ADNAN ADIL

Overview
 What is Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA)
 Definitions
 Legal Requirements
 When to Use FBA
 Participants
 Approaches to FBA
 Why an FBA is Necessary
 Steps in Conducting FBA
Definitions
 An FBA is an approach that incorporates a variety of
techniques and strategies to diagnose the causes and to
identify likely interventions intended to address
problem behaviors. In other words, the FBA looks
beyond the demonstrated behavior and focuses, in-
stead, upon identifying biological, social, affective, and
environmental factors that initiate, sustain, or end the
target behavior. This approach is important because it
leads the observer beyond the “symptom” (the behavior)
to the underlying motivation for it.
 A functional behavior assessment is a comprehensive
and individualized strategy to:
 Identify the purpose or function of a student’s problem
behavior(s).
 Develop and implement a plan to modify variables that
maintain the problem behavior.
 Teach appropriate replacement behaviors using positive
interventions.
 FBA is the process of determining the cause (or "function")
of behavior before developing an intervention (Starin,
2009).
 FBA is an approach that incorporates a variety of
techniques and strategies to diagnose the causes and to
identify likely interventions intended to address problem
behaviors (Quinn, Gable, Rutherford, Nelson, & Howell,
1998).
 It looks beyond the overt topography of the behavior, and
focuses, instead, upon identifying biological, social,
affective, and environmental factors that initiate, sustain,
or end the behavior in question (Quinn et al., 1998).
Legal Requirements
 When IDEA was reauthorized in 1997 and 2004, the provision of special
services is made contingent upon FBA. It specified that when disciplinary
action is being considered, students who receive special education services are
to be provided with some additional procedural safeguards. A multidisciplinary
team in the school is directed to conduct a functional behavior assessment.
This in turn assists in developing a behavioral intervention plan for (and with)
the student. The assessment is based on:
 An objective, detailed, and behaviorally specific definition or description of
the behaviors of concern
 A description of the frequency, duration, intensity, and severity of the
behaviors of concern and the settings in which they occur
 A description of other environmental variables that may affect the behavior
(e.g., medication, medical conditions, sleep, diet, schedule, social factors, etc.)
 An examination and review of the known communicative behavior and the
functional and practical intent of the behavior
 A description of environmental modifications made to change the target
behavior
 An identification of appropriate behaviors that could serve as functional
alternatives to the target behavior (Clark, 2001)
 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to
address impeding behavior through the use of functional behavioral
assessment, behavioral intervention planning, and positive academic and
behavioral supports. The Act states what is required of teams that develop
individualized education programs (IEPs) in addressing problem behaviors of
children and youths.
 The team must explore the need for strategies and support systems to address
any behavior that may impede the learning of the child with the disability or
the learning of others [IDEA Amendments, 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)(3)(B)(i)].
 In response to certain disciplinary actions by school personnel, the IEP team
must, within 10 days, meet to formulate a functional behavioral assessment
plan to collect data for developing a behavioral intervention plan; or, if a
behavioral intervention plan already exists, the team must review and revise it
(as necessary), to ensure that it addresses the behavior upon which disciplinary
action is predicated [IDEA Amendments, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(k)(1)(B)(i-ii)].
 The IEP team must be prepared to assume these new roles and responsibilities
as follows:
 States and localities shall address the needs of in-service personnel (including
professionals and paraprofessionals who provide special education, general
education, related services, or early intervention services) as they relate to
developing and implementing positive intervention strategies [IDEA
Amendments, 20 U.S.C. § 1453(c)(3)(D)(vi)].
When to Use?
An FBA will be executed when
 A student served in general education is being considered for special education
services due to behavioral needs that negatively impact academic progress
and/or school performance (As part of general education interventions before
consideration for special education entitlement).
 An entitled student with new behavioral needs that negatively impact
academic progress and/or school performance (the IEP tem will undertake FBA
as a part of the student’s annual review)
 An entitled student who is not making progress o annual goals related to
behavioral needs that impact academic progress and/or school performance
(the IEP tem will undertake FBA as a part of the student’s annual review).
 An entitled student who has behavioral needs that negatively impact academic
progress and/or school performance for which the IEP tem is completing a
reevaluation.
 An entitled student recommended for removal from the current educational
placement that would go beyond ten days in a single school year or constitute a
change of placement.
Participants
 IEP Team members

 Professional specialized in FBA.

