Pediatric Occupational Therapy Goals and Objectives

Pediatric occupational therapy goals and objectives measure and monitor a client’s progress, collect and record data, and validate treatment and intervention. 

For example, pediatric occupational therapy goals help caregivers understand what is being worked on and how skills are addressed, while also helping the child understand priorities, measure success, and provide feedback. 

Therefore, it’s imperative that pediatric occupational therapists (OTs) know how to effectively detail their clients’ goals, objectives, and progress on an ongoing basis.

This article will examine pediatric occupational therapy goals and objectives—providing examples of pediatric occupational therapy goals and a list of pediatric occupational therapy assessments. Additionally, we describe how to properly conducta pediatric occupational therapy evaluation.

Pediatric occupational therapy assessments

A provider can use many different pediatric occupational therapy assessments to evaluate skills. 

Each assessment is different and attuned to specific needs and purposes, so it’s important to research and choose the assessment that best suits each client’s case.

Here is a list of common assessments OTs use to evaluate children clients:

• Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development- Fourth Edition (Bayley-4)
• Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration | Sixth Edition (VMI)
• Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency | Second Edition (BOT-2) (*3rd edition will be released summer of 2024)
• Developmental Assessment of Young Children 2nd edition (DAYC-2)
• Developmental Test of Visual Perception-3rd edition (DVTP-3)
• Miller Function and Participation Scales (M-FUN)
• Motor Free Visual Perceptual Test, 4th edition (MVPT-4)
• Mullen Scales of Early Learning
• Peabody Developmental Motor Scales 2nd edition (PDMS-2)
• School Function Assessment (SFA)
• Sensory Processing Measure 2 (SPM-2)
• Sensory Profile 2 (SP2)
• Test of Visual Perceptual Skills, 4th edition (TVPS-4)
• Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities (WRAVMA)

The pediatric occupational evaluation process

When evaluating a pediatric client, focus on presenting problems, or areas of need or concern. 

Often, the biggest areas are fine/visual motor skills, sensory processing, ADHD/executive function, self-care/self-help, feeding, and behavioral/anxiety/mental health. 

Evaluations should be comprehensive and can include clinical observations, teacher or caregiver interviews, and home and/or school observations—in addition to standardized testing.

Therefore, occupational therapists must assess the client holistically and examine how standardized test scores may or may not impact client function. Clinical observations on functional applications of skills are just as important as standardized assessment scores and interviews with the child’s caregiver and teacher. 

Once you gather all of this information, you can determine a plan of care and set pediatric occupational therapy goals and objectives. 

Setting pediatric occupational therapy goals and objectives

There are many benefits to properly setting pediatric occupational therapy goals and objectives. 

Goals and objectives are a way to document what you’re working on with the client and to show progress or lack thereof. Pediatric occupational therapy goals can also be used to justify insurance reimbursement for services. 

Effectively communicating these goals can also give caregivers a clear understanding of what their child is working on—so they can facilitate their progress at home. 

Here are a few things to remember when writing goals and objectives: 

• Goals and objectives should be based on a child’s occupational profile, including evaluation, assessment, and clinical observations.
• Goals and objectives should never be written about specific test items the child did not do well on. 
• Goals and objectives should always have a functional outcome.
• If a child is school-aged, goals should be developmentally appropriate and should not exceed requirements set out by the general curriculum. 
• Goals and objectives should be supported by evidence-based practices.
• Goals and objectives should be kept to a reasonable amount, and priorities should be considered concerning areas of concern.
• Children should be a part of creating their goals and objectives—their goals and objectives should address things they feel are important to work on. 
• Keep goals and objectives reasonable and achievable. For example, writing a goal with 100% for measurement is unreasonable—most people, including children, do not do things correctly 100% of the time. 
• Avoid goals with specific measurements, as they are often impractical and exceed expectations of what would be considered “typical” performance by same-age peers. For example, “The client will cut out a circle within ¼ inch of the line”. 

Pediatric goals and objectives examples

Goals and objectives should be functional and measurable. They should show functional outcomes (goals) and steps to meet those functional outcomes (objectives). 

For example, you may be working on improving a client’s fine motor skills, with a desired outcome of being able to button their shirt. Your goal should address the function, which is buttoning a shirt.  

Here are some examples of pediatric occupational therapy goals and objectives that address key focus areas: 

Handwriting

Goal: Timmy will improve his functional handwriting from one legible sentence to three legible sentences by the second trimester of school. 

Objective: Timmy will improve his word spacing by going from no spaces between words to a finger space between words on three fourths of his attempts.

Activities of daily living (ADL)

Goal: Timmy will improve his ability to button his shirt, going from not buttoning any to buttoning three out of five buttons by the second trimester of school.

Objective: Timmy will be able to button one out of five  buttons on two out of four trials. 

Sensory processing

Goal: Timmy will improve his sensory processing skills to complete a five  minute assignment, from zero to four out of five times, by the first grading period.

Objective: Timmy will identify one calming strategy and apply it, two out of five times. 

Executive function

Goal: By the end of the trimester, Timmy will break down three assignments into smaller steps and complete each step 75% of the time.

Objective: Within a four-week timeframe, Timmy will break down one assignment into smaller steps and complete each step 50% of the time. 

Writing goals and objectives that meet standards

There is often debate among pediatric OTs over how to write goals correctly.

For instance, in addition to attuning goals and objectives to your particular client’s needs, you may need to make adjustments based on a client’s insurance, or if you’re providing services in a school setting.

If you’re providing services at a school, you’ll need to write goals for a client’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which requires measurable annual goals that meet the child’s disability-related needs. 

In other clinical contexts, like private practice occupational therapy, checking with your client’s insurance company and understanding insurance reimbursement policies is crucial. 

Learning which goals to set and the CPT codes to use can facilitate timely reimbursement, and save you time from claim resubmittals or potential auditing issues. 

Consequently, using a practice management software for OTs that includes billing services and treatment planners can be especially helpful for OTs documenting their clients’ goals and objectives effectively. 

Keys to keep in mind when writing goals for insurance reimbursement

There is no one correct way to write goals, but there are certain things to  include, especially if you are seeking reimbursement from an insurance payor. 

Here are some important things to keep in mind when writing goals with insurance payments in mind:

• Goals should have functional outcomes
• Goals should be measurable
• Goals should use baseline data to measure progress
• More goals are not always better—they should address priorities
• Client feedback (even when working with children) is critical
• Goals should be short and use simple language 
• Goals should be supported by evidence-based practice 

Pediatric goals and objectives are a vital part of a client’s plan of care. They not only support progress, but they also validate the reason for certain treatments and interventions. 

There are many factors to consider when writing pediatric occupational therapy goals and objectives, and there is no singular correct way to write them. 

That said, there are, however, important factors to consider and include.

Assessment, clinical observation, client and caregiver concerns, and overall daily function are all considerations that an occupational therapist must factor into the client’s goals and objectives. 

With a proper understanding of what to include when writing goals and objectives, OTs can effectively support their clients’ progress. 

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