Writing a Statement of Function

SO WHAT????FUNCTION Operational Definition Review of Records Indirect Assessment ABC Data Collection

Writing a statement of function Questions to ask: What data am I gathering that seems to be similar? What data contradicts each other? Remember that direct observation trumps indirect! Do these data point to one function, or a few? Pick your battles!

Writing a statement of function Use observable terms and avoid explanatory fictions Summarize all of your data from start to finish This is not a list of all of the things that you did! What are some anecdotal things that you observed? I will definitely take this into account while writing my behavior support plan and in future classrooms What is your hypothesis? What will you be focusing on?

Selecting Appropriate Replacement Behavior

Good Support Plans: Support the person in the natural environment Encompass a variety of settings and people Can be carried out (with minimal training) by the people in the environment Re-design of environments to reduce behavior Emphasis on teaching replacement behavior Functional communication Make problem behavior irrelevant, inefficient, and ineffective (Horner, 2000)

Goals of Functional Behavior Assessment Antecedents Specific Situations Specific Events Specific Stimuli Response What did the child do? Consequence What happened afterward? Competing Reinforcers What are we willing to do to make this a reality? Competing Stimuli What parts of the environment are we willing to change? Competing Response What do we want to happen?

Identifying replacement behaviors What can the child do instead of what s/he has been doing that serves the same function? Also needs to be operationally defined Dead mans rule: if a dead man can do it, its not behavior! Good replacement behavior: taps person on the shoulder instead of hitting Bad replacement behavior: sits quietly and waits (cant get attention that way…hitting works much better!)

Evidence-based Practice Use the library database for your evidence Must be empirical in nature! Search terms: Must include function Functional assessment Replacement behavior Communication training

Acceptable Journals (youre not limited to these): Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis Research in Developmental DisabilitiesResearch in Developmental Disabilities Behavior Modification Behavior Therapy Behavior Analyst Online Education and Treatment of Children