4: Completing the Functional Behavioral Assessment

Completing the Functional Behavioral Assessment

Video Script

As we discussed in the previous module, when conducting the Functional Behavioral Assessment or FBA, we need to ask questions such as what happens right before the behavior occurs. Where does it usually happen? Who is there when it does? How do others usually respond? But before we ask those questions, it is important to know exactly what behavior we are trying to understand. Thus, the first step when conducting an FBA is to define the target behavior. We have to be as specific as possible so that we know exactly what we are measuring. Let us return to the example of Alison. We might describe her behavior as not getting along well with peers. But that definition could be describing many different behaviors, including yelling at her peers, biting them, ignoring them, etc. Allison’s behavior of concern is taking toys away from peers. So we would describe that behavior as specifically as possible by stating that Alison takes a toy that another peer is using without asking permission. Next, we want to gather all the information we can about when and where the target behavior occurs. We often refer to this as “taking data” with the goal of determining the function of the behavior. One way that is often useful is to identify situations in which the behavior consistently occurs. To do this, we examine patterns of behavior, and look at what just what happens just prior to the target behavior occurring, specifics about the behavior, and what usually happens afterward. This is often referred to as an Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence or A-B-C analysis. For every behavior, there are antecedents and consequences. Understanding which antecedents consistently lead to a behavior, and which consequences consistently follow a behavior, can help us understand the function. When collecting data about antecedents, we may monitor the child and write down what happened immediately before the behavior occurred, answering the questions: Where did it happen? When did it happen? Who was there? What else was going on? Let us return to the example of Alison. The behavior of taking toys away from her peers occurred in her classroom during their “center time”, which is a less-structured, independent playtime. At the time the behavior occurred, her peers were independently playing with toys in their centers. After you know the antecedent or what happened immediately before the behavior occurred, then you collect data about the actual behavior. How many times did the behavior occur? For how long did the behavior occur? For Alison’s toy taking, we want to know how many times the behavior occurred, but are less interested in the length of time it takes. We might record the frequency of her behavior on a chart like this, with each tally mark indicating one occurrence of the behavior. Next, we ask what usually happens after the behavior. What consequences predictably follow? What does the child get or perhaps avoid by engaging in the behavior? Do the other children look or laugh? Do you, as a parent or in this case the teacher look at her, or perhaps reprimand her? Does it appear that the child “gets” something, perhaps attention or a toy? Maybe the child gets out of something – like doing a difficult task? After Alison takes a toy from her peer, her peer protests, and her teacher rushes over to attend to the situation. The teacher returns the toy to the peer, reminds Alison of the classroom rules on asking before taking, and directs Alison to pick another toy. Alison doesn’t seem to miss the first toy, and seems to enjoy the teacher spending time with her. We begin to see a pattern that Alison takes toys from others in order to obtain her teacher’s attention. Now we can put all of the data gathered into a summary, which is called a hypothesis statement about the function of the behavior. In the online functional behavioral assessment tool that you are completing, the data that you enter about your child’s or student’s behavior will fill in a hypothesis statement that looks like this. Now, Let’s look at the data that we have for Alison and then fill in the blanks in this formula. We have information about the problem behavior – “taking toys away from peers without permission” This is a concern because “it negatively affects Alison’s peer interactions.” And it occurs “four times per day” on average. This often happens during “center time” when Alison is expected to be playing on her own. Her teacher often responds to this behavior by “moving from a different area in the room to Alison to correct her” The behavior may be Alison’s way to “Get Attention” and as a way of saying “I want attention from my teachers!” Another way to summarize this information is “When Alison is expected to play independently during center time, she takes toys away from her peers without asking permission to get her teacher’s attention.” With this information about the function of a behavior, we can begin to develop a behavior intervention plan for Alison. Please note that many children have behaviors that are more disruptive than Alison’s and may be more difficult to determine their function, but the steps are the same for all , which will be discussed next. Before viewing the next video, click on the Evaluation tab to the side to continue completing the functional behavioral assessment for your child or student.

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DEFINE the Behavior

Perhaps the most important part of addressing behavior, regardless of whether the attempt is to decrease a behavior (e.g., taking toys) or increase a behavior (e.g., completing assignments), is appropriately defining the target behavior. Unfortunately, this important step is often overlooked. Definitions can often be unclear, or can place too much emphasis on the emotions or feelings the behavior evokes in others rather than on the actual behavior.

For example, when discussing a child who is “disruptive” in the classroom or home, the word “disruptive” conveys more about the person concerned with the behavior than about the actual behavior. To accurately define behavior, one should: 1) describe the behavior based on what it looks like. For example: Tommy runs around the room, throws things in the floor and/or screams loudly.

Ultimately, the definition of any behavior should be so precise that anyone reading the definition, regardless of their familiarity with the child or with observing behaviors, can fully understand it.

A well-written definition should also include wording that describes the context of the behavior; that is, describes the time, place, and setting of the behavior.
For example, a description of someone standing in isolation and waving their arms back and forth might evoke an image of a person engaging in self-stimulatory behavior. In a classroom setting, during a test, this behavior might be “disruptive.” What if the same person were engaging in this same behavior while also standing on a busy street? In this example, we understand that the person is attempting to hail a cab. So, without the proper information, any behavior may seem out of place.

