Goal Writing
For Autistic Students

In this course, Autistic SLP Rachel Dorsey and a neurodiverse team of her OT and SLP colleagues teach you how to set your therapy on the right track with strengths-based goals and a neurodiversity-affirming approach. This comprehensive guide will allow you to tackle goal setting with confidence and enthusiasm so that you can make a greater impact on your Autistic students’ lives. This course is 8.75 contact hours, including over 6.5 recorded hours and approximately 2.25 hours of guided self-paced work to truly hone your goal writing skills.

Get one year’s on demand access when you register. Registration ends 12/16/25.

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Our self-paced CE courses are now closed. You can register for our 2026 CE Summit or check out our in-person trainings. Contact admin@learnplaythrive.com for inquiries

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Meet the Instructors
Course Objectives
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Continuing Education
from Learn Play Thrive

When you set the right goals,
your clients will flourish

MODULE 1: Course Overview (24 minutes)

Meet your team and learn about the unique setup of this course! Autistic SLP Rachel Dorsey has put together a neurodiverse panel of OTs and SLPs to guide you in your learning through this course, and carefully scaffolded your learning so that you’ll leave with the confidence to put your new tools to use right away.

MODULE 2: Wellness, Burnout, and Healing (13 minutes)

Far too often, we write goals for our Autistic clients without considering the Autistic burnout cycle. Centering our clients’ well-being at the beginning of our goal writing process is one clear way that we can reduce harm as providers.

In this module, you’ll explore how trauma and burnout impact your Autistic clients, and what you can do in the goal writing process so that your work truly contributes to the deepest well-being of your clients.

MODULE 3: An Overview of Autism (1 hour and 1 minute)

Whether you’re new to neurodiversity or a seasoned advocate, in this module you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your Autistic students so that you can truly connect and write goals that help them become their most authentic selves.

In this module, Rachel and her teem help you deeply explore the Autistic experience, guiding you to move beyond common misconceptions towards a deeper connection to your neurodivergent students’ experiences and needs.

MODULE 4: Selecting and Writing Goals (45 minutes)

The medical model teaches us to write deficits-driven goals that wreak havoc on the mental health of Autistic students. But there’s a better way!

In this module, we tackle why and how to write goals that center you clients authentic well-being.

You’ll get easy-to-follow goal writing formulas, a goal bank, and handouts that you will practice using throughout this course and take with you into the real world to write individualized, appropriate, affirming goals with ease.

MODULES 5 - 11: Case Studies (4 hours 13 minutes of recorded content)

With Rachel as your guide, you’ll apply the course concepts to eight diverse true-to-life case studies to identify a student’s strengths, their challenges, the need for accommodations or modifications, and the targeted skills for your goals.

These case studies range in age from preschool through high school, so you can work through the real-life constraints we all know far too well: IEPs for students you’ve never met, incomplete information, a team with a deficits-based lens, and so much more. Even if you don’t work in a school setting, you’ll find much of this content relevant to your own goal writing process. 

What to Expect (Approximately 2.25 hours of guided independent work)

During each case study, you’ll read through reports and try your hand at using Rachel’s process. Then she’ll guide you through her own clinical reasoning. By module 11, you’ll feel confident in tackling goal writing on your own using the course concepts, the processes you’ve practiced alongside Rachel, the goal bank, easy-to-use handouts, and your own newly minted neurodiversity-aligned reasoning.

This course is
comprehensive and
transformative

It’s time to ditch the old, worn-out IEP goals. In this course, through paradigm-shifting lectures and seven true-to-life case studies, you’ll learn a concrete process that will allow you to identify your clients’ true needs. You’ll walk away fully prepared to generate goals that will help your students thrive at school as their most authentic selves. And you’ll also have the language, reasoning, and research to get your team on board with you for a neurodiversity-affirming approach.

REGISTRATION CLOSED
Investment

$369 for over 6 recorded hours packed full of actionable content and 8.75 continuing education contact hours. We also offer payment breakdown to 3 payments of $123. 

Access

This course is entirely self-paced. You’ll have access for 12 months to complete on your own time.

Continuing Education

This course is registered for .875 AOTA CEUs (8.75 contact hours) & is registered for .85 ASHA CEUs (note that ASHA rounds down to the half hour).

FAQs

Information about completion requirements, accommodations, and more can be found in the FAQs.

View FAQs

Last day to enroll
is December 16th.

If you’ve ever wanted to take this course, this is your last chance. Enrollment ends forever on December 16th. 

