Class 6: Functional Behavior Assessment Part 1

You’ve got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can sit still for anybody’s sermon on how to behave. Billie Holiday

It’s not enough to study them like beetles under a microscope. You have to understand what it feels like to be a beetle. Fisher & Ury, Getting to Yes

Complete: a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

is a process fba not an event (like a meeting) not a form to be filled out

fba is based on the collection of objective data collected by multiple people in multiple settings on multiple days Who ’ s gonna collect this data? the team

All behavior occurs for a reason. We can’t help if we don’t know that reason. Why do we do an FBA?

80% reduction in problem behavior for 2/3 of kids attempted

Our chances double with with FBA

We’re going to be collecting a lot of specific data on this kid to complete the FBA.

We need parent permission to conduct an FBA

Target Behavior... a specific behavior we track to... learn the conditions in the environment that influence this student determine whether our interventions are helping this student

Could your grandma count it?

it’s dangerous What makes a target behavior ? it’s preventing learning for the student it’s preventing learning for others it’s preventing the student from participating fully in life at school, in the community and at home.

runs away

“runs away”=walks out door of classroom without permission from an adult

tries to hurt himself

bangs his head hard on desk or wall, bites his arm or wrist, pulls his hair (usually accompanied by making noises that sound like distress)

calls out during instruction

calls out during quiet instructional periods when talking is not allowed - teacher stops instruction to address the behavior or other students stop working and attend to this student instead of instruction.

response class = a set or group of behaviors that occur together or serve the same purpose

shuts down

has made no move to begin assignment by the time all other students are at work puts head down on desk and appears to be sleeping is engaged in doing something other than the assignment, and makes no move to put it away, even after individual cue from the teacher

disturbs other students

initiates talking to another student about non-task related topics during quiet work periods touches or pokes another student, or moves their materials in a way that elicits a negative response makes negative or disparaging comment to another student in a way that elicits a negative response.

disrespects the teacher

calls the teacher a name makes a sarcastic or negative remark about the teacher or the assignment being given makes a physical gesture that appears to be intended to mock or express a negative emotion toward the teacher

Step #1: find a clear, countable target behavior fba...

Step #1: find a clear, countable target behavior fba... Step #2: collect baseline data When & where is it likely to occur? When & where is it not likely to occur? How much does the behavior occur?

We collect data for FBA in 2 ways... Direct methods Indirect (informant) methods

Indirect Method Examples

Stage 1: baseline data... What is the level of the target behavior now? before we intervene? (direct measure strongly preferred)

Michal: Leaving class without permission

Another way to get direct baseline data… Frequency count – simply use tally marks to to record each time the target behavior occurs.

Indirect baseline data This data is collected from the student or staff’s opinion about how much behavior is occurring and when it’s likely to happen. See the 2 Student Schedule Rating forms posted on this site for examples.

good intentions + no results = no results

When is challenging behavior most likely to occur? When the demands being placed on the kid exceed his capacity to respond adaptively. Of course, that’s when all of us exhibit maladaptive behavior. -Ross Greene