Speech Therapy Sign Language Goals: What They Are and How to Set Them

Sign language goals in speech therapy are written, measurable targets. They describe which signs a person will understand or use, in what situations, with how much help, and how progress will be judged. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) usually sets them with the family or school team. For hearing children with delayed or unclear speech, signs are most often used as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). AAC means any method that adds to or stands in for speech. In that case the signs support communication, and often the move toward spoken words. Learning a full sign language is usually not the aim.

First, clarify which kind of sign language goal you mean

The phrase covers different situations, and each one leads to different goals.

• Signs as AAC alongside speech: individual signs, often borrowed from American Sign Language (ASL), are paired with spoken words. This is sometimes called key word signing or total communication. Goals focus on functional communication, such as requesting or protesting, and often on encouraging speech.
• ASL as a language: for Deaf or hard-of-hearing children whose families have chosen ASL, goals address the language itself, including vocabulary, grammar and conversation. These goals are best set with ASL-fluent professionals, and Deaf educators or mentors can help where they are available.
• Signs for adults with acquired speech difficulties: after a stroke, injury or progressive condition, signs may be one AAC option among several. The SLP checks whether the person's hand movement and language abilities make signing practical before writing goals around it.

What a well-written goal contains

Therapy goals are normally written so that anyone observing could agree on whether the goal was met. A complete goal usually names five things:

• Who: the person working on the goal.
• Behavior: an observable action, such as producing a specific sign, responding to a sign, or combining a sign with a word.
• Condition: the setting, the communication partner, the activity, and the level of help given.
• Criterion: how often or how accurately the behavior must happen. The clinician sets this after measuring a starting point.
• Timeframe: the date or review period by which the goal should be met.

The level of help is usually described as a prompt level. A prompt is any support that helps the person produce the sign. Prompts typically range from full physical guidance (hand-over-hand), to partial physical help, to a model where the adult demonstrates the sign, to a verbal or visual cue. The final level is independent or spontaneous use, where the person signs without being prompted. Many goals aim to reduce the prompt level over time.

Example goal templates

The templates below use brackets for anything that must be decided for the individual, including names, signs, accuracy levels, session counts and dates. No evidence was supplied for typical numbers, so none are filled in here. The SLP should choose these values from an assessment of what the person can do now.

Requesting (expressive):
  Given [motivating item or activity] and a [prompt level],
  [Name] will sign [target sign, e.g., MORE or HELP] to request
  in [criterion] of opportunities across [number] sessions by [date].

Understanding signs (receptive):
  [Name] will follow [one-step / two-step] directions presented
  in [sign plus speech / sign alone] with [criterion] accuracy
  during [activity or setting] by [date].

Vocabulary growth:
  [Name] will spontaneously use [number] different signs
  across [routines, e.g., snack, play, dressing]
  as recorded by [therapist / parent / teacher] by [date].

Combining sign and speech:
  [Name] will pair a sign with a spoken word or word approximation
  in [criterion] of opportunities with [prompt level] by [date].

Generalization:
  [Name] will use [target signs] with at least [number]
  communication partners in [number] settings by [date].

Starting vocabularies often draw on words the person needs many times a day and cares about. Typical choices include requests such as more, help, eat, drink and all done. Refusals such as no and stop are also common, along with names of family members and favorite items or activities. Signs that the person can physically form, or approximate consistently, are usually easier starting points.

How to set sign language goals step by step

• 1. Get an assessment from a licensed SLP. In the US, goals for school-age children are typically written into an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Children under three in early intervention usually have an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Private therapy uses a plan of care.
• 2. Agree on the purpose. Decide whether signs are a bridge and support for speech, or whether ASL is being learned as a language. This choice shapes every goal that follows.
• 3. Record a baseline. Note what the person does now: gestures, sounds, words, any signs, and how much help they need.
• 4. Choose starting signs together. Pick words that are frequent, motivating and physically achievable. Agree on one form for each sign so that home, school and therapy all model it the same way.
• 5. Write each goal with all five parts: who, behavior, condition, criterion and timeframe.
• 6. Plan daily practice. Adults model the sign while saying the word during real routines, such as snack, bath and play, and give the person chances to use it.
• 7. Track and review. Keep simple records of when the sign was used and with what help, then revise goals at the agreed review points.

To check that a finished goal is sound, ask four questions. Could two different observers agree on whether it happened? Does it state the help level, the criterion and the date? Does it name where, and with whom, the sign should be used? Does it reflect the purpose the team agreed on? If any answer is no, ask the SLP to clarify the wording.

A common concern: will signing hold back speech?

Many families worry that signs will become a substitute for talking. Professional guidance on AAC generally treats signing as a support for communication rather than a replacement for speech. It is common practice to always pair signs with spoken words. The evidence supplied for this guide does not include specific studies or outcome data, however. Ask the SLP what research applies to the person's diagnosis and age, and how they will tell whether speech is progressing.

If sessions or practice happen over video

Teletherapy and video calls with family can support sign practice, but only if the signs stay readable on screen. A camera that works is not the same as signing that is clear to the other person, so check each part separately.

• Framing: show at least head to waist, with room on both sides for the hands to move. Many signs are made near the face and chest, and these must stay inside the frame.
• Lighting: light the face and hands from the front, and avoid a bright window behind the signer, which can turn hands into silhouettes.
• Physical background: a plain, uncluttered wall that contrasts with skin tone and clothing makes handshapes easier to see. Solid-colored tops help for the same reason.
• Virtual backgrounds and blur: these call effects use software to separate the person from the room. They may clip, smear or drop fast-moving hands. Test them in a preview before a session, and turn them off if the hands break up.
• Check in order: first confirm the browser or operating system has granted camera permission (access). Next confirm the preview shows the face and both hands (capture). Then ask the other person whether signs look clear and smooth during the live call (call quality). A low frame rate or an unstable connection can blur handshapes even when the camera itself works.
• Sound: if signs are paired with speech, confirm three things. The microphone should be detected, its level indicator should move when someone speaks, and the other person should understand the words.

What this guide cannot tell you

No specific evidence was available for this guide. That means it cannot give typical accuracy targets, the number of signs to start with, expected timelines, or success rates for any particular condition. Those details depend on an individual assessment and should come from the SLP working with the person. If the goal is fluency in ASL, involve ASL-fluent professionals as well, because general speech therapy goals may not fully address sign language development.