Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA)

There is an array of strategies school-based staff and parents can use to address a student's challenging behavior. Deciding on which interventions to utilize can be made easier, if we know why the student misbehaves. Challenging behavior is often addressed by manipulating events that follow the misbehavior (e.g., reprimands, loss of privileges, suspensions, etc.). Although this may temporarily suppress the challenging behavior, it fails to teach the student the expected pro social behavior. Thus, these challenging behaviors are likely to reoccur, unless the underlying causes are addressed. Identifying the functional causes of the student's challenging behavior, more specifically, what he gains or avoids through the behavior, can provide stakeholders with the needed information to develop proactive strategies crafted to address those behaviors.

For example, if a challenging behavior takes a student off assigned tasks then teaching and learning suffer. Consequently, the functional behavioral assessment's (FBA) findings should be integrated into school based interventions, special education evaluations and corresponding reports, and Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS)/Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIP) to:

1. Describe the challenging behavior in observable and measurable terms.  Quantifying the extent of the behavior problem (s) facilitates objective instructional and programmatic decisions. This baseline data is critical if school-based intervention plans and IEPs are to include measurable performance goals for the student that can be used to judge the success or failure of subsequent interventions.  
2. Explain how the challenging behavior interferes with learning.
3. Identify possible causes of the challenging behavior.    
4. Make recommendations to address the challenging behavior including pro social replacement behavior. Subsequent IEPs, positive behavior support (PBS) plans, related services, teachers' lesson plans, and parental assistance can all be utilized to address the identified causes and subsequent challenging behaviors.

Therefore, to maximize the effectiveness of interventions, when a student exhibits a behavioral problem special education evaluations and school-based interventions should consider:

1. A functional behavioral assessment to determine the likely cause (s) & possible recommendation (s^)1. 
2. A curriculum-based assessment to determine where a student feels comfortable in various academic subjects and when they are frustrated, as well as how they react to these academic frustrations.
3. An assessment of the student's awareness of the challenging behaviors, the controlling variables, his/her motivation to change, and skill at behavioral self-control.

Even though IDEA does not detail the components of an FBA, the literature suggests the following hyperlinked steps, with corresponding examples, should be minimally included: 

PREVENTING AND ADDRESSING CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR

Revised on October 15, 2005