IEP GOALS FOR ANXIETY

When it comes to anxiety, everyone experiences it differently. For some people, just the thought of having to speak in front of an unfamiliar adult or group of people can make their heart race and their palms sweat. For others, social events, busy environments, lack of personal space, or unexpected behavior from others can be overwhelming and cause them to feel panicked and upset. The size of the problem of anxiety can range from a little problem to a very big problem! This is why anxious students with IEPs need IEP goals for anxiety.

If you’re a teacher working with students who experience anxiety, it’s important to understand how best to support them. One way you can do that is through their IEP goals. Here are some examples of IEP goals for anxiety so that you can help your students thrive in your classroom.

WHAT ARE IEP GOALS FOR ANXIETY?

IEP goals for anxiety are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals that target a student’s anxiety symptoms. They are individualized to meet the unique needs of each student and can be created with input from teachers, parents, school counselors, school psychologists, therapists, and other mental health professionals and school staff. They are designed to help students reduce their level of anxiety, and handle stressful situations in a positive manner.

An IEP goal for anxiety might look like this:

By the end of the school year, Student will reduce their number of panic attacks from 2 per week to 1 per week. This is measured by teachers’ observations and self-reports.

Or this:

Before June, Student will increase their level of functioning in social situations from a score of 3 on the Social Anxiety Scale for Children to a score of 5.

WHY ARE IEP GOALS FOR ANXIETY IMPORTANT?

IEP goals for anxiety are important because they provide a way to measure progress and identify areas of need. They also help to ensure that students are receiving the supports and services they need to be successful in school. In a classroom environment, students need to complete both desired and undesired tasks. If their anxiety level is too high, they can’t handle an assigned task or all of the work demands in a classroom, especially when it comes to an undesired task or non-preferred task.

A good IEP goal can be a way to start effective data collection on students by supportive adults. These goals also serve as a way for students to monitor their own behavior. When they experience a frustrating situation causing their anxiety to increase, they have something to go to. Using positive self-talk, they can stay positive and not go into sad, anxious, or withdrawn behavior. They begin to develop insight into appropriate coping strategies for their anxiety.

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Anxiety can have a big impact on a student’s ability to learn and succeed in school. When left unchecked, anxiety can lead to avoidance behaviors, missed school days, and lower grades. IEP goals can help prevent these negative outcomes by providing a roadmap for addressing anxiety in the classroom.

Having IEP goals for anxiety can help students find coping strategies to keep their emotional state positive. Without them, any anxiety producing situation can lead to a negative emotional response. Students need these goals to help keep them on track so they can experience an appropriate emotional response to these situations.

HOW TO WRITE ANXIETY IEP GOALS

When writing IEP goals for anxiety, it’s important to keep the following things in mind:

1. Useful IEP goals are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

2. IEP goals should be student-centered: they should be based on the unique needs of each individual student.

3. While based on adult prompts, gestures, and possibly an adult reminder, many IEP goals should also be something students can work on with just a visual or verbal cue, or their own monitoring.

4. It is important for IEP goals to be created with input from a team of professionals, including teachers, parents, school counselors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals.

4. IEP goals should be reviewed and revised on a regular basis to ensure they are still appropriate for the student’s needs.

5. In order to be effective, IEP goals should span over a period of consecutive weeks, months, or school years.

BEHAVIOR GOALS

Students who experience anxiety need goals that will get them to a point where they are keeping their anxiety out of the behaviors they exhibit in the classroom. IEP goals in this area should focus on reducing avoidance behaviors, such as absenteeism, and increasing positive coping skills, such as problem-solving. They can also focus on self-regulation skills such as the student taking a movement break or quiet space break whenever they feel deep pressure.

Here are some examples of IEP goals for anxiety that focus on behavior:

By the end of the school year, Student will reduce their number of absences from school due to anxiety from 10 days to 5 days, as measured by the school attendance records.

By the end of the school year, Student will increase their use of positive coping skills when faced with an anxious situation from 50% of the time to 75% of the time, as measured by observations and self-report.