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Goal Writing for Autistic Students is
for you if…

You are an SLP, OT, or school psychologist working with Autistic students in the schools or preschools

You want a concrete process to help you write truly strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming goals

You know your work will be more effective if your goals are truly aligned with your Autistic clients' strengths

  • You are an SLP or OT working with autistic students in the schools or preschools
  • You want a concrete process to help you write truly strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming goals
  • You know your work will be more effective if your goals are truly aligned with your autistic clients' strengths

You’re tired of bureaucratic barriers, like writing goals for students who you didn’t evaluate, and you want to be an effective goal writer no matter the circumstance

You are ready to learn first-hand from a neurodiverse team of OTs and SLPs because you know that Autistic adults are the true experts on autism

  • You’re tired of bureaucratic barriers, like writing goals for students who you didn’t evaluate, and you want to be an effective goal writer no matter the circumstance
  • You are ready to learn first-hand from an Autistic SLP because you know that Autistic adults are the true experts on autism
This course is masterful, accessible, realistic, and nuanced in its approach to goal-writing for Autistic students, sharing the different lenses and perspectives of Rachel, Karina, Kelsie, Jess, and Maribel. I felt more equipped, despite my limited school-based experiences, to work with these clients and contribute meaningfully to their holistic communication and regulation goals. I cannot recommend this highly enough!
-Ruchi K.,
-Ruchi K., MS, CCC-SLP, CEO of Kapila Voice and Speech Services, A Professional Corporation
This course was structured thoughtfully, with faded prompting, and modeling the use of materials, which was a great way to learn! The content was also nuanced, and each presenter had relevant thoughts, therapeutic suggestions, and well-worded goal samples.
-Jules C.,
-Jules C., Language Therapist, MS, CCC-SLP
Through deep exploration of a wide variety of case studies, Rachel and her amazing interdisciplinary team of neurodiversity-affirming clinical superheroes walk you through the entire clinical “game planning” process in a way that is both accessible and extremely comprehensive. They bring nuanced, compassionate, holistic perspectives into creating goals that are rooted in supporting a student’s mental wellness and provide strategies to connect this with skill development in specific domains (communication, fine motor, life skills, coping) in ways that are practical, attainable, realistic, and meaningful to the student. As a neurodivergent speech therapist myself, I especially appreciated the clearly explained expectations of the course, format of “fading support,” and the extremely helpful provided templates for summarizing student information, creating a game plan, and generating goals. I loved hearing Rachel & team share their thought process alongside us in earlier case studies, then having built-in opportunities later on to practice applying this method myself.
-Gina S.,
-Gina S.,SLP
This is truly an exceptional course. I've never been more invested nor gotten such relevant and usable knowledge as well as experience from any CE course.
-Melanie,
-Melanie, CCC-SLP (School-Based)
This course has given me greater knowledge and confidence in writing neurodiverse affirming goals for my autistic students in the schools this year. It has helped me feel more equipped to navigate that fine balance of goals that schools and families may want that aren't necessarily neurodiverse affirming and come up with creative ways to show collaboration yet still act in the student's best interest.
-Stephanie Davies
-Stephanie Davies
I can’t recommend this course highly enough! Rachel does a fantastic job of providing comprehension education on applying a neurodiversity framework to the goal-writing process; even though I had some knowledge of this framework previously, I learned a lot about how to apply it to my practice. The course was well-structured - Rachel expertly scaffolded through the case studies to foster more and more independence with the practice activities, and I enjoyed getting to do lots of hands-on work to apply what I’d learned in the first part of the course. The case studies themselves were interesting and diverse, and different challenges that may be encountered when working with autistic students were presented within the cases to allow for practical learning. If you work with autistic clients, I highly suggest you sign up for this course - it will change the way you view your students, your goals, and your approach as a whole.
-Mallory S,
-Mallory S, CCC-SLP
This is truly the best course out there on this topic. It is well-organized, thought-provoking, engaging, and immediately applicable to my caseload. Rachel's approach to her autistic students, based in both personal and clinical experience, is empathetic, curious, practical, and full of belief in their strengths and potential. She covers a variety of obstacles that professionals are sure to encounter when writing goals, from a lack of information about students to conflicting parental expectations to students placed in non-neurodiversity-affirming settings. The course uses authentic materials and a gradual release model that leads participants to feel confident in their goal-writing abilities. I think anyone who works with or is considering working with autistic students could benefit from this course.
-HP,
-HP, SLP-CF
Rachel Dorsey is incredibly informative in this course. The course is long - but that's because it's jam-packed with super important information. Each case study was valuable and showed a wide variety of students one likely encounters as a school SLP. I also appreciated that Rachel discussed both what is IDEAL and what is REALISTIC as it relates to some situations one might find oneself in. Overall, I felt that the time spent completing this course was very valuable.
-Bobbi
-Bobbi
I cannot recommend this course enough. I believe all providers and educators who work with autistic students have a responsibility to learn about the neurodiversity movement and how to support autistic students within the neurodiversity affirming paradigm.
-Emily M. ,
-Emily M. , M.A., CCC-SLP
As a neurotypical SLP working with Autistic students, this course has been incredibly powerful and effective. It has helped me understand more about my students and how I can be an agent of change. There is a lot of work to be done and this course provided me a great opportunity to continue to learn and grow as an SLP.
-Christina F,
-Christina F, M.S. CCC-SLP
Rachel Dorsey's course is absolutely AMAZING!!! It's intensive, incredibly rich in case studies and beyond my expectations!!! So very appreciative for Rachel's insight, perspective and sharing!
-Christine
-Christine
This was a great course! Rachel had tons of insight and such a valuable perspective on how to support our autistic students. I'd highly recommend this course for anyone who works with autistic students of any age. I primarily work with preschool children in Canada but still found this course super valuable!!
-Georgia S
-Georgia S
This course was extremely helpful in outlining how to implement neurodiversity affirming goals within the structure of IEPs. As a new clinician, it also helped me to review the goal process, as well as grow my confidence in advocating for my autistic students.
-Fiona H.,
-Fiona H., M.S. CCC-SLP
This course is a game changer in working with Autistic students! There are many resources for what not to do, but having some guidelines on neurodiversity affirming practices was so helpful. I feel confident I can take this information to my team and start making neurodiversity affirming changes in our schools.
-Samantha P.,
-Samantha P., SLP
I found this course to be extremely helpful. I was able to walk away with a full toolkit and an understanding of how to improve my goal writing skills and be a better SLP. 100% recommend to anyone who wants to begin to shift their perspective on how to write goals.
-Rebekah H.
-Rebekah H.
This course should be offered in formal SLP university curriculums. Wellness of the client and self-reflection on the part of the clinician is so fundamental to all we do. Thank you, Rachel, for showing me how to develop goals that are truly in the best interests of the children I work with.
-Jo R
-Jo R
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Meet your
Instructors

