How do I know if my child's ITP goal is good?

ITP goals should be based on a comprehensive transition assessment. Many schools will have teens complete surveys aimed at asking what kind of work they might like to do in the future, or whether they want to go to college, but these surveys are not a comprehensive assessment and may not provide enough information to help inform a good ITP goal.

ITP goals should also be specific. If your child wants to attend college, "Research three colleges" isn't a very specific or helpful goal. If your child wants to open a restaurant, then "Research what skills are needed to open a restaurant and then do a presentation on what skills are needed" is much more specific. It also provides an opportunity for the student to work at their level (for example, putting together a PowerPoint presentation or posterboard with pictures) and work on executive functioning skills.

ITPs that are comprehensive look at future education, employment, and independent living. An ITP goal could be learning how to go to the grocery store with $100 and buy a week of food, learning how to budget, or using a calculator to figure out how much money they have left after they've put items in their cart.

ITP goals do not need to be in depth, but they should be realistic and specific to the child. Good ITP goals are not generic statements that you would find in any student's ITP; they need to be individualized to the child just like an IEP.

Non-Attorney Education Advocate Lisa Carey recommends that your child have an ITP goal to describe how their disability impacts them. IEPs and 504s don't carry over into college, so it will help them if they can describe the accommodations they need and advocate for them on their own.

For more information, see our full article Individualized Transition Plan (ITP) 101.