20 SMART Target Examples for Autism in Irish Primary Schools

Writing meaningful, measurable targets for autistic pupils is one of the most challenging parts of SEN documentation. Targets that are too vague ("improve social skills") give you nothing to measure. Targets that are too ambitious set the child up to fail. And targets copy-pasted from a UK resource may not align with the Continuum of Support framework used in Irish schools.

This guide provides 20 ready-to-use SMART target examples across four key areas, each shown alongside common mistakes, so you can see exactly what separates a weak target from one that's specific, measurable, and achievable within a review cycle.

What Makes a SMART Target for Autism?

Before looking at examples, let's clarify what SMART means in the context of an Irish Student Support Plan. The Guidelines for Primary Schools (2024) emphasise that targets should be based on the child's identified strengths and needs and should enable progress to be measured over a defined period.

Letter	Meaning	What It Looks Like for Autism
S	Specific	Names the exact skill or behaviour, not a broad category
M	Measurable	Includes a number, frequency, or observable criterion
A	Achievable	Realistic within 6-8 weeks given the child's current level
R	Relevant	Connected to the child's priority learning need
T	Time-bound	States the review date or timeframe

The key difference when writing targets for autistic pupils is that you're often targeting skills that neurotypical children develop incidentally: turn-taking, understanding non-literal language, managing transitions, tolerating sensory input. These need to be explicitly taught and explicitly measured.

Common Mistakes When Writing Autism Targets

Before we look at good examples, here are the five most common errors SETs and class teachers make when writing targets for autistic pupils:

1. Writing Targets That Are Too Vague

Example: "The child will improve their social skills."

This gives you no way to measure progress. Which social skill? In what context? How will you know when it's achieved?

2. Setting Unrealistic Timeframes

Example: "The child will initiate conversations with peers independently by mid-term."

If the child currently doesn't initiate any peer interaction, jumping to independent initiation in 6 weeks is unlikely. Targets should represent the next step, not the end goal.

3. Ignoring the Child's Sensory Profile

Many targets focus on behaviour without considering why the behaviour occurs. An autistic child who avoids group work may be experiencing sensory overload, not a lack of social motivation. The target should address the underlying need.

4. Using Language That Doesn't Match Irish Frameworks

Targets that reference "IEP goals" or use terminology from other jurisdictions may not align with the Continuum of Support structure. In Ireland, targets sit within the Student Support Plan as part of the Student Support File.

5. Forgetting to Include the Child's Voice

The Guidelines for Primary Schools (2024) are clear: the child's views should be central to all matters affecting them. For autistic pupils, this may require adapted approaches such as visual choice boards, interest-based conversations, or the "My Thoughts about School" checklist from the NEPS Resource Pack.

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20 SMART Target Examples by Area

Each example below includes a "Before" (common weak target) and an "After" (SMART-aligned target). All targets assume a 6-8 week review cycle, consistent with NEPS recommendations.

Adapt these to each child's specific strengths, interests, and current level of functioning. These are starting points, not copy-paste solutions.

Social Skills Targets

Social interaction is often a priority learning need for autistic pupils. These targets focus on observable, teachable social behaviours.

#	❌ Weak Target	✅ SMART Target
1	Improve turn-taking skills	By [review date], [child] will wait for their turn during a structured board game with one peer, using a visual "my turn/your turn" card, in 4 out of 5 observed sessions.
2	Make more friends	By [review date], [child] will engage in a shared interest activity (e.g., Lego, drawing) with a chosen peer during structured play for at least 5 minutes, on 3 out of 5 days per week.
3	Be nicer to classmates	By [review date], [child] will use a scripted greeting ("Hi [name]") when arriving at their small group each morning, with no more than one verbal prompt, on 4 out of 5 school days.
4	Join in at yard time	By [review date], [child] will participate in a structured yard-time activity (e.g., organised game with rules explained in advance) for at least 10 minutes, 3 times per week, with adult facilitation.
5	Understand other people's feelings	By [review date], [child] will correctly identify the emotion shown in a photograph or social scenario card (happy, sad, angry, scared) in 8 out of 10 trials during a weekly social skills session.

Communication Targets

Communication targets for autistic pupils should address the child's specific communication profile. Some children are non-speaking or minimally speaking, others have extensive vocabulary but struggle with pragmatic (social) language.

#	❌ Weak Target	✅ SMART Target
6	Improve communication	By [review date], [child] will use their AAC device (or PECS, visual supports) to make a request during snack time or activity choice, independently, in 4 out of 5 opportunities.
7	Talk more in class	By [review date], [child] will respond to a direct question from the teacher during whole-class discussion (with 5 seconds processing time and a visual cue) in 3 out of 5 daily opportunities.
8	Understand what people mean	By [review date], [child] will identify the meaning of 5 common idioms (e.g., "it's raining cats and dogs," "break a leg") from a taught list, with 80% accuracy during a weekly language session.
9	Stop interrupting	By [review date], [child] will use a "wait" card or hand signal to indicate they want to speak, rather than calling out, during carpet time, in 4 out of 5 observed sessions.
10	Have better conversations	By [review date], [child] will maintain a two-way conversation on a topic of shared interest for 3 exchanges (speak-listen-respond), with one peer, during a weekly structured social skills group.

