Life Success
For Students With Learning Disabilities:
A Parent Guide

Goal-Setting

My child... Sets academic goals Sets non-academic goals Can prioritize goals Knows when a goal is realistic Develops plans/steps for reaching goals Understands the relationship between short and long-term goals Finds alternative ways to reach goals when faced with obstacles Understands the need to work with others to reach goals

It is important to help students with learning disabilities develop goal-setting abilities in a number of areas. As for several of the other success attributes, far too often, emphasis is placed exclusively on educational success. In an effort to assist children with learning disabilities achieve life success, research suggests that it is also necessary to develop goal-setting skills related to social relationships, employment, family, physical health, psychological health, leisure activities, finances, independent living, and spiritual development. Specific focus should be placed on assisting children to:

• Develop strategies for setting goals;
• Define a goal;
• Understand the benefits of goal-setting and the consequences of not setting goals;
• Develop strategies for prioritizing goals, evaluating whether a goal is realistic, and the action steps needed to reach a goal;
• Develop strategies to predict and overcome obstacles, and to reevaluate and adjust goals as needed;
• Understand the need to work with others to reach goals.

In order to foster goal-setting abilities, the following activities are recommended.

GENERAL ACTIVITIES FOR DEVELOPING GOAL-SETTING Have your child write down a real, short-term academic goal and discuss the step-by-step process for reaching it (for example, oral report on an early explorer, project on life in the American colonies, term paper on Shakespeare). Develop a realistic timeline for completion of a future school project, including typical "obstacles" such as a sports practice, birthday party, favorite TV show, and other distractions. Have your child set a long-term career goal and discuss the step-by-step process for reaching it. Arrange opportunities for your child to interview someone in that career, emphasizing goal-setting behavior. Discuss successful individuals and determine the experiences, backgrounds, opportunities, and critical events that led these individuals to their success. Present fictional examples of people with specific goals and, based on their strengths, weaknesses, and special talents, discuss whether their goals appear realistic.

Next: Presence and Use of Support Systems >>