MN Department of Education, Martha Simpson, consultant/author 1 Functional Behavioral Assessment What is it and how do I do it?

MN Department of Education, Martha Simpson, consultant/author

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Functional Behavioral Assessment

What is it and how do I do it?

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Challenging Behavior

• Behavior demonstrated by a student that– results in self-injury or injury to others– causes damage to the physical environment– interferes with learning by student or others– socially isolates the student

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Traditional Approach to Challenging Behavior

• Identify and clearly define behavior problem(s)

• Assess current level of behavior

• Establish goals & objectives

• Select & apply intervention– What has the research shown to be effective for

this behavior?

• Evaluate effects of intervention on behavior per objectives and goals

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Research-based Interventions

• Behavior Increasing– Catch the kid being

good

– Behavior contracts

– Self-recording & management

– Token reinforcement & levels systems

– Social skills training

• Behavior Decreasing– Time-out from positive

reinforcement

– Contingent exercise

– Over correction• positive practice

• restitution

– Reprimands

– Contingent loss of privileges, points

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Issues

• Traditional approach & research helpful

BUT

• Individual student assessment required– Legal - IDEA requires FBA

• Conceptual– Behavior happens for a reason or reasons

• Practical– All interventions have worked but also failed

• Assess environment as well as behavior– What events currently motivate or maintain behavior?

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IDEA 97 & FBA

• IEP team– must explore need for strategies & supports to address

behavior that may impede learning of child or peers– certain types of disciplinary actions

• meet within 10 days to formulate functional behavioral assessment plan

• already existing plan, review & revise as necessary to address behavior that is being disciplined

– states must address pre- & in-service personnel need for developing & implementing positive behavioral strategies

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Functional Behavioral Assessment

• To develop better, quantifiable goals & objectives for conduct and social skills

• Premise:– understand WHY behavior happens & why it doesn’t

happen

• Improves selection of – what to teach

– how best to teach it

– individual student & his/her environment

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Case Examples

• Tom• Challenging Behavior

– tears up paper during math assignment

• Bob• Challenging Behavior

– tears up paper during math assignment

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Behavior Reduction/Elimination

• Reactive Interventions/Techniques– Ignoring - extinction

– Timeout (from positive reinforcement)

– Punishment• Reprimand - verbal/physical

• Response cost - fine/penalty

• Overcorrection– Positive practice - “write-offs”– Restitution - “make it better than before”

• Restraint - punishment (or reinforcement???)

• Suspension/expulsion

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“Reactive Objectives”

• Tom– When presented with

his daily tasks by the teacher, Tom will not tear up his assigned tasks on 3 of 5 days

• Bob– When presented with

his assignment by the teacher, Bob will not tear up 4 of his 5 assignments for that day

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Behavior Reduction Examples

• Tom– Teacher reprimand,

redirect

– Ignore - consequences of not completing work

– Time-out

• Bob– Response cost - lose

free time

– Ignore - consequences of not completing work

– Time-out

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Disadvantages: Reactive Tactics

• Restricted by law, policy– corporal punishment

• Time, effort intensive– 100% or not at all

• Aversive for all– Avoidance effects; counterattacks

• Doesn’t teach WHAT to do

• “Symptom Substitution”– behavior occurs for a reason– reason intact, behavior recurs or new problem

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Teach Alternative Behavior

• Replacement, competing prosocial behavior– “fair pair rule”

• Basic tactics– Rules, praise, ignore– Catch the kid being good

• target specific behavior

• praise/reward appropriate, ignore inappropriate

• Other– Token reward/economy; levels system– Behavior contracts

– Self-management

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Alternative Behavior Objectives

• Tom– Presented with his

daily assignments by the teacher, Tom will write answers to the questions & receive 1 point for each min. of task engagement, points exchangeable for free time during the last 10 min. of class.

• Bob– When given his daily

assignment, Bob will complete at least 50% of his assignment in return for which he will get to choose on of 5 privileges from a reward menu.