Sensory Regulation Targets

Sensory processing differences are a core feature of autism. These targets address the child's ability to manage sensory input and regulate their responses within the school environment.

#	❌ Weak Target	✅ SMART Target
11	Cope better with noise	By [review date], [child] will independently use their ear defenders or move to the designated quiet area when they recognise signs of sensory overload (with support from a visual "feelings thermometer"), in 4 out of 5 observed instances.
12	Sit still during lessons	By [review date], [child] will remain seated during a 15-minute teacher-led lesson using an agreed sensory tool (e.g., wobble cushion, fidget band), with no more than one break, on 4 out of 5 school days.
13	Handle transitions better	By [review date], [child] will transition between activities within 2 minutes of a visual timer and "next" card prompt, without distress behaviour, in 4 out of 5 transitions per day.
14	Stop having meltdowns	By [review date], [child] will use a practised calm-down strategy (e.g., deep breathing, squeeze ball, quiet corner) when their "feelings thermometer" reaches yellow, with one verbal prompt, in 3 out of 5 observed opportunities.
15	Eat lunch in the canteen	By [review date], [child] will eat lunch in the school hall for at least 10 minutes (with access to ear defenders and a preferred seating location), 3 times per week, increasing from the current baseline of 0 times per week.

Academic and Learning Targets

Academic targets for autistic pupils should account for the child's learning profile, including strengths in areas like visual learning, pattern recognition, and factual recall, alongside any executive function or flexible thinking challenges.

#	❌ Weak Target	✅ SMART Target
16	Get better at writing	By [review date], [child] will write 3 sentences on a given topic using a visual planning frame (beginning-middle-end), with correct use of capital letters and full stops, in 4 out of 5 writing sessions.
17	Improve reading comprehension	By [review date], [child] will answer 3 out of 5 inferential comprehension questions about a short text (with visual supports and pre-teaching of vocabulary) during guided reading sessions.
18	Be more organised	By [review date], [child] will independently follow a 4-step visual task checklist to prepare for each lesson (get book, open to correct page, write date, listen for instruction), with no more than one prompt, in 4 out of 5 lessons.
19	Do maths homework	By [review date], [child] will complete an adapted maths task (using concrete materials and a visual worked example) within the allocated class time, on 4 out of 5 days, without requiring individual teacher re-explanation.
20	Work in a group	By [review date], [child] will complete their assigned role in a structured group activity (with roles visually defined and a clear task checklist) for a 10-minute period, with adult facilitation available, on 3 out of 5 occasions.

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Adapting Targets to the Continuum of Support Level

The specificity and intensity of your targets should match the child's level within the Continuum of Support:

Support Level	Target Characteristics	Example Approach
Classroom Support (All)	Classroom-based, general strategies, class teacher monitors	"With a visual task card, [child] will complete 3 out of 4 steps independently during maths"
School Support (Some)	Targeted intervention, SET involvement, specific measurable goals	Most examples in this guide sit at this level: targeted, time-bound, monitored by SET
School Support Plus (Few)	Highly individualised, may involve external professionals' recommendations, intensive	Targets informed by psychological or OT assessment, with specific professional strategies embedded

For children at School Support Plus, targets may reflect recommendations from external professionals such as educational psychologists, occupational therapists, or speech and language therapists. In these cases, the target should reference the professional's recommendation and the strategy should be evidence-informed.

Writing Targets as a Team

The Guidelines for Primary Schools (2024) emphasise collaboration in target setting:

Where more than one SET is involved in providing support to a child, one SET takes the lead in coordinating the development, implementation and review of the Student Support Plan. Collaboration with the class teacher, parents/guardians, and the child is essential.

For autistic pupils, this collaboration is especially important. The class teacher sees the child in the busiest, most socially complex environment. The SET provides targeted support. Parents/guardians understand the child's needs beyond the school gate. And the child can tell you (in their own way) what feels hard and what helps.

