Breaking Down IEP Goals: How Social Stories Help Achieve Short-Term Key Objectives

What Are Short-Term Key Objectives?

Short-term objectives take big IEP goals and break them into smaller, measurable steps. However, even these objectives often cover 3 months—which can still feel too broad for daily intervention and progress tracking.

That’s where Social Stories come in. A single Social Story can focus on a specific skill that is part of a broader objective, helping the child practice and master it within 4- to 6-week before moving to the next level.

Example of Breaking Down an IEP Goal

IEP Goal: "The student will develop independence in structured play routines by following transition rules and cleaning up after playtime."

Short-Term Key Objective (3-month timeframe):

By the end of three months, Yariv will be able to collect all toys when the time to play with cars is up in 80% of opportunities, with minimal adult prompting.

✅ Now, let’s break it down even further using Social Stories!

Using Social Stories for 4 to 6-Week Goals

To make progress more manageable and measurable, each short-term key objective can be further divided into smaller, concrete goals that focus on one specific skill at a time.

Example: Teaching Yariv to Clean Up After Playtime (4 to 6-Week Goal)

• Step 1 (Weeks 1–2): Yariv will put one car in the bin when asked to clean up.

  • Social Story: “Time to Clean Up” – This story explains that after playtime, we put toys away so they don’t get lost or broken.

  • Practice: The teacher models putting a toy away and prompts Yariv to do the same.

• Step 2 (Weeks 3–4): Yariv will collect at least three cars before transitioning to the next activity.

  • Social Story: “Cleaning Up is Part of Play” – This story helps reinforce the idea that finishing an activity includes putting toys away.

  • Practice: Yariv is given a simple visual checklist showing "1-2-3" cars being put in the bin.

• Step 3 (Weeks 5–6): Yariv will clean up all the cars when playtime is over, with one verbal prompt.

  • Social Story: “We Put Away Toys Before Moving On” – This story explains that when we finish playing, we clean up to make room for something new.

  • Practice: A timer is used to signal the end of play, and Yariv is encouraged to clean up independently with minimal prompts.

Making Progress Measurable with Social Stories

To track progress effectively, Social Stories should be combined with structured activities such as:

✅ Role-playing: Practicing real-life scenarios in a safe setting.

✅ Visual supports: Using cue cards with key phrases.

✅ Data collection: Logging each successful interaction to monitor improvement.

How SymbolStory Helps

SymbolStory enables educators and therapists to create customized Social Stories that align with IEP goals. With a structured, visual approach, SymbolStory makes it easier to break down objectives into small, actionable steps that children can practice and master. SymbolStory provides an engaging, effective way to help children build essential social and communication skills.

Ready to start using Social Stories to achieve measurable progress with your students? Explore how SymbolStory can support your work today!