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Teach Alternative Behavior

• Tom– reward task

engagement or completion with free time

– behavior contract

– self recording of task completion

• Bob– reward coming to class,

activity on time with praise

– reward task engagement or completion with free time

– behavior contract– self recording of task

completion

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Functional Approach

• Understand why behavior occurs now– 1 or more current motivations in school/classroom

– Use motivations to your advantage in intervention

• Motivations– Triggers

• Setting events - context

• Immediate antecedents

– Behavior function• Motivation(s), purpose(s) = consequence(s)

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Functional View of Behavior

• Behavior occurs for a reason or reasons– Past & current reasons

• Must identify current reasons to plan – effective, long-term behavior change

• Response equivalency (to choose alternative behavior)

– Replacement behavior serves same function as challenging behavior

• Response efficiency– Replacement behavior achieves function easier, quicker, better

than challenging behavior.

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Major Steps for FBA and Intervention

• Define what person does, should do– Behavior

• Identify– When, where, with whom behavior does occur

– When, where, with whom behavior does not occur• 1 thing you could do to make behavior happen now

• Develop motivation-based intervention(s)

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Major Steps for FBA and Intervention

• State motivational hypothesis or hypotheses

• Confirm through observation, manipulation

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Functions of Behavior

• Power/control– When a child’s outcome is the control of events

and/or situations

• Protection/escape/avoidance– When a child’s outcome is to avoid a

task/activity; escape a consequence, leave a situation

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• Attention– When a child becomes the focus of a situation; result

is that the child puts himself in the foreground of a situation

• Acceptance/affiliation– When a child connects/relates with others; mutuality

of benefit is present

• Expression of self– When a child develops a forum of expression

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• Gratification– When a child is self-rewarded or pleased;

distinguishing characteristic is that reward is self-determined

• Justice/revenge– When a child settles a difference; provides

restitution, or demonstrates contrition; settling the score

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Functional Assessment Strategies

• Strategy1: Indirect Methods– Functional analysis interview– Review existing documents

• Strategy 2: Direct Methods– Scatterplot– ABC recordings– Functional analysis observation

• Strategy 3: Environmental Manipulations

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Five Main Outcomes

1. A clear description of the problem behaviors, including classes or sequences of behaviors that frequently occur together.

2. Identification of the events, times, and situations that predict when the problem behaviors will and will not occur across the full range of typical routines.

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Five Main Outcomes

3. Identification of the consequences that maintain the problem behaviors.

4. Development of one or more summary statements or hypotheses that describe specific behaviors, a specific type of situation in which they occur, and the outcomes or reinforcers maintaining them in that situation.

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Five Main Outcomes

5. Collection of direct observation data that support the summary statements that have been developed.

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Before the Assessment Begins

• Functional Behavioral Assessment – Considered a formal assessment– Parental consent must be obtained– Assessment must be completed within 30

school days.– After assessment, team re-reconvenes to review

results and develop plan

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Indirect Methods - The Interview

• There are two groups who should participate in interviews.– Teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff,

related services staff, parents and family members, other relevant persons who work with or know the student well.

– Student who is exhibiting behaviors of concern.

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Interview Outcomes

• Description of the behaviors of concern.

• Identification of general and more immediate physical and environmental factors that predict the occurrence and nonoccurrence of the problem behaviors.

• Identification of the potential functions of the behaviors in relation to the outcomes or consequences that are maintaining them.

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Interview Outcomes

• Development of summary statements describing relationships among situations, behavior, and their functions.

• Also an opportunity to collect information about a range of other things that will be helpful in developing support plans.

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Interview Component #1 - Description of the Behaviors

• Describe all undesirable behaviors clearly.

• Describe the behaviors in an operational sense.

• Identify the extent to which the different behaviors occur together or in a predictable sequence or chain.