INSTRUCTOR

Rachel Dorsey

M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist (she/her)
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Modal Title
Rachel Dorsey

Rachel Dorsey

Speech Language Pathologist (she/her)
Rachel Dorsey (she/her) is an Autistic speech language pathologist who excels at teaching non-Autistic therapists to better understand and support our neurodivergent clients. Rachel is on a mission to illuminate the many ways that seemingly “effective” strategies can actually wreak havoc on the lives of our Autistic clients.

Rachel holds a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has worked in school, clinic, and community-based settings with children and adolescents of all ages.
Disclosures for Rachel Dorsey
FINANCIAL: Rachel is the owner of Rachel Dorsey: Autistic SLP, LLC and receives a salary. She is paid a consulting fee by Learn Play Thrive as the SLP consultant. Rachel was paid a speaking fee for her contribution to The Learn Play Thrive Approach to Autism. Rachel receives commission from her course, Goal Writing for Autistic Students and Let’s UNMASC. Rachel is a paid consultant for Responsive Feeding Pro, LLC. Rachel receives commission from Learn Play Thrive for sales of the Neurodiversity Summit.
NON-FINANCIAL: Rachel is Autistic and has friends and family members who are Autistic.
INSTRUCTOR

Karina Saechao

M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist, (she/her)
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Modal Title
Karina Saechao, M.A., CCC-SLP

Karina Saechao

Speech Language Pathologist, (she/her)
Karina Saechao, M.A., CCC-SLP (she/her) is an SLP, researcher, scholar, and activist who strives to increase equity, access, and outcomes as related to research, clinical practice, and course curriculum. Karina holds a certificate as an assistive technology specialist from CSU, Northridge, and is a Ph.D. student. Karina’s research interests are in the areas of African American English, child language acquisition, language impairments, and augmentative alternative communication. Karina is the Founder & CEO of Golden Oak Speech Therapy. Karina frequently presents on topics in the areas of African American English; AAC; AT; creating inclusive environments; power, privilege, and race; and cultural humility.
Disclosures for Karina Saechao
FINANCIAL: Karina is the founder and CEO of Golden Oak Speech Therapy, a professional Speech Pathology corporation, and receives compensation for her work. She receives commission from Learn Play Thrive for sales of the Neurodiversity Summit.
NON-FINANCIAL: Karina is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the National Black Association of Speech Language Hearing (NBASLH), and ASHA Special Interest Groups 01, 12, and 14.
INSTRUCTOR

Mick Olds (Kelsie Olds)

