Select and describe the target behavior or target skill.
Beginning with the IFSP, the EI team discusses with the parent the strengths and challenges of the toddler in meeting a priority outcome and then describes the target skill. The IFSP outcome should be observable and measurable in order to be able to clearly describe the expected skill that the toddler will learn and how to determine when the toddler has mastered the skill.
EXAMPLE
Parents discuss with the providers that their toddler, Charlie, has few if any means of communicating his wants and needs. He uses unconventional ways to communicate what he wants such as going to the kitchen, standing in front of the refrigerator, and crying.The IFSP team initially writes the outcome in the following manner:
"Charlie will communicate his wants and needs by using another form of communication instead of crying."
The IFSP team initially had written Charlie's outcome in the following manner.
Initial outcome:
While this outcome describes the hopes and wishes of the parents, it is not written in an observable and measurable way.
The target skill is described as “communicate” by “not crying”. The activities and routines are not specified. This IFSP outcome can be re-written so that it is observable and measurable. To do this, the team will need to clearly describe the context (WHEN), the target skill the toddler will perform (WHAT) and how will we know Charlie has mastered this skill (HOW).
Re-written outcome:
The new outcome describes routines or activities with target skills that are observable and can be measured.
The next step is to determine if the target skill or behavior is a discrete or chained skill.
A discrete task or skill is a discrete task requires a single response. Discrete skills could be pointing to objects, naming objects, holding out a hand, or a task of putting objects in a container.
EXAMPLES OF DISCRETE TASKS
A chained task requires a number of individual behaviors which are chained or sequenced together to form a more complex skill.
EXAMPLES OF CHAINED TASKS
Decide on the number and sequence of steps in a chained task.
If the target behavior is a chained task or skill, decide on the number and sequence of steps in the chain.
You can decide on the number and sequence of steps in a chain in the following ways:
Use the steps you have identified as the sequence of steps in the chained task to teach the toddler.
EXAMPLE
A chained task for washing hands would include the following steps:
After each step in the chain has been described, decide:
Will you teach one step at a time?
Will you teach all the steps at the same time?