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+

FBA – Simple, Quick, FunctionalAndrew Miller – Owner Miller Behavior Group

MA – Special EdBCBA

+ Objectives Define and describe what a function is Identify the 4 major functions of behavior Identify common errors in understanding contingencies Define the basic elements in an FBA.

+ Simplifying by Eliminating Common Mistakes 1) One function The common problem is over planning The FBA should be a short, simple, statement of fact

2) Language outside of best practice Research in FBA tells us that there are a handful (7) functions Actually derived from 2 basics (access) or (escape)

Moving outside of these functions doesn’t bring clarity 3) Reduction as primary goal In order to support students we MUST give them a new skill Writing an FBA means setting the stage for that later success in the BIP Reduction doesn’t give anyone something to do (teacher and student)

Adapted from Umbreit, J., Ferro, J., Liaupsin, C. J., & Lane, K. L. (2007). Functional behavioral assessment and function-based intervention

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For who?With what purpose?

Who Does it?What are the outcomes?

• Non-responders• Students exhibiting pervasive high-risk behavior• Efficiently improve the impact of instruction• Data-based decisions about design of behavioral supports• Multiple Team members• Individuals with the opportunity to observe and document behavior• Data-based hypothesis Statement• Efficient design process• More likely to be effective

FBA FAQ?

+ Don’t focus on the problem

+ Interpreting Behavior1. Predominance of challenging behavior has “communicative intent”2. What is communicated may differ greatly from what is seen3. FBAs assess what is communicated

Specific features change4. Identifying function allows us to teach students a more appropriate form for communicating the same thing

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+ Starting From an FBA

Setting event Antecedent Response Consequence

Individual supports begin with an evaluation of the environmental factors that trigger and maintain the challenging behavior

• Summary Statement• Hypothesis Statement• Theory of Behavior

The Contingency

+ Antecedent (stimulus) Any event, action, object perceptible to sensesOccurs before behavior Signals or occasions the behavior “sets it off” (trigger)

Examples When told to shut up by a peer, Ben hits the student When asked to read aloud in class, Tracy gets up and tells jokes

+ Behavior (response)Any observable or measurable action or actObservable beginning & endHas measurable dimension frequency, duration, locus, latency, intensity, topography

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+ Consequence Any event, action, object perceptible to sensesOccurs after behavior Presented contingent upon a particular behavior Contingent = after behavior has occurred

Examples When Ben hits his peers, they leave him alone When Tracy tells jokes, the other students laugh, and she is sent to the office (missing the assignment) When Jessie starts crying, the teacher stops circle time and comforts her

+ Setting event Event occurring before or with an antecedent that alters value or effect of consequence Sometimes these are unknown

Examples Lack of sleep Headache/illness Lack of food (no breakfast) Late to school (no free time before class) Argument with peer Failed test in previous class Spilled coffee on shirt driving to work

+ Don’t focus on the problem

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+ Build your own contingency

Setting event Antecedent Response Consequence

The Contingency

Quickly identify one of your most fun students. Pick a behavior (SOMETHING SIMPLE! Saying thank you, Asking for cup, washing hands etc….) Fill each box of the contingency based on what you have learned so far.

+ FBA Leads to identifying both context and function

Setting

Event

Setting

Event Fight with mom this morning

Fight with mom this morning

Antec

edent

Antec

edent Asked to work independently during math

Asked to work independently during math

Behavi

orBeh

avior Puts head down, colors in book, calls teacher a dirty name

Puts head down, colors in book, calls teacher a dirty name

Conse

quence

Conse

quence Sent to principal’s office

Sent to principal’s office

+ What’s Your Summary Statement?

Setting

event

Setting

event No breakfastNo breakfast

Antec

edent

Antec

edent No help at lunch counter

No help at lunch counter Behavi

orBeh

avior Beats tray against counterBeats tray against counter

Conse

quence

Conse

quence Adult talks to herAdult talks to her

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+ SummarizeSetting event Antecedent Behavior Consequence

Hungry Playing with teacher, & teacher gets up to leave

Screams “no” and hits teacherTeacher sits back down and continues to play

“When teacher attention is divided the student will scream ‘no’, then hit, in order to get teacher to fully attend. This is made more likely before lunch or prior to snack.”