MOT, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist, (they/them)
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Modal Title
Kelsie Olds, MOT (she/her/they/them)

Mick Olds (Kelsie Olds)

Occupational Therapist, (they/them)
Mick Olds, MOT, OTR/L (they/them) is an occupational therapist working both on- and offline to share knowledge widely about the ways that children grow, develop, and learn. Mick is passionate about play as the core meaningful occupation that underlies childhood, and about equipping adults with the education and practical tools they need to defend children’s right to play. Mick has a Master of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Oklahoma and has worked primarily in schools, as well as consulting with teachers, therapists, and parents to advocate on children’s behalf. Mick blogs as The OccuPLAYtional Therapist. Mick contributed to Goal Writing for Autistic Students and is the creator of Here to Play.
Disclosures for Mick Olds
FINANCIAL: Mick was paid for their contributions to Goal Writing for Autistic Students. Mick receives commission for the sales of Here to Play. Mick is the author of a book, “Your Child’s Point of View: Understanding the Reasons Kids Do Unreasonable Things” and receives royalties for its’ sale. Mick is the owner of The OccuPLAYtional Therapist and receives speaking fees.
NON-FINANCIAL: Mick is Autistic and has friends and family members who are Autistic.
INSTRUCTOR

Maribel Serrano Holder

MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist, (she/her/ella/la)
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Modal Title
Maribel Serrano Holder, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/ella/la)

Maribel Serrano Holder

Speech Language Pathologist, (she/her/ella/la)
Maribel Serrano Holder, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her/ella/la) is a California-licensed, Spanish bilingual speech-language pathologist and founder of Logopedia Speech & Language Therapy, Inc. in San Francisco, CA. Maribel is currently pursuing a doctorate in Infant and Early Childhood Development with a concentration in Infant Mental Health at Fielding Graduate University. She is a certified member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), and the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC). Maribel is also a certified Hanen® instructor, DIR Floortime® expert level clinician and training leader, and has extensive training in Gestalt Language Processing and Natural Language Acquisition. She is a recipient of three ASHA Awards for Continuing Education (ACE). She also consulted on the Goal Writing for Autistic Students Course.
Disclosures for Maribel Serrano Holder
FINANCIAL: Maribel was paid for her contribution to Goal Writing for Autistic Students. Maribel owns Logopedia Speech & Language Therapy, Inc., where she receives a salary and compensation for speaking, coaching, and consulting services. She receives compensation from the International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL) for DIR|Floortime® course instruction.
NON-FINANCIAL: Maribel is Autistic and ADHD and has friends and family members who are Autistic and otherwise neurodivergent.
GUEST INSTRUCTOR

Jess Miles

MOT, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
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Modal Title
Jess Miles, MOT, OTR/L (they/them/she/her)

Jess Miles

Occupational Therapist
Jess Miles, MOT, OTR/L (they/them/she/her) is a neurodivergent occupational therapist passionate about access to neurodiversity-affirming OT in emerging practice areas. Jess consulted on the Goal Writing for Autistic Students course, bringing to the course specific strategies to target executive function and self-determination from a neurodiversity-affirming lens. These concepts will invigorate the OT approach to goal writing and help ensure all members of the multidisciplinary team feel confident supporting their students.
Disclosures for Jess Miles
FINANCIAL: Jess was paid a consultation fee for their contribution to this course. Jess is the owner of Miles Ahead Supports, LLC and receives compensation for private pay and coaching services. Jess is employed at a regional staffing agency working in inpatient rehabilitation as a PRN occupational therapist.
NON-FINANCIAL: Jess serves as an unpaid Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Bay and Saginaw counties. Jess has mTBI and has friends, family, and colleagues who are Autistic.

Please note: disclosure statements are contained in the Bio page for each speaker. Click on "READ BIO" above to review the disclosures.

Writing strengths-based goals will foster your
students' self-determination.

– Rachel Dorsey, Autistic SLP

Full Course Objectives

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Synthesize information from a case study Autistic student’s IEP using the IEP domains.

Analyze how an Autistic child’s mental wellness or unwellness impacts selection of an attainable goal.

Analyze the role of parent/caregiver and teacher input when selecting a target skill.

Determine at least 2 targeted skills for a case study Autistic student using seven self-guided clinical reasoning questions.

  • Synthesize information from a case study autistic student’s IEP using the IEP domains.
  • Analyze how an autistic child’s mental wellness or unwellness impacts selection of an attainable goal.
  • Analyze the role of parent/caregiver and teacher input when selecting a target skill.
  • Determine at least 2 targeted skills for a case study autistic student using seven self-guided clinical reasoning questions.

