A good IEP goal for increasing requesting names the support the child gets, the way the request can look (word, sign, or AAC symbol), how often it has to happen, and by when. Here's an example you can adapt with your child's SLP: given a familiar activity and adult support as needed, the student will request a desired item or action using a word, sign, or AAC symbol in 4 out of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by clinician data, by the next annual review. Below are versions of that same idea written for different ages, plus what to bring up at the meeting.
What does "requesting" mean as an IEP goal?
Requesting is asking for something you want or need, an item, an activity, help, more of something, or a break. It's usually one of the first functional communication goals a team writes, because it gives a child an immediate reason to communicate and a payoff they can feel right away. A requesting goal can be met through spoken words, sign, gestures, a picture symbol, or an AAC device. The form doesn't matter nearly as much as whether the child is reliably getting their message across.
Because requesting is a language and pragmatics skill, it isn't tied to a specific speech sound the way an articulation goal is. A three-year-old who's still building consonant sounds like most children have by that age (sounds such as p, b, m, d, n, h, t, k, g, w, ng, f, and y are typically in place by 2 to 3) can absolutely have a solid requesting goal using approximate words, gestures, or AAC. You don't need clear speech to request clearly.
Under age 3: is this an IEP goal or something else?
If your child is under three, you're almost always talking about early intervention and an IFSP, not a school IEP. The document and the team look different, but the goal-writing idea is the same: a good outcome describes what communication should look like, what kind of support is allowed, and where the family will practice it. Learn more about how this system works in most states through our early intervention by state guide.
A sample IFSP outcome for a toddler working on requesting might read: given a familiar routine such as snack or bath time and adult modeling as needed, the child will request a desired item or activity using a word approximation, sign, or gesture during 4 out of 5 observed opportunities, across 3 sessions, by the next IFSP review.
Sample goals by age band
These are starting points to bring to a meeting, not finished language. Every goal needs a real baseline from your child's current data, and the school SLP will adjust the criterion, timeframe, and support level to fit what they're actually seeing in sessions.
| Age band | Sample goal | What it targets |
|---|---|---|
| Around age 3 (IFSP or early IEP) | Given a preferred toy or snack and a modeled word, sign, or AAC symbol, the child will independently request the item in 4 out of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, by the next review. | Basic wanting and requesting during play and daily routines, any communication mode accepted |
| Around age 5 | During structured classroom activities, the student will request a desired item, action, or help using a 2 to 3 word phrase or AAC message, with no more than one adult prompt, in 8 out of 10 opportunities across 4 consecutive sessions, by the annual review. | Requesting with a phrase rather than a single word, plus asking for help |
| Around ages 7 to 9 | Across structured and unstructured school settings, the student will independently request items, information, or assistance using a complete sentence or AAC message appropriate to the listener and setting, in 4 out of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, by the annual review. | Independent, socially appropriate requesting across settings, less adult scaffolding |
How do you write the goal so it's actually measurable?
Every solid IEP goal, for requesting or anything else, has four parts. Under IDEA, goals need to be specific enough that anyone on the team could read the paperwork and know exactly what progress looks like.
| Part | What it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Condition | What setting or support is in place? | "Given a preferred item and a visual choice board" |
| Behavior | What will the child actually do? | "will request the item using a word or AAC symbol" |
| Criterion | How often, how accurately? | "in 4 out of 5 opportunities across 3 sessions" |
| Timeframe | By when? | "by the next annual review" |
Notice that none of these examples say the child must use spoken words only. Naming the acceptable communication mode, speech, sign, gesture, picture symbol, or AAC device, matters just as much as the percentage. Without it, nobody can tell whether a child who signs "more" instead of saying it out loud has met the goal or not.
A simple weekly plan to support requesting goals at home
Whatever the school is targeting, you can build the same skill into ordinary routines without turning it into a drill.
- Snack and mealtime: put a favorite food in sight but out of reach, and wait for your child to point, sign, say a word, or use an AAC symbol before handing it over.
