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Assessing the Function of Behavior (FBA)

  • Goal: understand why a behavior happens
  • Focus on environmental events
  • Leads to effective supports
  • (Course topic: FBA → BIP)

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What Is Functional Behavioral Assessment?

  • Understand purpose/function of a specific behavior
  • Identify predictors (what happens before)
  • Identify maintainers (what happens after)
  • Behavior shaped by environment

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FBA in Positive Behavior Support

  • PBS step: Gather information (FBA)
  • Use function to design effective interventions
  • Prioritize when behavior limits participation/learning
  • Teams plan → implement → evaluate

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Behavior Is Communication—Common Functions

  • GET/OBTAIN: attention • tangible • sensory
  • ESCAPE/AVOID: tasks • people • sensory
  • Teach a replacement behavior with same function
  • Reflection: “What might the student be trying to get or avoid?”

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The FBA Workflow (Overview)

  • Define target behavior
  • Collect info (multiple sources)
  • Analyze patterns (ABC)
  • Hypothesize function
  • Use results to build BIP

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How We Gather Information (3 Sources)

  • Records review: school/medical/diagnostic
  • Interviews: teacher • parent • student • staff
  • Observations: what happens before/during/after
  • Use more than one source

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The ABC Model

  • A (Trigger/Antecedent): what happens right before
  • B (Behavior): observable, measurable action
  • C (Consequence): what happens right after
  • C often explains why it repeats

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Define the Behavior (Operational Definition)

  • Avoid labels: “disruptive,” “noncompliant”
  • Define what you can see/hear
  • Include start/stop examples
  • Mini example: “Disruptive” → “calls out without hand-raising during instruction”

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Develop a Hypothesis Statement

  • Identify consistent A (predictors)
  • Identify consistent C (outcomes)
  • Decide: Get vs Escape
  • Template: When ___, student ___, to ___.
  • Reflection: “What does the student reliably gain or avoid?”

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Hypothesis Example + What’s Next

  • Example (ABC): block area + peers approach → hits → adult attention + peer removed
  • Likely function: Get attention and/or escape peers
  • Next: teach replacement + adjust triggers/consequences
  • Use FBA to build a Behavior Support Plan (BIP)