Identifying Appropriate OT Goals

Mateo is in kindergarten. During group activities like circle time or play, he often wanders away after 2–3 minutes. He prefers solitary play and has difficulty following turn-taking games with classmates. His teacher reports that he needs frequent redirection, and his parents are concerned that he is not building friendships.

PPL:

• Difficulty sustaining group play (leaves after 2 minutes).

• Limited social reciprocity during turn-taking games.

• Needs frequent redirection from teacher to rejoin peers.

What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Mateo will increase social participation by completing turn-taking games with peers for at least 8 minutes in 3 consecutive sessions within 2 months.

• Mateo will demonstrate improved attention span by sitting through table-top activities for 10 minutes.

• Mateo will reduce instances of leaving group play from 5 times to 2 times per session.

• Mateo will participate in weekly therapy sessions to improve play skills.

Lina lives with her grandmother, who helps her get dressed each morning for school. Lina can pull on her shirt and skirt but struggles with fastening buttons on her school blouse. This often delays their morning routine, and her grandmother ends up dressing her. Lina wants to dress herself like her classmates.

Prioritized Problem List (PPL):

• Needs assistance managing buttons on school uniform.

• Relies on caregiver to complete morning dressing.

• Decreased fine motor coordination for fasteners.

Question: What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Lina will button and unbutton her school blouse with minimal verbal cues on 4 out of 5 school days within 2 months.

• Lina will increase fine motor coordination through daily hand strengthening activities.

• Lina will complete upper body dressing with caregiver assistance in less than 5 minutes.

• Lina will demonstrate improved independence in dressing tasks by choosing and wearing appropriate clothes daily.

Anne is in grade 4. Her teacher reports that she frequently leaves her seat, needs reminders to finish her worksheets, and is unable to sustain attention to writing tasks. At home, her mother notices she rarely completes homework unless constantly supervised. Her grades are being affected by incomplete classwork.

Prioritized Problem List (PPL):

• Easily distracted during seated classroom activities.

• Cannot complete 10-minute writing assignments independently.

• Needs frequent redirection from teacher (5+ times per task).

Question: What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Anne will complete a 10-minute writing task with no more than 2 redirections in 4 out of 5 classroom opportunities within 6 weeks.

• Anne will improve handwriting legibility by practicing letter formation during therapy.

• Anne will increase classroom task completion by finishing worksheets within 30 minutes.

• Anne will demonstrate sustained attention in therapy by engaging in structured tasks for 15 minutes.

Marco attends a mainstream school and eats lunch with his classmates. He relies on his mother or classmates to help him finish meals because he struggles with grasping and manipulating utensils. He currently requires assistance for about 75% of the meal. His family wants him to eat independently to build confidence.

Prioritized Problem List (PPL):

• Needs assistance with self-feeding due to difficulty handling utensils.

• Limited grasp strength and coordination for self-feeding.

• Relies on caregiver for 75% of meal consumption.

Question: What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Marco will self-feed during lunch at school using adaptive utensils with modified independence in 4 out of 5 opportunities within 3 months.

• • Marco will increase upper extremity strength through resistive exercise activities.

• Marco will improve coordination by practicing grasp-and-release activities in therapy.

• 1. Marco will tolerate 15 minutes of hand-over-hand feeding practice with caregiver.

Angela is in Grade 1. She is bright and social but has difficulty completing schoolwork that involves fine motor tasks. She struggles to copy shapes and letters legibly, takes longer than her peers to finish worksheets, and has trouble using scissors during art activities. Her teacher reports that Angela often avoids tasks that require writing or cutting.

Prioritized Problem List (PPL):

• Difficulty copying shapes and letters in worksheets.

• Slow to finish seatwork compared to peers.

• Struggles with bilateral coordination for scissor use.

Question: What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Angela will copy age-appropriate shapes and letters legibly within classroom worksheets in 4 out of 5 opportunities within 8 weeks.

• Angela will improve bilateral coordination through weekly cutting practice in therapy.

• Angela will demonstrate improved fine motor strength by completing 10 repetitions of theraputty exercises.

• Angela will participate in OT sessions twice weekly to improve school readiness.