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Interview Component #2Ecological/Setting Events

• Facets of a student’s environment or daily routines that do not necessarily happen immediately before or after the undesirable behavior but still affect whether these behaviors are acted out.– Medications

– Medical or physical problems

– Sleep habits or routines

– Bad morning/evening at home or day at school

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Interview Component #2Ecological/Setting Events

– Eating routines/diet– Daily schedule– Number of people– Staffing patterns and interactions

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Interview Component #3Immediate Antecedents

• Ask questions about specific situations in which the problem behaviors happen.– When– Where– With whom– What activities

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Interview Component #4Identification of Consequences or Outcomes

• What types of results do the behaviors produce for the student?

• What is the function they appear to serve?

• Once desired outcome has been identified, then select a replacement behavior.

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Potential Outcomes (Function)

Power/Control When a child’soutcome is the controlof events and/orsituations.Characterized by achild’s acting to stayin a situation and keepcontrol.

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Protection/Escape/Avoidance

When a child’soutcome is to avoid atask or activity;escape aconsequence; orterminate or leave asituation.

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Attention When a child becomes the focusof a situation; draws attention toself; result is that the child putshimself in the foreground of asituation; discriminates selffrom group for a period of time;distinguishing feature is“becoming the focus” as the endproduct of the behavior.

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Acceptance/Affiliation

When a childconnects/relates withothers; mutuality ofbenefit is present.

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Expression of Self

When a child developsa forum of expression;could be statements ofneeds or perceptions, ordemonstration of skillsand talents.

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Gratification When a child is self-rewarded or pleased;distinguishingcharacteristic is thatreward is self-determined; others mayplay agent role.

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Interview Component # 5Definition of Efficiency

• Determine patterns of inconsistent behaviors.

• Determine efficiency of behaviors.– Behaviors that require less physical effort– Behaviors that result in quicker and more

consistent payoffs– Behaviors that produce results quickly.

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Interview Component # 6Identify Behavior Skills

• Identify functional alternative behaviors that the student already knows how to do.

• Determine instruction needs for teaching new skills.

• Determine methods for prompting and reinforcing skills the student already has.

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Interview Component # 7Communication Methods

• Identify the primary ways the student communicates with other people.

• Understand the ways in which a student communicates important information to others in the environment.

• Solicit information about the student’s receptive abilities.

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Interview Component # 8Things to Avoid

• Identify the things to do and those to avoid in working with the student.

• What strategies do/don’t work well.

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Interview Component # 9Identify Reinforcers

• Identify things the student likes.

• Identify things that are reinforcing to the student.

• Objects or social interaction that a student is trying to obtain should be used as reinforcers in a behavior support plan.

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Interview Component # 10History of Interventions

• Solicit information about the history of undesirable behaviors and the success/nonsuccess of interventions that have been attempted.

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Interview Component # 11Develop Summary Statements

• Develop summary statements for each major predictor and/or consequence.

• This is also called the hypothesis statement.

• These will be important in steering the behavioral observations and behavior support plan.

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Hypothesis Statements

• Hypothesis statements should include three components.– Setting events - the situation in which the

behavior occurs.– Behaviors - specific behavior that occurs.– Function - the intended outcome or function of

the behavior.

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Hypothesis Statements

• Examples of summary statements based on interview information– When (identify setting events) (student) will

_(behavior)_ in order to _(intended outcome/function)_.

– When James is directed to stop playing with the computer, he is likely to scream an obscene word and throw his pencil or paper to avoid the termination of computer time.

– When Sue has difficulty with a reading assignment, she will put her head down, refuse to respond, and put her books in her desk to try to avoid having to complete the assignment.

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The Student Directed Interview

• Any student who can provide reliable information can contribute functional assessment information.

• It is best if an individual with whom the student does not have a negative history conducts the interview.

