This article is designed to be utilized with the utmost professional integrity and ethical consideration. It is imperative to acknowledge that directly copying and pasting example goals into student’s IEPs from any external source, including ours, undermines the individualized nature of IEP planning and does not serve the best interests of students.
This resource aims to inspire the development of IEP goals that address executive functioning needs, not a substitute for the detailed, student-centered IEP goal setting process. Educators and IEP teams are urged to use this as a tool for ideation, basing final goals on student assessments and collaborative IEP team insights.
Picture this – it’s 3 pm, you’ve been at work all day, and it seems like the computer screen is swimming in front of your eyes.
Needless to say, you’re having a hard time paying attention!
This happens to all of us. There are so many distractions that pop up throughout the day – and while we, as adults, have our own tools and strategies that we rely on to stay focused for kids, it isn’t always so easy.
Sometimes, attentional control needs to be taught. Setting clear, specific IEP goals for attentional control is one way you can address this skill. Here’s what you need to know.
Click here to jump down to the IEP goals.
What is Attentional Control?
Attentional control is a vital executive functioning skill that allows a student to focus on certain stimuli in the environment while being able to tune out other distractors. Because of this, there are really two behaviors involved in this skill – paying attention to one thing and ignoring others.
As you might expect, this is an executive functioning skill that’s crucial for success in academics and in adulthood. The challenge in writing IEP goals for it is that it’s tough to measure success through direct observation alone.
In other words, you can’t always tell if a student is paying attention because this is usually internal – you become distracted in your mind. However, you can often monitor or measure whether a person is paying attention (or not) by observing secondary behaviors.
You can measure attentional control via things like:
- Observations
- Task completion (can a student complete an activity without stopping?)
- Social interactions
- Problem-solving abilities
- Task initiation
For example you might suspect that your student is having trouble with attentional control if you notice any of the following. A student with attentional control issues:
- Can’t answer questions about something that was read, spoken about, or observed
- Has trouble completing an activity with multiple steps without having to stop
- Is unable to watch another person’s behavior and then perform a similar behavior
- Can’t solve simple problems by examining details in the environment and coming up with his own solution
- Has trouble staying on topic and answering questions during conversations
Attentional control is closely related to other executive functioning skills, like planning problem solving and emotional control. Therefore, improving a student’s skills in attentional control can vastly improve his abilities in these other areas, too.
Sample IEP Goals for Attentional Control
If you’re feeling stuck while writing IEP goals for attentional control, use these sample goals to give you a baseline idea of where to start.
Adaptive Goals
- By the end of the IEP period, when provided clear expectations and scheduled movement breaks, the student will engage in a non-preferred independent assignment for 20 consecutive minutes with on-task behavior in 3 out of 4 opportunities in the classroom, as measured by staff documentation.
- By the end of the IEP period, when offered movement breaks and self-regulation tools, the student will attend to classroom tasks for at least 75 percent of intervals during a 30-minute class period in 3 out of 4 class periods in the general-education setting, as measured by teacher observation.
Social Goals
- By the end of the IEP period, when classroom distractions occur, the student will maintain personal focus by keeping eyes on assigned work, refraining from verbal or gestural responses, and requesting adult assistance only if needed, demonstrating all three behaviors with 100 percent accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities in the classroom, as measured by teacher observation.
- By the end of the IEP period, when engaged in conversation with a peer or adult, the student will make eye contact, ask relevant questions, and wait for appropriate turn-taking cues, demonstrating all three behaviors with 100 percent accuracy in 4 out of 5 observed conversations in natural school settings, as measured by teacher and student observation.
Reading Goals
- By the end of the IEP period, when listening to a read-aloud during circle time, the student will remain seated, track the print, and ask for clarification when needed, demonstrating all three behaviors with 100 percent accuracy in 4 out of 5 sessions, as measured by teacher observation.
Math Goals
- By the end of the IEP period, when provided a worksheet of math problems, the student will complete each problem sequentially before beginning the next, demonstrating this strategy with 100 percent accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities during math class, as measured by teacher observation.
Writing Goals
- By the end of the IEP period, when given a writing assignment, the student will independently read all provided directions and explanations prior to seeking teacher assistance, demonstrating this behavior with 100 percent accuracy in 4 out of 5 assignments in the classroom, as measured by teacher observation.
