NDIS goals for children: what they are & how to set them

What are NDIS goals for children?

Your child’s NDIS goals are the things you want your child to work towards with support from the NDIS and other supports and services.

NDIS goals:

help your child, your family and other people know what’s important for your child
help the NDIS choose the right supports for your family.

When to start thinking about NDIS goals for your child

It’s best to start thinking about your child’s goals when an NDIS representative contacts you to arrange your first NDIS meeting. This meeting is part of the process of getting NDIS funding support for your child.

This way, you’ll be well prepared to discuss and decide on your child’s goals when it’s time for the meeting.

How to start setting NDIS goals: checklist

When you’re setting your child’s NDIS goals, start with what you know about your child’s daily life. Think about:

what’s going on for your child now
what’s working well for your child
what your child needs help with
what’s most important to you and your child right now.

Here’s a checklist that can help you with this process.

What’s going on for your child now

What are your child’s strengths, interests and favourite things to do?
How does your child’s disability or developmental delay affect their daily life?
What does a typical day look like for your child – at home, at child care, preschool or school, and in the community?
Who supports your child in their daily life – family, friends, neighbours, therapists, teachers, support workers?

What’s working well for your child

What skills or activities has your child been learning or developing recently?
What supports or strategies have been helping?
What things do you and your child feel proud of or positive about?
What are the routines, environments or relationships that bring out your child’s strengths?

What your child needs help with

What daily tasks or situations does your child need support with?
Are there skills that would help your child – for example, language, motor or self-care skills?
Are there barriers that make things difficult for your child – for example, language barriers, cost or lack of nearby services?
What worries you most about your child’s development or participation in daily life?

What’s most important to you and your child

What would you and your child like your child to be able to do, learn or make progress on in the next 6-12 months?
How would progress towards their goals affect your family as a whole?
What are your child’s or family’s longer-term hopes – for school or education, friendships, independence or community life?
Are there any transitions coming up that your family needs to prepare for – for example, starting school or turning 18?

There are online tools that can help you with this stage of goal setting. For example, the NDIS Readiness Resource by Amaze helps you break down areas of daily life into detailed lists. You could use it to think about what things your child needs support with and how much support they need.

What are short-term NDIS goals?

Short-term NDIS goals are the things you and your child want to work towards over the next 3-12 months.

Short-term goals can be very specific. When you look at your child’s progress after 12 months, it’s easy to see whether your child is achieving or has achieved short-term goals. Short-term goals give you a good idea of how well your child’s plan is working.

Examples of short-term NDIS goals for your child

Communication goals

‘Mia wants to use phrases with 2-3 words to tell her family what she needs and wants.’
‘Jamie wants to use their AAC device to let people know when they’re feeling overwhelmed in the classroom and need a break.’

Social and emotional skills goals

‘Aaliyah wants to learn strategies to help her stay calm when she’s frustrated.’
‘Noah wants to be able to take turns and share when he’s playing with his brothers.’

Motor skills and daily living goals

‘Liam wants to improve the strength in his hands so he can do up buttons and zips on his own.’
‘Sophie wants to build skills to brush her own teeth with less help from others.’

Physical development goals

‘Ethan wants to improve his balance and coordination so he can join in sports classes at school.’
‘Zoe wants to build her core strength so she can sit unsupported for longer periods.’

Community and participation goals

‘Dimitri wants to take part in a weekly swimming lesson with a support worker.’
‘Jordan wants to practise ordering their own food at a café.’

Confidence and self-advocacy goals

‘Priya wants to tell a new teacher or other adult about her sensory needs.’
‘Ben wants to try one new activity each month to build confidence in new situations.’

What are long-term NDIS goals?

Medium-term and long-term NDIS goals are the hopes you and your child have for their future, like successfully starting high school, getting a job or doing further education.

Long-term goals often have many parts or steps. For example, your child’s long-term goal might be to make friends more easily. Steps towards this goal might be your child being able to take turns or ask questions.

Long-term goals can be quite flexible. This means that there are many ways your child could achieve them.

For example, your child’s long-term goal might be to stay home alone without a carer when they’re in their teens. Your child could move towards this goal in many ways – for example, by being able to move around the house independently, use a phone, manage anxiety and so on.

Examples of long-term NDIS goals for your child

Communication goals

‘Isla wants to fully take part in classroom activities and play activities with her friends.’
‘Prince wants to be able to tell unfamiliar people when he needs or wants something.’

Social and emotional skills goals

‘Keziah wants to stay engaged with school and friendships.’
‘Ruby wants to take part in a local soccer team.’
‘Kashish wants to stay calm and participate in group activities at school.’

Motor skills and daily living goals

‘Kenji wants to build daily living skills and be as independent as possible at home.’
‘Oscar wants to be able to get to gymnastics classes by himself.’

Physical development goals

‘Amara wants to join in playground games with her classmates.’
‘Kai wants to travel safely and independently around their school and local shops.’

Learning and cognitive skills

‘Fatima wants to build reading and writing skills so she can take part in learning activities at school.’
‘Diego wants to learn how to manage his emotions at school and home and in other places.’

Community and participation goals

‘Arjun wants to take part in a regular community activity, like a sports team, and spend time with other children his age.’
‘Zara wants to build skills for making everyday decisions about money.’

Confidence and self-advocacy goals

‘Sam wants to be able to confidently tell teachers, employers and other people what works best for them.’
‘Leilani wants to go to TAFE after she finishes Year 12.’

It’s good to think about a mix of short-term and long-term goals for your child. This gives you a clear sense of what you want for your child, as well as some flexibility in how you get there.

How to link your child’s NDIS goals to supports

As you’re thinking about your child’s NDIS goals, it’s important to think about the supports that could help your child work towards these goals.

NDIS supports

NDIS supports are reasonable and necessary supports funded by the NDIS. For example:

If your child’s goal is to feed themselves, an NDIS support might be sessions with an OT that help your child practise this skill.
If your child’s goal is to make more friends, an NDIS support might be sessions with a speech pathologist that help your child build social communication skills.
If your child’s goal is to interact more easily with family and community, an NDIS support might be Auslan or Key Word Sign training.

Connections

These are mainstream services, community supports and family support. These supports aren’t funded by the NDIS. For example:

If your child’s goal is to spend more time with other children, a local playgroup could support this goal.
If your child’s goal is to be more independent at home, mainstream health services could support this goal by providing information about routines and visual schedules to help your child start and complete tasks on their own.
If your child’s goal is to be involved in the local community football team, the football club could support this goal by including your child in play, training or other club activities.

Who should be involved in setting your child’s NDIS goals

Your child

Depending on your child’s age, you might be able to work on setting NDIS goals with your child. Involving your child can give them a sense of control, boost their confidence and prepare them for setting their own goals as they get older.

You could start by asking your child what they like doing or what they’d like to do better, more easily or more often.

Older children might have ideas about what could help them reach their goals. For example, your teenage child might enjoy socialising but have difficulty using public transport. They might say they need help understanding the bus route or using their communication device to get help from the bus driver.

People who know your child

There are probably people in your child’s life who know your child well, like your child’s early childhood educator, teacher, paediatrician, GP, therapists or disability professionals. It’s a good idea to ask these people about goals.

The NDIA

The NDIA can help you with developing goals for your child. For example, your NDIS contact will discuss your child’s goals with you during your first meeting and help you finalise them. And you can tell the NDIA at any time if you want to change your child’s goals or set new goals.