Sofia enjoys singing and playing with her cousins but struggles in school. She often needs help with handwriting tasks, particularly when copying from the board. Her teacher notes that she avoids tasks requiring fine motor control and tends to distract herself by talking to classmates. Her parents want her to participate more fully in schoolwork.

Prioritized Problem List (PPL):

• Difficulty copying from the board due to poor fine motor coordination.

• Avoids handwriting tasks in class.

• Distracts herself and peers when given challenging seatwork.

Question: What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Sofia will increase grip strength by completing 10 repetitions of theraputty exercises daily for 6 weeks.

• Sofia will copy 3–5 sentences from the board legibly and within classroom time limits in 4 out of 5 school days over 2 months.

• • Sofia will demonstrate improved endurance for fine motor activities by tolerating 15 minutes of continuous writing practice in therapy.

• Sofia will participate in a structured handwriting program twice per week to improve fine motor control and attention.

Ethan had a bicycle accident six months ago. He is now back in school but struggles with memory and organization. He often forgets to bring his materials, has difficulty following multi-step instructions, and leaves assignments incomplete. His parents want him to be more independent in managing school tasks.

Prioritized Problem List (PPL):

• Memory lapses affecting school routines.

• Difficulty following multi-step instructions.

• Frequently leaves assignments incomplete.

Question: What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Ethan will use a visual checklist to independently complete his homework assignments on 4 out of 5 school days within 6 weeks.

• Ethan will increase short-term memory span from 3 digits to 6 digits in structured recall tasks during therapy.

• Ethan will tolerate a 30-minute therapy session using cognitive exercises to enhance recall skills twice weekly for 2 months.

• Ethan will participate in parental-led review sessions at home every evening to reinforce memory skills and task completion.

Mia experiences stiffness in her hands, especially in the morning, which makes it difficult to write quickly in school. She enjoys drawing but often needs breaks due to fatigue. Her parents worry that she will fall behind in her studies because she cannot finish written tasks on time.

Prioritized Problem List (PPL):

• Morning stiffness in hands limits school readiness.

• Fatigue during extended writing and drawing tasks.

• Difficulty finishing written assignments within time limits.

Question: What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Mia will independently complete written classroom assignments within allotted time by using adapted writing tools in 4 out of 5 opportunities over 8 weeks.

• Mia will increase grip strength and joint mobility by engaging in daily hand exercises for 15 minutes each morning for 3 months.

• Mia will attend occupational therapy twice weekly to improve handwriting and endurance.

• Mia will demonstrate improved joint flexibility through range-of-motion activities during therapy sessions.

Carlo attends kindergarten and enjoys pretend play at home, but in school he avoids tasks like stacking blocks or drawing. His teacher notes that he often watches others instead of participating. At home, he needs assistance with simple self-care routines like putting on shoes.

Prioritized Problem List (PPL):

• Avoids classroom fine motor activities (stacking, drawing).

• Reluctant to participate in peer play.

• Needs assistance with basic self-care (putting on shoes).

Question: What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Carlo will participate in group play activities for at least 10 minutes with minimal prompts in 3 consecutive classroom sessions within 2 months.

• Carlo will demonstrate improved bilateral coordination by stacking 10 blocks during therapy twice weekly.

• Carlo will tolerate hand-over-hand assistance during drawing activities for 15 minutes.

• 1. Carlo will attend structured play interventions three times per week to improve peer interaction and motor skills.

Julia has withdrawn from her usual leisure activities such as volleyball and hanging out with friends. She often stays in her room, misses school, and expresses low motivation to do daily routines. Her parents report that she sometimes skips meals and sleeps excessively.

Prioritized Problem List (PPL):

• Withdrawal from meaningful leisure and social activities.

• Poor daily routine management (meals, sleep).

• Low motivation affecting school attendance.

Question: What is the most appropriate goal for the case?

• Julia will participate in one preferred leisure activity (e.g., volleyball practice, hanging out with peers) at least once a week over the next 2 months.

• Julia will increase her daily activity tolerance by completing 20 minutes of structured exercise during therapy sessions 3 times a week.

• Julia will improve sleep hygiene by following a therapist-guided bedtime routine daily for 4 weeks.

• Julia will attend occupational therapy sessions twice per week to increase participation in daily activities.