Functional Assessment Chapter 13 Functional Assessment

Treatment Process - Decreasing Problem Behaviors 1. Identify and define problem behavior(s) 2. Initiate data collection 3. Complete functional assessment - Hypotheses about antecedents and consequences 4. Treatment development and implementation 5. Evaluation

5. Evaluation (con’t) Was treatment effective? (Did problem behaviors decrease/desirable behaviors increase?) YES - Promote maintenance & generalization NO - Was treatment done correctly? YES Repeat step #3 (Functional Assessment) NO Do it right

Behavioral Model Behavior is influenced by antecedents and consequences A  B  C - Consequences: reinforcement, extinction, punishment - Antecedents: SD, S-delta, EO Behavior is influenced by competing behaviors (concurrent operants) - Desirable behaviors vs undesirable behaviors

Functional Assessment: What to Assess? Antecedents: SDs SΔs EOs - When, where, with whom, what circumstances or situations does the behavior occur? - Social and environmental antecedents Behavior: Problem behavior Alternative behavior Response effort Consequences: Positive or negative reinforcement - What does the person get or get out of following the behavior? - Social and environmental consequences Schedule of reinforcement Magnitude of reinforcement Immediacy of reinforcement

Categories of Reinforcement (Functions of Problem Behaviors) Social positive reinforcement attention, praise, reactions, activities, things (mediated by others) Social negative reinforcement escape from tasks, activities, interactions Automatic positive reinforcement sensory stimulation (not mediated by others) Automatic negative reinforcement relief from pain, anxiety, or other aversive stimulation

Examples A 4 year old’s tantrums 10 year old’s hair pulling antecedents: requests during preferred activities consequences: escape from requested activity antecedents: told he can’t have something consequences: gets the thing he asked for 10 year old’s hair pulling antecedents: alone, negative thoughts and emotions consequences: relief from negative thoughts/emotions A 6 year old autisitc child’s hand waving antecedents: not engaged in a task or interaction consequences: visual stimulation

Examples 17 year old’s hair pulling/manipulation Antecedents: Alone, watching TV Consequences: tactile stimulation 17 year old’s hair pulling Antecedents: watching TV, mom busy in the room Consequences: attention 8 year old’s wrist biting Antecedents: during tooth brushing, sore gums Consequences: escape fro tooth brushing 18 year old’s binge eating Antecedents: aloe, sad, negative thinking Consequences: relief from negative feeling/thoughts

Functional Assessment Methods 1. Indirect (informant) assessment - behavioral interview - questionnaires and rating scales 2. Direct observation assessment - scatter plot recording - descriptive A-B-C recording - checklist recording of A-B-Cs - interval recording of A-B-Cs 3. Experimental manipulations (functional analysis) - manipulate antecedents and/or consequences - evaluate a number of possible functions or - test hypothesis from descriptive assessments

Conducting a Functional Assessment Begin with an interview or other indirect assessment method Develop a hypothesis about the antecedents and consequences (the function of the behavior) Conduct direct observation assessments Confirm or modify original hypothesis based on direct observation assessment If assessments are consistent, develop and implement treatment that addresses the function of the behavior If indirect and direct assessments are not consistent, conduct further functional assessments Conduct functional analysis to confirm hypothesis or resolve inconsistency between indirect and direct assessment