Approaches to FBA
 Functional Approach
 Systematic manipulation of the various potential
consequences of students’ challenging behaviors to identify
the reinforcing or maintaining consequences.
 Structural Approach
 Systematic analyses of the immediate antecedents and the
surrounding contextual variables (e.g., task materials, seating
arrangements, task difficulty, pace of instruction, etc.) that
may trigger or facilitate the occurrence of challenging
behavior or of more appropriate behavior
 Multimodal Approach
 Blend of both functional and structural approaches
Why a Functional Analysis of Behavior is Necessary?
 Ali, a 16 year old who reads at a second grade level, feels
embarrassed to be seen with an elementary text and reacts by
throwing his reading book across the room and using inappropriate
language to inform the teacher that he does not intend to complete
his homework.
 Ayesha, an eight year old who reads Stephen King’s novels for
recreation, finds her reading assignments boring and, therefore,
shoves her book and workbook to the floor when the teacher
comments on her lack of progress.
 Bilal, a 10 year old who finds multiplication of fractions difficult,
becomes frustrated and throws tantrums when asked by his teacher
to complete worksheets requiring him to multiply fractions.
 Bushra, a 12 year old who has problems paying attention, is so
overstimulated by what she sees out of the window and hears in the
nearby reading group, she slams her text shut and loudly declares
that she cannot work.
WHAT IS THE BEHAVIOR IN THE
AFOREMENTIONED INSTANCES?
Since the behavior is same in all the examples, can a
single intervention across all these instances would
work?
 Although the topography of the behaviors may be similar,
in each case, the “causes,” or functions, of the behaviors are
very different.
 Focusing only on the topography will usually yield little
information about effective interventions. Identifying the
underlying cause(s) of a student’s behavior can provide the
IEP team with the diagnostic information necessary to
develop proactive instructional strategies to address
behaviors that interfere with academic instruction.
 By incorporating functional behavioral assessment into the
IEP process, team members can develop a plan that teaches
and supports replacement behaviors, which serve the same
function as the problem behavior, itself.
Steps in Conducting an FBA
Verify the Seriousness of the Problem
Define the Problem Behavior
Gleaning the Information
Analysis of the Information
Categorizing Behavior and Formulating a Hypothesis
Hypothesis Testing
Develop and Implement a Behavioral Intervention Plan
Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Intervention Plan
Modify the Intervention Plan
Verifying the Seriousness of the Problem

 The problem behavior is not responsive to the

standard classroom management strategies.

 The problem behavior is persistent over a period of

time.

 Situations where the law requires FBA

Defining the Problem Behavior

 The teacher and the IEP team should define the

problem behavior in observable and measurable
terms.
 Frequency, duration, intensity, proportion, episode,
latency, inter-response time.
 Multiple examples of the behavior.
 The functional value of a behavior cannot be
determined if the behavior is vaguely defined.
Gleaning the Information
 Identify the contextual factors that contribute to behavior.
Determining the specific contextual factors for a behavior is
accomplished by collecting information on the various
conditions under which a student is most and least likely to be a
successful learner.
 Times, settings, conditions, antecedents, setting events
 Contextual factors are more than the sum of observable
behaviors, and include certain affective and cognitive behaviors.
 Multiple sources and methods are used for this kind of
assessment to glean the information from multiple angles.

 Is the problem behavior linked to a skill deficit?

 Is the problem behavior linked to a performance deficit?
Tools for Information Collection
 Indirect or informant assessment relies heavily upon the use of
structured interviews with students, teachers, and other adults who
have direct responsibility for the students concerned.
 Review of student’s cumulative record (health, medical, academic)
 Commercially available student questionnaires, motivational scales,
and checklists can also be used to structure indirect assessments of
behavior.

 In what settings the behavior was observed?

 Are there any settings where the behavior does not occur?
 Who is present when the behavior occurs?
 What activities or interactions take place just prior to the behavior?
 What usually happens immediately after the behavior?
 What can be a more acceptable behavior that might replace this
behavior?
 Direct assessment involves observing and recording situational
factors surrounding a problem behavior (e.g., antecedent and
consequent events).
 These techniques also will be useful in identifying possible
environmental factors (e.g., seating arrangements), activities
(e.g., independent work), or temporal factors (e.g., mornings)
that may influence the behavior.
 Regardless of the tool, observations that occur consistently
across time and situations, and that reflect both quantitative and
qualitative measures of the behavior in question, are
recommended.

