ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Milestone: a checkpoint in a longer plan
A milestone, in this planning guide, is a recognizable point reached during a larger piece of work. It marks a state such as “the topic is chosen” or “the draft has been shared.” This page does not cover developmental milestones, health assessment, or age-based expectations for children.
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
The distinction matters: a task describes work to do; a milestone describes a state you can recognize. A deadline adds a time requirement. You can use a milestone without turning it into another deadline or a reward someone has to earn.
Worked example: a short audio greeting
In this invented example, an adult and a teen are making a short audio greeting for a relative. The teen wants to assemble the chosen recordings; the adult wants to listen before agreeing that their own contribution is ready to send. They name “a listening copy exists” as a milestone, separate from “the contributors agree this copy can be shared.”
The teen joins the recordings into one playable copy. The first checkpoint has been reached even though the adult notices that their closing words are cut off. Reaching that milestone means they now have something to review; it does not mean every detail is finished or that sending has been agreed.
They keep the listening-copy milestone marked as reached and record the proposed correction separately. After the correction, they identify the new copy before considering the sharing checkpoint. “We already passed a milestone” is not a reason to overlook the change or assume everyone has heard the replacement.
A younger sibling prefers to send a written greeting of their own. The audio project's checkpoints do not become a participation requirement for that sibling. The family also chooses not to attach a target date to the listening copy; its purpose is to separate assembling from reviewing, not measure anyone's speed.
Define a checkpoint you can recognize
Larger project:
Milestone name:
What will be true when we reach it:
How we will know, without judging a person:
Who needs to take part in the decision:
What can proceed afterward:
What we will reconsider if it is not reached:
Try a concrete description rather than “make good progress.” In the example, “one playable copy contains the recordings we selected” tells the makers what state to inspect. It does not mean “ready to send,” and it does not tell them how fast someone should have worked.
Family perspectives
The person doing a project can choose checkpoints that answer their own planning questions. A parent or educator can clarify what a milestone means without using it to rank a child against siblings or classmates. A partner can state which shared decision they need before beginning their part. A grandparent can identify the point at which their accepted help becomes relevant.
Must every project have milestones?
No. Our format is optional. A short, single-action task may not need an extra planning layer. If a checkpoint adds paperwork without answering a useful question, leave it out. If the project changes, the checkpoint may need a new definition rather than a claim that someone failed.
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