

Learner waits for the other person to speak.

Learner will take turns playing a game.

Learner understands that he / she must wait for their turn.

Learner will listen to the other speaker without interruption.

Learner will identify with the speaker when responding.

Social pragmatics and pragmatic language goals

Learner will identify basic facial emotions (pictures or graphics).

Learner will identify emotions on real life faces.

Learner will point to a feeling and identify the meaning.

Learner will express their own emotions using emotions words correctly.

** Grab these printable goal sheets at the end of this post!

Learner will understand how to respond to a particular emotion.

Learner will express feelings using picture emotions.

Learner will use greetings and farewells correctly.

Learner will participate in turn taking correctly.

Conversation skills goals

You can use some WH questions to help build kids’ confidence in learning to communicate with others, especially when trying to stay on the topic of conversation.

Learner will maintain a conversation with one person.

Learner will maintain conversation by asking at least 3 questions.

Learner will respond with appropriate comment to a teacher / therapist prompt.

Learner will identify signs of boredom of the listener by identifying body language / expressions.

Learner will respond with an emotion word to describe their feelings when prompted.

Learner will ask relevant questions related to the topic being spoken about.

Learner will use words for different outcomes like greeting and asking questions.

Learner will stay on topic when having a discussion.

Like with anything, these goals aren’t exhaustive, I use them to help my own special needs learners target specific needs when trying to build their social pragmatic communication skills.

Building conversation skills for kids

The best way to teach kids conversation skills is by having them practice with a conversational partner.

Conversation skills are very important for kids. These skills help them to communicate with others and also build relationships.

Some of the conversation skills for kids are described below:

– Talking about their thoughts, feelings, and reactions to things that happen in their lives.

– Asking questions and listening to the answers.

– Making observations about themselves and other people.

– Expressing their opinions, preferences, wants, needs, and ideas without being interrupted by someone else’s opinion or preference.

The most important thing to teach kids is how to have a conversation. Conversation skills are the foundation for social skills and communication skills in general.

Teaching children how to have a conversation can be as simple as playing a game of “I Spy.”

This game is perfect for teaching children how to start conversations and build on them.

Check out these free social skills conversation starter cards below:

Social pragmatic goals speech therapy

Don’t forget to grab your own printable which includes all the goals listed above plus an empty template to add your own!

Download the Social Pragmatic Goals Speech Therapy printable goal list below:

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Grab the printable conversation cards below:

Complete your name and email to receive free item.
This may NOT be sold, hosted, reproduced, or stored on any other site (including blog, Facebook, Dropbox, etc.)
All materials provided are copyright protected. Please see Terms of Use.
Graphics Purchased and used with permission
I offer free printables to give to my readers AND to provide for my family. Your frequent visits to my blog & support purchasing through affiliates links and ads keep the lights on so to speak. Thanks to you!
I agree with the Terms & Conditions
Get Download Link

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