- Playtime: hold back one puzzle piece, one block, or one turn on a toy, and let your child ask for it in whatever way they currently use.
- Choice-making: offer two real options ("cracker or apple?") so your child has an easy, low-pressure reason to communicate.
- Modeling, not testing: say or show the word, sign, or symbol yourself first, rather than only asking "what do you want?" and waiting for a correct answer.
- Follow the lead: if your child requests in an unexpected way, like grabbing your hand, still honor it, then model the more mature version alongside it.
Keep a rough log of a few sessions a week, what your child requested and how, so you have real data to compare against whatever baseline the school reports at the next IEP meeting.
What can parents ask for in the IEP meeting?
You don't need to write the clinical language yourself, but you can ask good questions that shape it. A parent's role in the IEP process includes asking the team to explain their reasoning in plain terms until it makes sense to you. Worth asking:
- What communication mode is this goal measuring, speech, sign, gesture, or AAC, and is more than one acceptable?
- Where will requesting be practiced, only in speech sessions or across the classroom and cafeteria too?
- Who models the target request, the SLP, the classroom teacher, or paraprofessionals, and how is that coordinated?
- How will progress be measured, and can you see the data, not just a summary, at progress report time?
- If your child uses AAC, how is device access protected during the school day, including on the bus or at recess?
For a broader walkthrough of the whole IEP process, our IEP support hub covers what to expect before, during, and after the meeting.
When should you ask for an evaluation?
If your child rarely initiates requests on their own, mostly relies on grabbing, crying, or leading you by the hand past toddlerhood, or has fallen behind peers in words or gestures used to ask for things, it's reasonable to ask for a formal look. Under age three, that means contacting your local early intervention program for an evaluation toward an IFSP. At three and older, you can request a school evaluation in writing at any time, even outside the usual testing windows; the school has to respond under IDEA timelines once you ask. You can also start with your pediatrician or a private speech-language pathologist if you want an outside opinion alongside the school process. Our getting started guide walks through the first steps for either path.
Can a nonverbal child still have a requesting goal?
Yes. Requesting goals are written around whatever communication mode the child has access to, which might be a gesture, a picture exchange system, or an AAC device rather than spoken words. The goal should say explicitly which mode counts, so progress is tracked fairly.
How is a requesting goal different from an articulation goal?
An articulation goal targets how clearly a sound is produced, like getting a clear "s" or "r." A requesting goal targets whether a child communicates a want or need at all, regardless of how clear the sound is. A child can meet a requesting goal with an approximate or unclear word as long as the message gets across.
What counts as one "opportunity" in these goals?
An opportunity is any natural moment where a want or need shows up, a snack in sight, a toy just out of reach, a turn in a game. The team usually defines this concretely in the goal's data sheet so that different adults collecting data are counting the same thing.
Should the goal specify AAC even if my child is starting to talk?
If your child uses AAC at all, most teams will write the goal to accept speech, sign, or AAC interchangeably, since forcing one mode can slow down communication rather than help it. Ask the team to clarify this rather than assuming AAC use will be phased out automatically as speech develops.
How often should this goal be reviewed?
IEP goals are formally reviewed at least once a year, but most teams collect data every session and share informal updates at progress report time, often quarterly. If you're not seeing movement after a few months, you can request an earlier team check-in rather than waiting for the annual review.
Can the same requesting goal work for multiple school years?
Sometimes, but usually the criterion or setting shifts as a child grows, moving from a single familiar routine to multiple settings, or from single words to full sentences. If a goal has been unchanged for more than a year with no progress noted, it's worth asking the team to revisit the approach.
This page is meant as education to help you prepare for conversations with your child's team, not as a diagnosis or a finished IEP document. Every goal here needs review and adjustment by a licensed speech-language pathologist who has actually assessed your child, and any concerns about your child's communication are worth bringing to that professional or your school's evaluation team directly.