 ABC Recording Sheet/Anecdotal Record

 Scatterplot
Analysis of the Information

 Are there any specific pattern associated with the

behavior?
 Any patterns of events that predict when and under
what circumstances the behavior is most or least likely
to occur, what is maintaining the behavior, and the
likely function(s) of the behavior.
 If patterns cannot be determined, the team should
review and revise (as necessary) the functional
behavioral assessment plan to identify other methods
for assessing behavior.
 Data Triangle Chart
Categorizing Behavior and Formulating a Hypothesis

 There are three basic ways to categorize why a

behavior is occurring:

 Function—why the student is demonstrating the

behavior, usually to get/seek something desired or to
escape/avoid something painful or undesired.

 Skill deficit—a behavioral or academic skill that the

student does not know how to perform.

 Performance deficit—a behavioral or academic skill

the student does know, but does not consistently
perform.
 The hypothesis, then, is the statement describing the team’s
conclusions about the probable cause(s) and deficit(s) for the student’s
manifestation of the behavior.
 The hypothesis is used to predict the social and/or academic
environmental context under which the behavior is most likely to occur
and the possible reason(s) why the student engages in the behavior.
 The success of the BIP depends on the accuracy of the team’s efforts to
define and evaluate the problem. Teams may want to use this framework
for stating their hypothesis:
 When (X-target) behavior occurs, it is usually in the context of (X-
where and/or when) and preceded by (X) trigger(s).
 The student’s response is (X-describe in specific behavioral terms).
 The result of the behavior is usually (X), which serves to (X-describe
“pay-off” ).
 The function and/or purpose of this response is likely to be a (X-to
get/seek…or to escape and/or avoid…).
 The behavior appears to be a (X-skill deficit or performance deficit)
because (X).
An Example
When taunting occurs, it is usually in transition times
and is preceded by an upcoming period of social time
(recess, lunch). Sara’s response is to criticize or make
hurtful comments about other girls. The result of the
behavior is usually hurt feelings and Sara’s separation
from the other girls, which serves to remove Sara from
the social group. The function and/or purpose of the
behavior is likely to be that Sara is purposely attempting
to avoid having to interact with and be accepted by
peers. The behavior seems to be a performance deficit,
because Sara only displays this behavior when she feels
pressured to be accepted by other girls.
Hypothesis Testing
 Experimental manipulation
 ABA research design
 Modify various classroom conditions in an attempt to
verify the IEP team's assumptions regarding the likely
function(s) of the behavior
Develop and Implement a Behavioral Intervention Plan
Generally, a behavioral intervention plan includes steps
to accomplish the following:
 Deal with any recurrent episodes of the problem
behavior.
 Teach the student appropriate ways to get what he or
she wants.
 Ensure frequent opportunities for the student to
engage in and be reinforced for demonstrating
acceptable behavior.
 The plan should include positive strategies, program
modifications, and the supplementary aids and supports
required to address the behavior, as well as any staff supports or
training that may be needed. Many teams develop an
intervention plan that includes one or more of the following
strategies or procedures:
 Teach the student more acceptable behavior that serves the same
function as the inappropriate behavior (e.g., ways to get peer
attention through positive social initiations).
 Modify the classroom setting events (e.g., physical arrangements
of the classroom, management strategies, seating arrangements).
 Modify the antecedent events (e.g., teacher instruction)
 Modify the consequent events (e.g., precise praise, verbal and
nonverbal feedback).
 Modify aspects of the curriculum and/or the instruction (e.g.,
multilevel instruction).
 Introduce a reinforcement-based intervention (e.g., student
contract).
 The success of an intervention plan rests on the
student’s engaging in the appropriate behavior
without continued external support.
 Positive peer interactions
 Instruct the student to use self-talk
 Self-reinforcement.
Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Intervention Plan
 Two aspects include Fidelity in Implementing the
Plan and Effectiveness of the Intervention Plan
 Monitor the accuracy and consistency with which the
intervention plan is implemented.
 A checklist of steps or a script—a step-by-step
description of the intervention and its application, can
be developed for each person responsible for
implementing the plan.
 Initial or baseline information can serve as a standard
against which to judge any changes in behavior.
 ABA
Modify the Intervention Plan

 IDEA states that a behavioral intervention plan must be

reviewed and revised whenever the IEP team feels that an
adjustment is necessary. The circumstances that may warrant
such a review include the following:
 The student no longer exhibits problems in behavior, and the
team terminates the plan.
 The situation has changed, and the plan no longer addresses the
student’s needs.
 The IEP team determines during a manifestation determination
review that the behavior intervention strategies are inconsistent
with the student’s IEP or placement.
 The original plan is not producing positive changes in the
student’s behavior.
QUERIES???