Informing Intervention: An Exploration of Behavioral and Social–Emotional IEP Goals for Students with ASD

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience impairments in reciprocal social interactions, communication, and a restricted range of interests or repetitive behaviors that impact the development of their behavioral and/or social-emotional skills. In schools, students with ASD receive Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), which include goals to understand the types of behavioral and/or social-emotional skills students are working to develop. However, there is scant empirical research examining the nature of IEP goals that target behavioral and/or social-emotional skills among students with ASD. The current study explores the content, scope, and location of behavioral and social-emotional IEP goals for 153 students with ASD in Grades K-12 in one state in the Upper Midwest. Understanding the nature of IEP goals is a critical first step to increase access to evidence-based behavioral and social-emotional interventions for students with ASD. Implications for school-based behavioral and psychosocial interventions for students with ASD are discussed.