1. Functional Assessment & Behavior Support Plans
For Charter Schools
March 2011
Presented by: Cindy Myers
Comprehensive Behavior Specialist

2. Behavior Serves a Purpose
Get/Obtain
Attention
Tangible
Activity
Sensory
Avoid/Escape
Sensory, pain, discomfort

3. To determine what purpose or function the behavior serves for an individual, you must conduct a functional assessment!

4. Functional Assessment is a Process
Determine characteristics of the
Individual
Environment
that exert an influence on the appearance of behavior

5. Characteristics of the Individual:
Physical
Health related difficulties that affect sleep, mood, general well-being, affect/emotion
Learning
Executive function, memory, language-communication, auditory or visual, individual vs group instruction, strategies, processing, math-reading-writing
Self-regulation
“constitutional” factors, tolerance to stimuli, executive function, frustration tolerance, delay of gratification, organization, attention, concentration, self-soothing
Social-emotional
Response to authority, coop with peers, interests, friendships, support network, problem solving, introvert/extrovert

6. Characteristics of the Environment
Structure
Physical layout, temporal organization, stimulation, transitions, predictability
Instruction
Planning, organization, support, style, group size
Expectations for Behavior
School & classroom expectations, taught, precorrection, praise, systematic reinforcement, feedback
Teacher & Relationship factors
Preparation, skill, personal attributes, style, flexibility

7. To repeat: Functional Assessment is a process
to gather information about factors related to the student and the environment
that influence behavior
To determine what purpose the behavior serves for the individual

8. 3 different methods of FA
Interviews, checklists, & questionnaires
Direct Observation
Functional Analysis Manipulations

9. Functional Analysis Manipulations
Mini experiments
Not recommended in school settings

10. Interviews, Checklists, Questionnaires
A variety of instruments, tools, forms for collecting information
Common tools include:
File review
FAI, Student Directed FAI
MAS
FAST
District specific forms
One of these alone does not constitute a FA!

11. Motivation Assessment Scale Durrand & Crimmins

12. Information to Consider:
Communication Style
Social Support Network
Student Learning Style compared to Teacher Style (Environmental Fit)
History of the Behavior & Previous Interventions
Impact or Seriousness of Behavior

13. Now What? Analyze the information
Are there setting events consistently associated with the behavior?
Are there antecedents or triggers consistently associated with the behavior?
What consequences maintain the behavior?
What function does it serve?
Keep a “paper trail” of the process!

14. The culmination of the information gathering process is to end up with a hypothesis about the function of the behavior!

15. Develop a Hypothesis Setting events Antecedent/triggers Behavior
Function

16. Collect Direct Observation Data
Direct Observation data either
Provides evidence to support your hypothesis
Provides evidence that you may want to revise your hypothesis

17. Direct Observation Data
Best choices
FAO by Dr. Rob O’Neill
Structured A-B-C form (modified from Brian Iwata)

20. Structured A-B-C

21. Based on Your Hypothesis, Choose an Alternative Replacement Behavior
This behavior MUST serve the same function as the problem behavior!!
Use “The Competing Behavior Diagram” model to visually describe the results of your Functional Assessment

22. Competing Behavior Diagram Problem Behavior Maintaining Consequences
Desired
Alternative
Typical
Consequence
Competing Behavior
Diagram
Setting Events
Triggering
Antecedents
Problem
Behavior
Maintaining
Consequences
Acceptable
Alternative
4/5/2017

23. Behavior Support Plans

24. Intervention Plans
An intervention plan should address each area of the Competing Behavior Diagram
Setting Event strategies
Predictor/trigger/antecedent strategies
Teaching strategies to teach replacement behavior
Consequential strategies
How not to reinforce problem behavior
How to reinforce replacement behaviors
An intervention plan is not a single strategy, but a cluster of strategies

25. Setting Event Strategies
Strategies to “mitigate” or address those things which “set the student up” for problem behaviors
Usually involve structural changes
Alter the physical setting
Enrich the environment
Improve the activities or curriculum
Predictability and choice options

26. Trigger or Predictor Strategies
Triggers are those things that “set the student off”
Identify strategies to eliminate or mitigate the trigger
Antecedent Strategies
See handout

27. Teach Strategies Strategies to teach alternative replacement behaviors
Social skills
Communication strategies
Academic skills & strategies
Compensatory strategies
Emotional regulation strategies
See handout

28. Consequential Strategies
What will you do when the problem behavior occurs?
What reinforcers will be used (including schedules of reinforcement) to increase the use of the replacement behavior
See handout

29. Develop a Data Collection System
How will the intervention be monitored?

30. Train those who will implement
Do all staff members know what to do and how to do it?
Do all staff members know how to collect the data?
Do all staff members know what to do when the problem behavior occurs?

31. Review Data
Schedule a time to review the data to see if the intervention is working
About 2 weeks
Decide next steps
Continue with plan
Revise plan

32. FBA & BIP Functional Assessment is a process
Looks at relationships between physiological & environmental factors & problem behavior
Ends with a hypothesis
BIP must be directly related to FA results
BIP must address “prevention” or antecedent strategies, teaching replacement behaviors, and reinforcing replacement behaviors
BIP does not outline what the student must do, but what the staff does!