IEP ACADEMIC GOALS

Academic goals for students with anxiety should focus on helping the student to be successful in school despite their anxiety. Anxiety often makes it difficult for students to complete academic tasks. IEP goals in this area might concentrate on missed instructional periods, lower grades, and difficulty completing assignments.

Here are some examples of IEP academic goals for anxiety:

By the end of the school year, Student will reduce their number of missed instruction periods due to anxiety from 6 periods per week to 2 periods per week. This is measured by the school attendance record over consecutive school weeks.

By the end of the school year, Student will ask for help when needed on academic assignments from the teacher.

By the end of the school year, when the student deals with frustrating situations (i.e. academic workload), they will use deep breathing or other coping strategies and return to the task 80% of the time throughout the entire school day.

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Social goals for students with anxiety should focus on helping the student to interact successfully with others despite their anxiety. Anxiety can lead to scenarios of social conflicts, which cause undesired peer behavior. IEP goals in this area can center around social skills, such as making eye contact. Also, communication skills, such as asking questions. For students with social anxiety disorder, you may have to start smaller. For example, use small group activities for goals instead of whole-class activities.

Here are some examples of IEP social goals for anxiety:

By the end of the school year, using visual and/or verbal prompts, the student will identify the level of anxiety in social situations and utilize a strategy to reduce anxiety, 75% of the time.

By the end of the school year, Student will ask at least one question during class discussions 50% of the time, as measured by teacher observation.

By the end of the school year, Student will initiate conversations with peers in a small group setting at least once per day, as measured by self-report.

IEP GOALS FOR ANXIETY IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM

There are various educational classroom settings students can be a part of. IEP goals for anxiety in the general educational environment should focus on helping the student to be successful in school despite their anxiety. IEP goals in this area can be about general behavior, missed school days, lower grades, and challenges related to finishing work in the general education setting.

Here are some examples of IEP goals for anxiety in the general education classroom:

Before the end of this marking period, the Student will independently use positive self-talk and coping strategies to handle stressful situations, 80% of the time.

By the end of the school year, the student will complete all projects required for the class. The accuracy will be measured by the teacher.

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IEP EMOTIONAL GOALS

IEP emotional goals for students with anxiety should focus on helping the student to cope with their anxiety and improving their emotional well-being. IEP goals in this area might target coping skills, such as deep breathing and relaxation techniques. They can also target emotional regulation skills, such as identifying emotions.

Here are some examples of IEP emotional goals for anxiety:

By the end of the school year, Student A will use deep breathing to keep a calm body when feeling anxious 60% of the time, as measured by self-report.

By the end of the school year, the student will increase their use of positive coping skills when faced with an anxious situation from 50% of the time to 80% of the time. This will be measured through the use of self-monitoring checklists.

By the end of the school year, the student will be able to identify their emotions 80% of the time using a feelings thermometer. This will be measured by teacher reports and observations.
By the end of the second quarter, when presented with a problem, the student will accurately determine the size of the problem and choose an appropriate emotional response, 80% of the time.

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IEP GOALS IN THE HOME AND COMMUNITY

IEP goals for anxiety in the home and community should focus on helping the student to cope with their anxiety outside of school. IEP goals in this area might revolve around missed activities, difficulty completing tasks, and avoidance of certain situations.

Here are some examples of IEP goals for anxiety in the home and community:

By the end of the school year, the student will participate in at least one field trip using coping strategies, as measured by self-report.

By December 31, when the student has to deal with an anxiety-producing situation during their work internship, they will independently demonstrate an appropriate emotional response using helpful coping strategies 75% of the time.

By the end of the school year, Student will reduce their number of missed extracurricular activities due to anxiety from 10 activities to 5 activities, as measured by self-report.

The goals we’ve outlined here can help students with anxiety in a number of ways. They may take a lot of hard work, and daily reinforcement to fully take hold. But, by setting clear and achievable goals, you can help your anxious students feel more in control of their lives and less overwhelmed. They can begin to think more positive, good thoughts instead of anxious and stressed thoughts. Additionally, these goals provide a structure for the student to work within, which can be extremely helpful when trying to overcome anxiety.