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Review of Existing Documents

• Specific factors to look for include some of the following:– Student’s age, sensory status, physical status– Student’s language competencies– Grades– Achievement data– Accommodations and modifications and their

results

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Review of Existing Documents

– Retentions– Previous special education referrals or placements– Student strengths– Social and emotional adjustments– Physical health and mental health considerations– Pattern of school changes– Data from non-school sources

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Direct Methods - Direct Observation

• There are two primary purposes for collecting direct observation data– Direct observation serves to objectively confirm (or

deny) a relation between behavior and environmental events.

– Direct observation provides quantifiable baseline (pre-treatment) information that can be used to gauge the magnitude of the problem behavior and the effects of environmental, curricular, and replacement behavior manipulations.

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• Direct observation data will serve as the basis for the summary statements or hypotheses that will guide development of the behavior support plan.

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• There are many methods for collecting behavioral data– antecedent-behavior-consequence (A-B-C) charts– frequency counts– scatter plot charts– interval-recording systems– anecdotal or written descriptions– incident reports

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Tips for Conducting Direct Observation

• Be clear about the target behavior(s) being observed.

• Be sure that all observers are familiar with the guidelines and procedures.

• Try to be as inconspicuous as possible.

• Carry out the observation over a period of several days.

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• Try to carry out observations in the most natural settings for the student.

• Use independent observers for reliability checks, when possible.

• Keep it simple. Compile a “tool kit” for data collection.– Pocket watches– golf counters

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– Wrist counter– methods for transferring objects– clip boards– etc.

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Direct Observation

• Effective methods of collecting data achieve the following goals:– Make data collection easier than if no tools were

used.

– Do not interfere with teaching or other caregiver duties.

– Are simple to use.

– Ensure accurate monitoring of the target behavior.

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A-B-C Analysis

• Antecedent - Behavior-Consequence

• Directly observe the student and record anecdotal information over the course of several observation periods.

• As the problem behavior occurs, the observer records events that occurred right before the behavior and the events that occurred just after the behavior.

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A-B-C Analysis

• The information gathered from the A-B-C analysis will assist in identifying – target behaviors– events that are maintaining the challenging

behavior– appropriate behaviors that are not reinforced– social skills that need to be learned– environmental conditions that need modification

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Scatterplot/Matrix

• The purpose of a scatterplot matrix is to discover if the problem behavior correlates with– a time of day– a particular physical setting– the presence of a particular person– a certain activity– a reinforcement contingency– some combination of these factors

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Frequency Recording/Event Recording

• This method of observation simply entails counting the targeted behavior every time it occurs during a specific time period.

• This provides the observer with a frequency count or rate of occurrence for each observation session.

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Duration Recording

• Collecting data on the duration or length of a behavior is important when educators are interested in the amount of time a student carries out a behavior.

• Duration can be recorded by making a notation of the time the behavior begins, and the time the behavior ends.

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Interval Recording

• This type of data collection breaks down the observation period into smaller (and equal) time periods.

• An indication is made when a behavior occurs or doesn’t occur.

• Intervals range from 5 to 30 seconds with the total observation period ranging from 10 to 60 minutes.

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Environmental Manipulations

• Environmental manipulation is done only if the information gathered fails to reveal consistent patterns of behavior or

• If the summary statement cannot be clearly confirmed through direct observation data.

• Environmental manipulations are specifically designed to test hypotheses regarding events related to the occurrence of challenging behavior.

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Environmental Manipulations

• The environmental process involves changing environmental events or situations and observing the effect on student behavior.

• The manipulation is to test the hypotheses, or summary statements, that have been developed.

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Guidelines for Conducting Environmental Manipulations

• Identify specific variables to be assessed during manipulations

• Determine the level of risk that many be involved

• Ensure that relevant variables can be controlled and manipulated

• Obtain appropriate reviews and approvals

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• Have enough people available to maintain safety during sessions

• Determine specific criteria for terminating sessions if needed

• Consider the use of protective equipment for individuals and /or teaching staff

• Consider using precursor behaviors as signals for terminating sessions

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• Employ appropriate data collection and design procedures