Functional Behavioral Assessment

Functional Behavior Assessment or Functional Assessment is a set of processes for defining the events in an environment that reliability predict and maintain problematic behaviors.

…further definition Functional assessment: A process of understanding the physiological and environmental factors that contribute to a persons problem behaviors.

Goal of FBA Bring clarity and understanding to confusing situations

Desired outcomes Reduce problem behaviors Replace challenging behaviors with appropriate behaviors. Change opportunities for the person to access learning, practice social skills, participation in the community. Reduce dangers correlated with problem behaviors

Steps or Processes Records review Informant methods/interviews with individual or those who know the student best Direct observation Functional analysis manipulations

Analysis team Those who know the student The student An expert in FBA

Products 1. A clear description of problem behaviors: Classes or sequences of behaviors that occur together 2. Identification of events that predict the behavior: when it will and will not occur over the full range of the days activities 3. Identification of the consequences that maintain the problem behavior

… 4. Development of summary statements: statements that describe the behavior, the situations in which they occur and the reinforcers that maintain the behaviors 5. Collection of direct observation data that support the summary statements

Functional Assessment has been completed once you can confidently predict the occurrence of the problem behavior

Step 1. Records review In the records, look for: Demographic information Age, birthday, family constellation, patterns of moving (e.g., military) Medical records or notations Addresses and names of persons in the family

Other Placement information History Attendance Testing information Anything else

Step 2: Observations To get a systematic set of observation of persons in their typical daily routines Observations should take place in a manner that does not interfere with the typical functioning of the person.

Taking field notes: Field notes are taken as running account of the events as they occur. They are taken as the events happen. Field notes have two components: Notes about the events in the class or area of observation Reflections about the events and reflections about the major themes

Items that may occur in the reflections Events that are noted here may be behaviors that are recurring. Behaviors that are driving the teacher to the brink but which only occur infrequently Behaviors that are subtle and seen by the observer only

Hints These major themes are more reliable if more than one person notes them. The field note taker may be biased. The reliability of the field notes is as good as the note taker. Remember the old saying: "If I hadn’t believed it, I would not have seen it." Reliability is increased by taking the notes on site and in the time frame of the observations Having the notes analyzed by more than one person increases reliability of theme building.

Analysis Analysis is recursive. Analyze notes at the end of the recording period or as soon as you can get to them. Analysis is comprehensive and systematic but flexible. Data analysis includes reflective activities.

Analysis begins with reading all the data at once and then dividing the data into smaller, more meaningful units Data segments are organized into a system that is derived from the data. The main analytic process is comparison.

The categories are flexible and are modified as further data analysis occurs The basis for determining the quality of an analysis is corroboration. The outcome of the analysis of the notes should be a set of themes, patterns, questions, etc.

Event recording Event recording is a procedure to document each occurrence of a defined problematic event. Define the behavior concisely. The definition of the behavior is driven by Observable behaviors Silent reading vs. oral reading Day dreaming

Step B: Time sampling spittinghittingtalking 8:00 8:15 8:30 8:45

Step 3: Informant methods Interview those who know the student Interview the student May use the data from the other data collection as a basis May be conducted prior to the other data collection

Possible questions What are the problem behaviors that are causing concerns? What events or physical situations that occur earlier in time appear to predict the occurrence of the behavior? What events that occur immediately before the problem behaviors appear to predict the behaviors?

Possible questions Given a specific situation when problem behaviors occur, what are the consequences that appear to maintain the behavior? What appropriate behaviors (if any) could produce the same consequences that appear to maintain the problem behaviors? What can we learn from previous behavior support efforts about strategies that are ineffective, partially effective, or effective only for a short time?