Here are some additional examples of well-written and not-so-well-written behavior definitions:

Well-Written Behavior Definitions

Mary screams and hits.
Joe calls other children names.
Mark calls out without raising his hand.
Polly completes 25% of work assigned.
Shane will look around the room and not comply with teacher directives to begin work.
Al screams, hits others, and pushes furniture.

Vague (not-so-well-written) Behavior Definitions

Mary is “angry.”
Joe is acting “ugly.”
Mark is so “disruptive.”
Polly is just plain “lazy.”
Shane just “doesn’t care about school.”
Al has “temper tantrums.”

IDENTIFY Behavior Triggering

After you have defined the challenging behavior, it will be easier to identify what is triggering the behavior. Another word for a "behavior trigger" is "antecedent." These terms will be used interchangeably throughtout these modules.

A behavior trigger is something that happens immediately prior to a specific behavior that makes it more likely that the behavior will occur [1]. When we identify the triggers, we learn more about how to prevent a challenging behavior from occuring.

For the purpose of determining a behavior trigger, it is important to consider the location and the time the behavior occurred. It is also important to identify others present in the environment and their actions immediately prior to the behavior. It is also important to note anything that is different or a change from the norm. Triggers might also include changes in activities, changes in people, changes in temperature, or changes in the weather.

Ideally, you learn what is triggering the behavior by observing the child or student and tracking his or her behavior over time. If you are unable to collect several days worth of data, you may ask yourself or others who know the child some of the questions in the table below to learn more about the triggers.

Table 2. Things to consider regarding triggers[2]

People	Who was present when the behavior occurred? How many people were present? What did the person/people do? Was anyone interacting with the person before the behavior occurred? Had anyone just entered or left the location? Was anyone missing who would typically have been present?
Activity	What activity was taking place? Was the person participating in the activity? Was the activity new? Was the person successful when participating in the activity? Did the person enjoy the activity? Was the activity a routine activity?
Location	Where was the person when the behavior occurred? Was the person inside or outside? Was the person in a new location? Was there a lot of noise in the location?
Time of Day	When did the behavior occur? What routinely occurs at this time?
Medical History	Does this person have a known medical history that would contribute to the behavior? Does this person take medication? If so, has the person taken their medication? If so, is the behavior a possible side effect of the medication? Does the person have any known allergies?
Physical Illness or Injury	Was the person injured or sick? Could the person communicate to someone if they were ill or injured?
Sleep Habits	Did the person appear to be sleepy (e.g., head on desk, yawning, lying down)? Does the person have a regular sleep routine?
Eating Habits	Did the behavior involve food? Was food present? Does the person have a restricted diet? Has the person accessed food that is not part of their diet? Does the person have any food allergies?
Daily Schedule/Routine	What was taking place when the behavior occurred? What the person participating in activities that are typical of that person’s daily routine? Was there a change to the person’s predictable schedule?
Sensory	Was the noise level exceptionally loud or quite? What was the temperature in the location? Were there any apparent smells that were not customary? Was the person dealing with any materials/items of varying textures or weights prior to the behavior?

[1] Reid, D. H., & Parson, M. B. (2007). Positive behavior support training curriculum.Washington, DC: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
[2] O’Neill, R. E., Horner, R. H., Albin, R. W., Sprague, J. R., Storey, K., & Newton, J. S. (1997). Functional assessment and program development for problem behavior. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole.

Behavior RESPONSE

It is also important to consider how we respond to the problem behavior right after it occurs.

How do we react?
How do the other students react?
How do other family members react?

Our responses are referred to as “consequences.” We usually think of consequences in terms of punishment, but really they are anything that happens after a behavior, and they determine whether or not the behavior is likely to happen again.

Examples of Common Responses (Consequences) at School

Someone talks through behavior with student
Student removed from class
Peers laugh or complain
Student prompted to complete assignment
Teacher gives a verbal warning
Student ignored
Student directed to quiet area
Student loses points, privilege, or access
Student is given a break
Student is paired with another student
Student gets an additional snack

Examples of Common Responses (Consequences) at Home

The family member has a discuss about the behavior with the child
The child is told to stop the behavior
The child is sent to his or her room
The child is ignored
The child's siblings laugh
The child is given TV
The child is given a snack

Behavior PURPOSE

When trying to find out the purpose for a behavior, it is important to ask, “What is this person communicating by engaging in this behavior?” There are four research-supported functions or purposes for behavior: attention, escape, tangible, and sensory.

A student or child may be behaving a certain way because he or she is seeking attention or a specific item. He or she may behave in another way to escape an interaction or an activity.

Look at the table below for some examples of behaviors and their possible functions or purposes:

Antecedent	Behavior	Consequence	Purpose
Baby cries	Parent picks up baby	Baby stops crying	Child is seeking attention
Child given assignment	Child raises hand	Teacher responds to child	Child is seeking attention
Coin on the ground	Pick up the coin	Put coin in pocket	Person is seeking money (tangible)
Driving in traffic	Traffic light turns red	Stop at traffic light	Person is avoiding car accident (escape)
Phone rings	Answer the phone	Speak to person on the phone	Person is avoiding the loud ringing of the phone (escape) OR Person is seeking interaction with the other person (attention).
Child given assignment	Child protest/refuses	Child doesn’t complete task	Child is avoiding completing the task (escape).

Once enough data have been collected so that clear patterns of triggers-behavior-responses relationships exist, then a behavior intervention plan can be developed.

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