+ Putting it all together

Antecedent Behavior Consequence

+ Read the following scenario Lucy is a 4th grade student at ABC Elementary. Her parents

struggle to get her to come to school every morning. When asked to get out of the car she refuses to leave the family minivan and come to school. Mom and Dad will often leave immediately the moment she steps out of the car and Lucy will sit down and cry on the pavement refusing to come in for up to half an hour. When she does make it to class, she complains of stomach aches - especially around recess and lunchtime, and has been known to hide in her cubby if pressed to join the class. She appears to have a good relationship with the teacher; however, she is very shy around her peers and prefers to work alone. She often tries to stay inside for recess, and when she does go outside she is seen playing alone. According to school data, she is on grade level and appears to keep up with her peers. What do you suspect is the function of Lucy’s behavior?

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+ Collaborate Work in pairs or in triads and decide what are your thoughts on the previous slide What is the contingency What is the function Can you define and describe all the parts of the contingency? Can you write an observable statement of the contingency?

+ Formal Team, Formal data, Clear result

• A clear model with steps for teaming and problem solving• Access to the right information at the right time in the right format• A formal process that a group of people can use to build and implement solutions.

Horner et al. (2010)

+ Function-Based Supports Once we have defined the context, we can plan thorough/complete intervention

(Environmental factors that define context of challenging behavior)

21

ProblemBehavior

TriggeringAntecedentsSetting Events Maintaining

Consequences

What triggers the behavior? What is the behavior?The whole process is most likely when?Why does the behavior continue?

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+The BIG 4

There are 4 functions of behavior. While many of these functions have nuance to them, starting with the basic 4 is our primary goal in functional assessment.1. Attention (peer or adult)2. Escape from work3. Avoid situation or

person4. Access to an item

+ 23

AcceptableAlternate

COMPETING PATHWAYS

When… Student will… Resulting in…More likelyWhen…

+ Competing Behavior Pathway

Setting eventNone AntecedentPreferred peer Problem BehaviorTalkingMaintaining ConsequenceGain

Peer attention

Existing ConsequenceGradesMore work

Desired BehaviorWork quietly

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+ Competing Behavior Pathway

Setting eventNone AntecedentPreferred peer Problem BehaviorTalkingMaintaining ConsequenceGain

Peer attention

Alternative Behavior

Peer helper

Existing ConsequenceGradesMore work

Desired BehaviorWork quietly

Alternative Behavior

Peer helper

+ Behavioral Economics

ContextContext• Activity• Conditions• Natural SR• Functional equivalence

EfficiencyEfficiency• Effort • Duration• Fluency

EffectivenessEffectiveness• Contingent nature of SR

+ Scenario needed here Based on function Kerry is a high school junior at ABC High. She has few friends and does not appear motivated to make them. She constantly raises her hand, and if the teacher

ignores her - she will blurt out answers during class. She is proficient on her benchmarks, and she receives above average grades. She also rarely misses school, and she will often stay late. Teachers describe her as annoying, as they have to spend part of their time wrangling her and then teaching their class. She is reported as consistently disruptive especially when teachers are lecturing or helping other students. What do you suspect is the function of Kerry’s behavior?

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+ What is the context of Tim’s behavior?

www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel

Tim

+ What may be a good summary statement? What’s the function?

Don’t know

Playing alone in blocks

goes over to peers

Sticks out tongue, hits,

scratches

Boy yells at him & yells to teacher

Tim

+ State Forms

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+ State form cont…

+ Complete FBA in perspective Step 1 Identify the problem through the following activities Observation – write down patterns of antecedent-behavior consequence File review – look for patterns that might lead to motivation (think absence or presence

of agitating events). Interview with teacher – Dig for clean and clear antecedents, behavior, consequence

(one of each) – if you know there are setting events try to identify them as well

+ Complete FBA in perspective Step two summarize findings using the state form The form generates a hypothesis statement for you. If you are using enrich it will fill in the

gaps as you go. When finished it should sound like this: When student is given a directive to work she will

throw her self to the floor in order to escape the work demand. This is made more likely when she was dropped off by someone other than mom in the morning.