Scribd
Upload
168 views3 pages

The Functional Behavior Assessment

The document discusses the functional behavior assessment (FBA) process mandated by IDEA 2004. An FBA describes a student's disruptive behaviors, identifies the reasons behind them, and offers interventions to replace undesired behaviors. The FBA process involves direct observation of behaviors and indirect interviews to understand behavior patterns, triggers, and functions. Data from assessments are analyzed to form a hypothesis about deficits or causes and test variations to help the student. The goal is to develop interventions that teach new, replacement behaviors.

Uploaded by

Grace Panuelos Oñate
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
168 views3 pages

The Functional Behavior Assessment

The document discusses the functional behavior assessment (FBA) process mandated by IDEA 2004. An FBA describes a student's disruptive behaviors, identifies the reasons behind them, and offers interventions to replace undesired behaviors. The FBA process involves direct observation of behaviors and indirect interviews to understand behavior patterns, triggers, and functions. Data from assessments are analyzed to form a hypothesis about deficits or causes and test variations to help the student. The goal is to develop interventions that teach new, replacement behaviors.

Uploaded by

Grace Panuelos Oñate
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

The Functional Behavior Assessment

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is a part of the positive behavioral


support (PBS) mandated by IDEA 2004. Good classroom management and structured
classroom discipline stop most disruptive behavior, but some students will continue to
disrupt. These students need more help so that they can stay in class and succeed.
FBA is a process which describes a student’s disruptive behaviors, looks for the
reasons behind the behaviors and offers interventions that teach new behaviors to
replace the undesired ones. Not all disruptions merit an FBA, which is usually reserved
for behaviors that interfere with learning; however, FBAs are available to all students,
especially those receiving interventions associated with tier two or tier three of the
response to intervention (RTI) framework. For students with disabilities, a FBA may be
part of an individualized education program (IEP).
Direct Assessment
To start the FBA process, the FBA team (not defined in IDEA, but typically
consists of the student’s teachers, and other professionals who have directly observed
the child, as well as, the parent) use both direct and indirect means to assess the
problematic behavior. Direct assessment typically tracks the frequency of disruptive
behaviors and the time of day, often teams will utilize a scatter plot to show clearly the
behavior pattern. In addition, the observers track antecedent behavior, which is
behavior that precedes the behavior and may indicate the trigger for that behavior. One
tool that is used is an antecedent behavioral consequences chart (ABC). An observation
note example could be:
“The teacher asked the class to get their math books out of their desks. Rick
threw his math book. The class was disrupted.”

Recording the entire cycle of disruption can provide clues to the trigger or the
benefit that the student reaps from the behavior. For our example, you might include on
the ABC chart that Jill became more agitated as she tried to work on long division
problems, and then shouted at you and stormed out of the room. The ultimate result
was she did not complete the assignment. Additionally, when you spoke to her later, Jill
reminded you that she could not have finished the long division assignment, since she
was in the office without her books. Recording the entire cycle of the behavior from
beginning to end can help you understand the reasons that Jill is behaving in this way,
as well as provide clues to the function of this behavior (i.e., seeking attention or trying
to escape an undesired situation).
Indirect Assessment
Indirect assessment involves interviewing teachers, parents and other adults who
have contact with the student, asking questions about the behavior and when and
where it occurs. For example, how often does the behavior occur? Who is usually
present? Are there times when it doesn’t occur? These questions can help the FBA
team determine if the issue at hand is due to a performance deficit (the student won’t do
what is asked of him or her) or a skills deficit (the student cannot do what is asked of
him or her). In some cases, it can also be beneficial to interview the student in an
informal matter. More than likely the team will collect both types of data in order to get a
clear picture of the child’s behavioral pattern. If an FBA does not discuss the
antecedents, frequency and time of behavior and other trigger patterns, the assessment
should be questioned.
Analyzing Behavior
In general, all behaviors serve some function. Although you can’t always know
exactly what function a particular behavior serves, you can often uncover the meaning
behind it by examining the information collected through the assessments and asking
strategic questions. Building on the previous example, was Jill getting attention from her
peers through her behavior? Was she able to get out of a difficult assignment? Does
she know how to do long division? Answering questions like these helps to determine if
the behavior is linked to a difficulty in learning, like being unable to perform a skill (long
division) or to some other reason, such as being embarrassed that she doesn’t
understand a skill that may seem easy for other students.
After the data is gathered from the ABC chart, scatter plot and interviews, this
information can be condensed and recorded on a data triangulation chart. This chart
can give clues to the function of the behavior and will be used in the FBA meeting. Note
that these specific tools are being used here as examples of what a quality FBA will
consider; there is no provision in the law that requires a school or school district to use
them.
As the FBA team discusses the data that’s been collected, it forms a hypothesis
about possible deficits and causes for the behavior. It then puts this hypothesis to the
test by creating variations in the learning requirements and environment to see if and
how the student responds.
For our example, you may help Jill develop an indiscreet way to signal her
teacher when she is frustrated with her work and needs help. If Jill’s disruptive behavior
stops after using this intervention, nothing more needs to be done; however, if Jill’s
disruptive behavior does not subside or even intensifies, the team may create a
behavior intervention plan (BIP).

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy