Developing Feasible and Effective Interventions based on Functional Behavioral Assessment

Cindy Anderson and Rob Horner

University of Oregon

Assumptions Participants bring experience and knowledge about

behavior support and functional behavioral assessment

Two Challenges How to efficiently move from functional behavioral

assessment information to a practical, effective, comprehensive behavior support plans.

How to teach and support others in the use of FBA content to build and implement behavior support plans within typical school, district and state contexts.

Goals:Define:

Current updates on guidelines for conducting functional behavioral assessments.

Use of the Competing Behavior Model as a framework for moving from FBA to Behavior Support Plan.

Elements and format for writing, monitoring and adapting behavior support plans.

Main Messages Behavior support is about the design of

effective environments.

Without a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) an intervention plan is as likely to make a problem worse as to make it better.

Main Messages We need more attention to the process by

which FBA information is used to guide the development and implementation of behavior support.

Ntina, Asteriou-Yerofoka, Yiannaros, Koutsouridis, Nanna, Papdimitriou, 2007 52 Special Education Teachers

Assessed their ability to determine FBA content base on vignettes. Assessed their ability to select interventions based on FBA content.

Results “The results indicated that teachers can reliably identify the cause of

the behavior but they are not yet able to link function with relevant intervention…” p. 153

Teachers were very good at identifying FBA information. Teachers were not good at using FBA information to build behavior

support plans.

Functional Behavioral Assessment(The fast way)

Functional behavioral assessment is a process for identifying the events that reliably predict and maintain problem behavior.

Primary Purposes of Functional Behavioral Assessment The primary purpose of functional behavioral

assessment is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of behavior support.

Behavior support plans built from functional assessment are more effective

Didden et al., 1997 Carr et al., 1999

Create order out of chaos (define contextual information, where, when, with whom, etc)

Professional accountability (IDEA, 1997)

FBA Updates Emphasize “Levels” of FBA

Gathering information to generate summary statements.

Build capacity for schools/districts to: Conduct FBA Move from FBA to BSP

Levels of Functional Behavioral Assessment

Informal Functional Behavioral Assessment Done in school by typical teachers/staff Done as part of normal daily problem solving

Level I: Simple FBA Done by trained members of school setting Typically involves interview(s), and brief observation

Level II: Complex FBA Done by behaviorally trained member of school or district Typically involves interviews and observation

Level III: Functional Analysis Done by trained behavior analyst Involves interviews, direct observation, and systematic

manipulation of conditions.

Building FBA CapacityTeachers

Staff

School

Specialist

District

Specialist

Behavior

AnalystsInformal

FBAX

Level I:

Simple FBAX X

Level II:

Complex FBAX X X

Level III:

Functional Analysis

X X X X

Levels of Functional Behavioral Assessment

All levels of FBA focus on the same basic goals: Define the behavior of concern

Determine if behavior is a response class Identify the events that reliably predict occurrence and

non-occurrence Identify the consequences that maintain the behavior in the

most common “predictor conditions” Identify setting events that increase likelihood of problem

behavior.

Summary statement Setting Event Antecedent Prob Beh Consequence

Functional Assessment places problem behavior in “context”

Behavior Predictors/Controlling Antecedent Stimuli Maintaining Consequences Setting Events/Establishing Operations

Setting --> Predictor --> Problem --> Maintaining Event (Antecedent) Behavior Consequence

Problem Behavior Operational Definition

Observable Countable Organized in Response Classes

Antecedent Stimuli The trigger that occasions problem behavior Embed within “routines”

Organize behavior support so routines are successful, not just so problem behavior is reduced.

Equally important to define when problem behavior does NOT happen as to define when it DOES happen.

Maintaining Consequence Always identify the consequence in “context”

Define the behavior, routine, Sd…then ask about consequence

Typically define the most powerful consequence. Avoid labeling multiple consequences.

Identifying Maintaining Consequences

Given a Problem Behavior

Get: Object, Activity, Sensation

Avoid: Object, Activity, Sensation

Social Physiological Social Physiological

Precise Event

Precise Event

PreciseEvent

PreciseEvent

Object/Activity

Object/Activity

PreciseEvent

PreciseEvent

Setting Events Events that change the likelihood of a

behavior by momentarily altering the value of the maintaining consequence.

Last item to define Important in about 20-30% of situations When important, they are often very

important.

SettingEvents

TriggeringAntecedents

MaintainingConsequences

ProblemBehavior

14 2 3

Example: When given math worksheets & other

assignments, Caesar does not do his work, uses profanity, & disrupts lessons, especially, when he has worked alone for 30 minutes without peer contact. His work does not get completed, & he avoids teachers requests.

SettingEvents

TriggeringAntecedents

MaintainingConsequences

ProblemBehavior

No peercontactin 30

minutes

Mathworksheetassignment

Noncompliance& use ofprofanity

Escape workrequests & compliance

requests

“Alba”

During recess Alba will steal equipment, and push to the front of lines when not actively included in a game (especially with “wall ball,” and “4 square”). This pattern is most likely when Alba has been working without peer collaboration in previous class period.

Setting Events TriggeringAntecedents

MaintainingConsequences

ProblemBehavior

Testable Hypothesis

Lack of peercontact for 30

minutes.

Not part ofgame at recess

Steal ball, Push to the front of the

line.

Peer attention

One Tool for FBA Interviews FACTS

Gathering data to build an hypothesis statement. Interview the person(s) who knows the student

best. 20-40 min interview Use the interview for “basic questions” and

“follow up questions” Follow up to test and clarify initial responses

Using Summary Statements to build Competing Behavior Model List FBA summary statement Add “Desired Behavior” and maintaining

consequence Add “Alternative Behavior”

Socially appropriate Functionally equivalent (same function as prob beh) Efficient

Setting Events TriggeringAntecedents

MaintainingConsequences

Desired ReplacementBehavior

TypicalConsequences

Problem Behavior

Acceptable Replacement Behavior

Setting Events TriggeringAntecedents

MaintainingConsequences

Desired ReplacementBehavior

TypicalConsequences

Problem Behavior

Acceptable Replacement Behavior

Profanity,

Hit Teacher

Teacher request to do hard task

Peer Conflict

Avoid, escape task

Perform Task

Ask for Help, Ask for Break

Teacher praise and more work