Including the Child's Voice

For autistic pupils, capturing the child's perspective may require adapted approaches:

• Visual choice boards: "What helps you learn best?" with picture options
• Interest-based conversations: Use the child's special interest as a starting point for discussion about school
• Scaling questions: "On a scale of 1-5, how hard is yard time?" (with visual number line)
• "My Thoughts about School" checklist: Available in the NEPS Resource Pack
• Observation: For children who find verbal expression difficult, observe their responses to different environments and activities

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SMART Targets Checklist

Use this checklist before finalising any target for an autistic pupil's Student Support Plan:

• Specific: Does the target name the exact skill, behaviour, or strategy?
• Measurable: Can you count it, time it, or observe it? Is there a clear criterion (e.g., "4 out of 5 sessions")?
• Achievable: Is this the next step from where the child is now, not the end goal?
• Relevant: Does this target connect to the child's identified priority learning need?
• Time-bound: Is there a review date (typically 6-8 weeks)?
• Strengths-based: Does the target build on something the child can already do?
• Sensory-aware: Have you considered the child's sensory profile?
• Child's voice included: Has the child had input (in an accessible way)?
• Visual supports specified: Have you named the specific supports (timer, card, checklist)?
• Baseline stated: Do you know the child's current level so you can measure progress?

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How AI Can Help Generate SMART Targets

Writing 20+ individual SMART targets across your caseload is time-consuming, especially when each target needs to be specific to the child's strengths, needs, and Continuum of Support level. This is where AI-assisted documentation can help.

SENScribe is designed specifically for Irish primary schools. You provide your informal observations about a child (what they can do, what they find challenging, what strategies have been tried), and SENScribe generates draft Student Support Plan content, including SMART targets, using the terminology and structure of the NEPS Continuum of Support framework.

For example, you might type:

"Child in 3rd class, autism diagnosis, good at maths and building Lego. Finds yard time very difficult, tends to walk the perimeter alone. Struggles with writing, won't start without a clear structure. Ear defenders help in assembly."

SENScribe would generate draft targets across the relevant areas (social, academic, sensory), each aligned to the SMART framework and using the language expected in Irish Student Support Plans.

You remain in full control. Every draft is reviewed, personalised, and approved by you before it goes into the Student Support File. The AI generates starting points. The professional expertise of the SET shapes the final documentation.

Zero-knowledge privacy: Student names and diagnoses never leave your browser. SENScribe detects and replaces names with anonymous placeholders (e.g., [PERSON_1]) and converts specific conditions into functional descriptions (e.g., "autism" becomes "social communication needs") entirely on your device before any data is transmitted. Our servers only ever receive anonymous, generalised text.

Try SENScribe Free

See how SENScribe generates SMART targets for Student Support Plans in minutes, not hours

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many SMART targets should an autistic child have?

The Guidelines for Primary Schools (2024) recommend focusing on 2-3 priority learning needs at a time. For each priority learning need, you might have 1-2 specific targets. This means most Student Support Plans will contain 3-6 targets in total. Fewer, well-focused targets are more effective than a long list that becomes unmanageable.

Should targets mention the child's autism diagnosis?

In the Student Support Plan itself, targets should focus on functional needs rather than diagnostic labels. Instead of "because of their autism, the child will…", write targets that describe the specific skill or strategy. The diagnosis is documented elsewhere in the Student Support File (in background information and professional reports).

What if the child doesn't meet their targets?

Not meeting a target is not a failure. It's information. It may mean the target was too ambitious, the strategy wasn't effective, or circumstances changed. At the review, adjust the target: break it into smaller steps, try a different strategy, or extend the timeframe. The Student Support File should document what was tried, what worked, and what was changed.

How do I write targets for a child who is non-speaking?

For non-speaking or minimally speaking autistic children, targets should focus on their functional communication system, whether that's PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), AAC devices, sign language (Lámh in Ireland), or gesture. Target 6 in this guide provides an example. The key is to measure communication attempts and successes using whatever system the child uses, not to set verbal speech as the default goal.

Can I use these targets for children without an autism diagnosis?

Yes. Many of these targets address skills that are relevant for any child with social communication needs, sensory processing differences, or executive function challenges. The Continuum of Support is needs-based, not diagnosis-based. You don't need a formal diagnosis to provide targeted support.

How do these targets link to the Continuum of Support?

These targets sit within the Student Support Plan, which is one component of the Student Support File. The Student Support File tracks a child's journey through the Continuum of Support, from Classroom Support (All) through School Support (Some) and School Support Plus (Few). The specificity and intensity of targets increases as the child moves to higher levels of support.

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For more information on SEN documentation in Irish primary schools, read our Complete Guide to the Continuum of Support or our Student Support File Guide. For questions about SENScribe, contact us.

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Explore SMART Targets by Condition

Looking for SMART target examples for other conditions? Browse our condition-specific guides:

• SMART Targets for ADHD - attention, executive function, and behaviour targets
• SMART Targets for Dyslexia - literacy and reading intervention targets
• SMART Targets for Speech & Language - communication and language targets
• SMART Targets for Dyspraxia/DCD - motor skills and handwriting targets
• Browse all conditions →

Need help writing a Student Support File for a specific condition? See our SSF Guides by Condition.