Determine at least 2 relevant therapeutic methodologies for a case study Autistic student using seven self-guided clinical reasoning questions.

Determine at least 3 specific accommodations, supports, or cuing that would enable an Autistic student to reach determined target skills.

Apply the goal formulation process to create individualized, demonstrable, and measurable goals for a case study Autistic student.

  • Determine at least 2 relevant therapeutic methodologies for a case study autistic student using seven self-guided clinical reasoning questions.
  • Determine at least 3 specific accommodations, supports, or cuing that would enable an autistic student to reach determined target skills.
  • Apply the goal formulation process to create individualized, demonstrable, and measurable goals for a case study autistic student.

Frequently Asked Questions

This course is developed for occupational therapists and speech therapists who write goals for autistic students in the preschool or school setting. It is also appropriate for school psychologists. While the case studies span from preschool through high school and focus on the school IEP context, early intervention or clinic providers may still find the course concepts useful and relevant to their settings. This is not a course designed for parents. This course is targeted at the intermediate level.

The concepts in this course are useful for any population. The case studies span from preschool through high school.

This course includes video lectures, slides, and handouts. In each of the case studies, you’ll have the opportunity to practice applying the skills and processes learned in the course. 

This course is registered for .875 AOTA CEUs and .85 ASHA CEUs. 

Yes! The course is self-paced and you have one year to access on your own time.

Yes! If 3 or more people from your company plan to enroll email me the names of everyone enrolling at admin@learnplaythrive.com and I’ll provide a coupon code. It’s 15% for 3 registrants, 20% off for 4 or more, and 30% off for 7 or more.

We offer full scholarships to therapists from under-resourced countries.

In order to get a certificate of completion, you must watch all of the video modules, complete the activities within the modules, and pass a quiz at the end of the course with 80% accuracy. Multiple attempts at the quiz are allowed. Only learners who complete the course and the quiz will receive a certificate.

You will have 12 months to access the course.

Full refunds are provided within 30 days of purchase if no more than 3 modules have been completed. Email meg@learnplaythrive.com to request a refund. Since this is a self-paced course, there is no option to cancel once the 30 day / 3 module limit has been exceeded. If for any reason the course is canceled by the provider before your registration period has expired, you will receive a full refund.

All videos used in this presentation have closed captions. If you need additional accommodation, please email admin@learnplaythrive.com prior to your training date. Accommodations will be made to support all learners in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act. 

You can send an email to admin@learnplaythrive.com

Our courses are hosted on Thinkific. You will need one of the two latest versions of a supported browser to access the course. (Note: Internet Explorer is not supported).

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Mobile:

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In order to ensure that Thinkific runs well, you will need:

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  3. PDF plugin

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This information was adapted from: https://support.thinkific.com/hc/en-us/articles/360030354954-System-Requirements-and-Supported-Browsers

Goal Writing for Autistic Students is Truly Transformative

Group Discounts

We are happy to offer a discount for your group! Email your list of participants to admin@learnplaythrive.com to receive a coupon code.

• 3 participants: 15% off
• 4+ participants: 20% off
• 7+ participants: 30% off
• 50+ participants: please inquire

Goal Bank + Handouts

Goal writing can be tough. But in this course, we've got you covered. You'll get a goal bank and the tools to use it in a way that is truly individualized. You'll also learn a concrete process, practice using it in complex and diverse case studies, and get simple-to-use yet transformative handouts to support you in bringing this process to your real goal-writing work.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee

We think you’ll love it. But take 30 days to complete up to three modules. If it’s not what you’d hoped, you get your money back.

Confidence & Clarity

Maybe you've heard that masking can be harmful, but your team wants you to write social skills goals. Or perhaps you've learned about gestalt language processing, but aren't yet sure how to incorporate it into your goals. Or maybe you're just sick of being the handwriting teacher. What do you do!? Rachel has you covered. After working through sevenreal, messy, complicated case studies, you'll gain the confidence and clarity to approach your work differently than ever before.

Continuing Education Credit

Receive 8.75 contact hours of continuing education credit through a self-paced online course that you can revisit again and again to feel totally confident in your ability to synthesize and apply the new strategies.

Writing the same, boring goals keeps you locked into the same uninspired therapy practice.

But with Goal Writing for Autistic Students, you will learn to confidently write strengths-based goals that help your autistic students truly thrive

Neuroclastic endorsement
REGISTRATION CLOSED

This course will be available for ASHA CEUs from May 1st, 2024 until April 30th, 2029 at which point Learn Play Thrive will apply for re-registration.
The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
ASHA CE Provider approval and use of the Brand Block does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products or clinical procedures.
The recorded materials in this course were last updated on 4/1/2024.