Proposing goal revisions

Even the word goal can feel fraught. For many families—especially those whose children have been exposed to ABA or behaviourist approaches—school goals have come to mean compliance, control, and arbitrary measures of success. They often reflect what the system wants a child to become, not what the child needs in order to thrive.

At End Collective Punishment, we reject that framing. We believe every child has the right to be supported as they are—not pathologized, normalised, or treated as a project for improvement. At the same time, we know that IEPs are a legal tool, and sometimes the only way to advocate effectively is to step into the format the system expects.

This strategy is about reclaiming that format—by proposing IEP goals that reflect your child’s actual needs, your family’s values, and the reality of what meaningful progress looks like.

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How to use this strategy

You can propose new or revised IEP goals when:

• Your child has new assessment data
• Prior goals have been met, abandoned, or no longer fit
• The school has proposed goals that don’t reflect your child’s learning profile
• You want to ensure goals support regulation and access—not just academic output or behavioural suppression

Start by thinking about your child’s current strengths and support needs. Then suggest goals that are:

• Realistic given the level of support currently available
• Measurable, but not dehumanizing
• Strength-based, not deficit-oriented
• Functionally useful, not abstract or performative

For example:

❌ “Will raise hand before speaking in 4 out of 5 opportunities.”

✅ “Will have access to a predictable method of participation that honours communication preferences and reduces classroom overwhelm.”

❌ “Will sit still for 30 minutes during group time.”

✅ “Will have access to flexible seating and self-regulation tools that support engagement during whole-group instruction.”

If a staff member says, “We can’t measure that,” you can reply, “What would be a respectful way to observe whether it’s working?”

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What to watch out for

• Beware of behaviourist goals that centre compliance, extinction of behaviours, or neurotypical performance.
• Don’t accept goals that require your child to regulate perfectly while the environment stays inaccessible.
• Be cautious of academic goals that don’t account for fatigue, trauma, or the pacing your child needs.

You can push back diplomatically by saying:

“That sounds like a long-term aspiration. But what short-term steps can we focus on that feel doable and affirming?”

“That goal feels disconnected from what the assessment says about my child’s actual support needs.”

“Our priority right now is reducing distress and building a sense of safety. Can we focus goals around those foundations?”

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Why this strategy matters

IEP goals often drive what gets funded, what gets prioritized, and how your child’s progress is judged. By proposing your own goals—or refining the ones offered—you ensure the plan reflects not just system requirements, but your child’s humanity.

You’re not trying to prove your child is “getting better.” You’re fighting to ensure that learning is accessible, that regulation is supported, and that success is defined on your child’s terms.