Table 2.

Operational Definitions of Speech and Language Goals

Goal area	Operational definition
Receptive language	Goals/objectives targeting the ability to understand or express spoken language using a verbal (speech) modality. This category includes goals related to expressive or receptive vocabulary, semantics, and morphology; concepts (e.g., under, more, big); questions, directives, comprehension; and production of objects/labels, and classification. Examples include increasing vocabulary (including vocalizations and/or vocal play), combining words, and identifying objects and pictures. Use of aided or unaided AAC is excluded from this category. All goals in this category imply or directly state that speech is the target modality of expression.
Social communication	Goals/objectives targeting the ability to use language (appropriately and functionally) in multiple settings and with a variety of communication partners. This category includes goals that address social communication in some type of meaningful context. Examples include using music, singing, and social games to participate in group activities; responding appropriately to others; participating in cooperative or parallel play; and attending to communication partners. Use of aided or unaided AAC is excluded from this category.
Cognitive development	Goals/objectives targeting the ability to coordinate and use attention, problem-solving and executive functioning skills in various aspects of communication. This category includes goals related to object awareness, object discrimination, development of cause and effect, visual tracking, appropriate play with objects, and consistent response to stimuli and/or communication partners. Use of aided or unaided AAC is excluded from this category.
Phonology/articulation	Goals/objectives targeting the ability to produce speech sounds either in isolation or in spoken words or utterances. This category includes goals related to improvement in speech production at the phoneme, syllable, or word level. This category may include goals related to increasing the number of phonemes in a repertoire, correct placement of articulators during speech production, and/or correct production/approximation of target phonemes in the repertoire. Goals related to speech intelligibility are excluded from this category.
Intelligibility	Goals/objectives targeting the ability to produce intelligible speech. Goals related to improving overall understandability of speech and those related to consistent production and/or approximations of expressive vocabulary (not target phonemes) are included in this category.
Aided AAC	Goals/objectives targeting the ability to use alternative and/or supplemental communication systems to advance functional communication abilities or support language development. The use of aided communication modalities other than speech automatically qualifies as a goal for inclusion in this category. Examples include low-technology boards, switches, high-technology devices, and other aided communication modalities. Any mention of specific AAC devices or strategies qualifies as a goal for inclusion in this category.
Unaided AAC	Goals/objectives targeting the ability to use alternative and/or supplemental communication systems to advance functional communication abilities or support language development. The use of unaided communication modalities other than speech qualifies as a goal for inclusion in this category. Examples include facial expression, sign, eye gaze, and gestures. Any mention of an AAC device is excluded from this category.
Oral-motor skills	Goals/objectives targeting the ability to develop and/or increase strength, range of motion, sensation or coordination of oral muscles using non-speech tasks (tongue/blowing exercises, passive stimulation activities). Goals that mention the use of oral-motor exercises or tolerating different kinds of oral stimulation are included here. Also goals that address blowing and sucking (for non-nutritive purposes) are included here.
Feeding	Goals/objectives targeting the ability to acquire food for nutritional purposes. Includes goals related to sucking, chewing, or swallowing.
Parent education	Goals included those that are specifically targeted towards giving parents strategies that they can use at home to facilitate their child’s communication and language skills.
Miscellaneous	Goals that are not directly related to any of the other categories but are included in the IFSP. Examples include behavioral management, medical management, etc.

Note. Adapted from Hustad and Miles (2010).