Tips on Setting Goals for Attentional Control
Ready to get started meeting some of the attentional control IEP goals described above? Follow these tips.
Take Breaks
When working on attentional control goals, it’s easy for a child to become frustrated and overwhelmed. Even as an adult, you may have noticed that, when required to focus on a single task for a long period of time, you find yourself feeling frazzled and burned out.
Providing regular breaks is essential if you want to be able to keep pressing toward these goals. If you can, provide regular breaks that include physical activity. This can increase your child’s focus and concentration, even if the physical movement is only in brief spurts.
You can learn more about how to set up the perfect breaks (and how to use “break boxes” for success) in the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook (coupon code LSA20 for 20% off at checkout).
Break Up Larger Goals
Many students lose focus on a task simply because it seems too gargantuan for them to complete. You can improve the likelihood of success by breaking up large goals into smaller mini-goals. Choose small tasks that fit your learner’s attention span and identify times that they are most successful at staying focused (for example, in the morning, right after a meal, and so on).
Focus on the smaller, less challenging tasks when your student is tired, hungry, or otherwise struggling to pay attention – and the bigger tasks when he’s operating at peak performance. You’ll be more likely to meet the attentional control goals, helping to build the student’s confidence and keep him motivated to work toward other goals.
Use Timers
Some students struggle with attentional control because they don’t know how to focus their time – usually, because they just don’t understand the constraints of time in general.
A new effective way to improve this skill is to use visual timers. You can use a countdown clock, a time remaining marker, or even an app to do this – but provide your student with the tools he needs to understand time a bit better.
You may want to base these timers on the Pomodoro technique, which involves working on a task for 25 minutes without stopping, then taking a 5 minute break. You can learn more about this technique in the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook.
Identify Common Triggers and Distractions
Something that causes one student to go off-task may not serve as the same trigger for another student – and vice versa. Take the time to identify your student’s triggers so you can work to avoid these distractions when focus time is imperative.
Encouraging mindfulness and meditation when confronted with these triggers is a great strategy. You can learn more about this in the “How I Pay Attention” reflective exercise in the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook. There are also some other helpful exercises in this workbook that can be used to help manage distractions when they come up, too.
Create the Ideal Workspace
Once you know what has a tendency to distract your child – whether it’s loud noises, bright lights, or surrounding activities – you can create an environment that’s perfect for focus and concentration.
Use the Workspace Audit worksheet and the Work Room Renovation exercise in the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook to help you get started in identifying and removing these distractions.
How to Address Each Goal
It can be challenging to meet attentional control IEP goals – especially when they’re big ones! A helpful strategy is to break these goals down into smaller, more attainable goals. They’ll be easier for your child to focus on and you’ll be able to celebrate mini “wins” each time they are successful in doing so.
Not sure where to start?
You can’t write clear, effective goals (no matter how big or small) if you’re not sure where exactly your child is at. Attentional control goals, like so many of the other goals related to executive functioning skills, are closely tied to other skill areas like planning, time management, impulse control, and organization.
Because of this, you need to start the process by pinpointing exactly which deficits a student has and which strengths he has to help himself succeed.
Start by having your student take the Executive Functioning Assessment, then use the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook as a guide to formulate the perfect goals.
That way, you’ll be as targeted and as focused as possible in your approach.
Achieve Attentional Control IEP Goals
Ready to get started?
There’s no time like the present to work towards improving your student’s attentional control. Use the tips above and you’ll be both practical and targeted in your approach.
Looking For More Executive Functioning IEP Goal Ideas?
Visit our EF IEP Goal Resource Hub or check out our other skill-specific IEP goal articles:
- 8 Impulse Control IEP Goals
- 8 Attentional Control IEP Goals
- 8 Self-Monitoring IEP Goals
- 10 Problem Solving IEP Goals
- 10 Working Memory IEP Goals
- 9 Emotional Control IEP Goals
- 7 Cognitive Flexibility IEP Goals
- 10 Organization IEP Goals
- 12 Task Initiation IEP Goals
- 10 Time Management IEP Goals
- 15 Planning IEP Goals