January 23, 2015

by: Emily Hastings

Setting Goals for a Child with a Disability

There is a common theme when parents are looking to set goals for their child. Whether they are therapy, school-based or family-centered, all goals must be “SMART” – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-Oriented and Time-Bound.

UCP of Greater Cleveland’s Children’s Services Department particularly concentrates on the “Achievable” aspect of goal-setting. The case managers and therapists help families focus on what is realistic and attainable for their child. They let the families know that it is important to push their child to his or her full potential, but that they must also have reasonable expectations.

When parents first come to the facility, they meet with one of UCP of Greater Cleveland’s case managers so that they can gather the family’s priorities and the family-client driven goals. By asking questions such as “What brings you here?” and “What are you hoping to get out of this?” the case managers get a better understanding of the family’s wants and needs. Next, the child meets with a team of therapists to be evaluated. Finally, the therapists, case managers and family members identify a treatment plan that combines the family’s goals with the therapeutic goals.

A hallmark of UCP of Greater Cleveland’s Children’s Services program is the fact that our therapists are continually focused on improving functional limitations. This means that they look at how a child’s impairment is holding them back from completing a specific task, and then the therapy team works together to mesh the child’s strengths with their needs. The whole purpose of therapy is to get the child involved in their environment.

This mindset carries into the school setting as well. Our case managers help families determine how their child’s strengths fit into the foundations of the core curriculum. They also assist during the IEP process, helping the family develop IEP goals and working with the schools to best accommodate the child.

The UCP staff also set goals to assist families as they begin to educate themselves about how to care for a child with a disability. It can be a pretty intimidating, new world that they are entering, and our staff want to make it as easy as possible. Some examples of the type of assistance UCP provides are teaching the parents and child how to use equipment, activities to do together, how to work with vendors and how to navigate through doctors appointments.

In addition, the staff members want to empower the family and help them continue what is being done in therapy. The work put in at UCP of Greater Cleveland has to carry over at home if the progress is going to stick with the child. Once the child is old enough to take ownership of their health and wellness, the therapists and case managers help the child with self advocacy. This includes learning how to speak up for themselves, doing their own goal setting, attending their IEP meetings and documenting their therapy exercises.

With all goal setting, it is important to realize that a child’s goals today may not be their goals six months from now. Their needs change as they grow, as they transition into school and as they transition out of school. Goal setting is a very fluid process across the child’s lifespan, with the end result to get them as independent as possible.

For more information about UCP of Greater Cleveland’s Children’s Services Department, please call (216) 791-8362 ext. 1250 or email childrens@ucpcleveland.org. Or visit our website at www.ucpcleveland.org/services-for-children.

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