SOCIAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF PRESCHOOL IEPS - A CONTENT-ANALYSIS

Social competence is an important developmental task in early childhoo d, and children with disabilities are at risk for developing deficits in social competence. Yet little research as been conducted to analyze how individualized educational programs (IEPs) for preschoolers in ea rly childhood special education (ECSE) settings address social develop ment. This study examined the content of social goals and objectives a bstracted from early childhood students' IEPs. Three federal criteria for IEP objectives were examined to evaluate quality of objectives: sp ecification of setting, measurability, and criterion for success. Over all results showed IEPs are lacking both in the quantity of social goa ls and objectives and in the quality of information necessary for inst ructional guidance.