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The content of goals in individual educational programs for students with complex communication needs
Nina Klang1, Charity Rowland2, Melanie Fried-Oken2
1a Department of Education , Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden ;
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with complex communication needs often lack goals focusing on social interaction and participation. Support is needed for educators and speech-language pathologists to create more comprehensive communication goals.
Area of Science:
- Special Education
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Disability Studies
Background:
- Students with complex communication needs require tailored educational support.
- Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are crucial for outlining educational goals.
- Effective communication goals are essential for student development and participation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the content of communication-related goals in IEPs for students with complex communication needs.
- To map these goals to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Children and Youth version (ICF-CY).
- To identify gaps in communication goal formulation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 43 IEPs for students with complex communication needs.
- Coding of communication-related goals using the ICF-CY framework.
- Quantitative assessment of goal distribution across ICF-CY domains.
Main Results:
- Communication goals in IEPs encompass various functioning domains within the ICF-CY.
- A limited number of goals specifically address interaction with others.
- IEPs show a low proportion of goals focused on participation in classroom and leisure activities.
Conclusions:
- Current IEPs for students with complex communication needs may not adequately prioritize social interaction and participation goals.
- Special education teachers and speech-language pathologists may require additional training and resources.
- Developing goals that emphasize interaction and participation is vital for these students' holistic development.
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