Goal: Understand and Use Idioms
Sample Goal:
When given a particular idiom, Client will demonstrate appropriate use of the idiom by writing or speaking a short paragraph that uses that idiom on 80% of observed opportunities.
Download the No-Prep Therapy Kit:
We have a start-to-finish therapy kit that will give you everything you need to practice this skill in therapy and send home homework. Click the packet below to open it. Then, print it out and place it in the child’s notebook or binder.
Therapy Phases:
- Define: When asked, Client will define the word “idiom” as “a phrase that people say that is commonly accepted as having a different meaning than the individual words may lead you to believe” on three consecutive data collection days.
- Understand: When shown a paragraph that uses an idiom, Client will describe the intended meaning of the idiom (not the literal meaning) on 80% of observed opportunities on three consecutive data collection days.
- Use: When given a particular idiom, Client will demonstrate appropriate use of the idiom by writing or speaking a short paragraph that uses that idiom on 80% of observed opportunities.
What’s Next?
- Once the client has mastered idioms, you can move on to other types of figurative language (such as similes and metaphors) or other types of abstract language (such as inferencing, hyperbole, and sarcasm).
Disclaimer (For Copy and Paste):
Feel free to copy and paste these sample goals into your plan but make sure you modify them to meet the individual needs of the child. This should include individualized level of cueing, such as "independently" or "with verbal prompts".