Function Junction
“Don’t Call The Neurosurgeon
When You Only Need An Aspirin”
We know that
Problem Behavior:
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Hampers learning opportunities
Decreases quality of life
Results in exclusion
Leads to increased involvement with social
and judicial systems
• Impacts school completion
Federal Legislation--There is now an expectation that
we address both academic and behavioral aspects of
student performance
Academic Systems
Behavioral Systems
Intensive, Individual Interventions
•Individual Students
•Assessment-based
•High Intensity
1-5%
5-10%
Targeted Group Interventions
•Some students (at-risk)
•High efficiency
•Rapid response
Universal Interventions
•All students
•Preventive, proactive
80-90%
1-5%
5-10%
Intensive, Individual Interventions
•Individual Students
•Assessment-based
•Intense, durable procedures
Targeted Group Interventions
•Some students (at-risk)
•High efficiency
•Rapid response
80-90%
Universal Interventions
•All settings, all students
•Preventive, proactive
Legal Framework
Discipline Procedures
§300.530 Authority of school personnel.
(b) General. (1) School personnel under this
section may remove a child with a disability who
violates a code of student conduct from his or
her current placement
(d) Services. (1) A child with a disability who is
removed from the child’s current placement
pursuant to paragraphs (c), or (g) of this section
must—
(ii) Receive, as appropriate, a functional
behavioral assessment, and behavioral
intervention services and modifications, that are
designed to address the behavior violation so
that it does not recur.
Legal Framework (continued)
(f) Determination that behavior was a
manifestation. If the LEA, the parent, and relevant
members of the IEP Team make the determination
that the conduct was a manifestation of the child’s
disability, the IEP Team must-(1) Either-–
(i) Conduct a functional behavioral assessment,
unless the LEA had conducted a functional
behavioral assessment before the behavior that
resulted in the change of placement occurred,
and implement a behavioral intervention plan for
the child; or
(ii) If a behavioral intervention plan already has
been developed, review the behavioral
intervention plan, and modify it, as necessary, to
address the behavior; and…
Legal Framework: IDEA 2004
Current
Thinking
Antecedents are critical
in changing behavior
Focus: What can we
actively do
(teach/structure
environment) to change
the behavior?
Past
Practice
Consequences were
attempted to be made
so compelling that the
student would stop a
behavior
Focus: What must the
student do to avoid or to
get something we
provide?
The Difference
Consequence-based
plans: For many students,
neither a strong enough
punishment nor a strong
enough reinforcer can be
found to change the
behavior;
Antecedent-based plans:
Can result in changing
environmental conditions
and student skills for
lasting change
Legal Framework: IDEA 2004
Current
Thinking
Past
Practice
Philosophy: Positive
behavior needs to be
taught (modeled,
shaped, cued) in a
supportive environment.
Philosophy: Problem
behavior needs to be
controlled or eliminated.
Positive behavior is to
be expected regardless
of the environment.
The Difference
Controlling behavior:
Becoming increasingly
more difficult in today’s
classrooms;
Teaching behavior: Has
the potential for lasting
change
“BEHAVIOR” related to academics
It is common practice in education to:
• Assume student refuses to cooperate
• Assume student knows what is right and has been
told often enough
• provide more negative consequences
• Withdraw student from normal social context
• Maintain student removal from normal context
• Assume student has “learned” lesson and will
behave in future
Best Practices & I.D.E.A.
• In cases of a change in placement due to
disciplinary action a functional behavioral
assessment must be conducted to inform the
development of a behavior intervention plan
• In the case of a child whose behavior impedes his
or her learning or that of others, consider, when
appropriate, strategies, including positive
behavioral interventions, strategies, and supports
to address that behavior
General guidelines about when to
conduct FBA/BIPs
• When suspending a child with a disability
from educational services
• Review the plan when a child with a BIP is
again suspended
• Whenever behavior impedes student’s
learning or that of others
But What About General Ed.?
• On a whole, general education students miss
more instruction time for behavioral issues
than special education students.
• Unnecessary referrals of students are made to
special education with hope they will qualify
for services and behavior interventions will
occur.
Determining Need for FBA
• Examine behavior
– Serious
– Persistent
– Chronic
– Threat to safety of student or others
• Examine previous interventions
– Evidence-based practices
– Implemented with fidelity and integrity
Functional Behavioral
Assessment (FBA)
Definition:
“A process whereby informed
hypothesis statements are developed
about relationships between events in
the environment and the occurrence of
a student’s challenging behavior.”
Johnson & Dunlap, 1993
Define the Behavior
• Describe what the behavior ‘looks’ like
– Use exact quotes
– Describe body movements/gestures
– Resist interpreting or embellishing
– Use verbs, not adjectives
• Describe the sequence of events
• Explain what did or did not happen
Operationalize the Behavior
• Use terms that are
– Measurable
– Observable
Operational Definitions
• Describe only the behavior you
observe
• Use no interpretations or
embellishments
• Use verbs, not descriptive terms
• Use specific, non-evaluative
descriptions
Operational Definitions
Examples:
Vague
-uncooperative
-self-injurious
-self-stimming
-aggressive
-disrespectful
-belligerent
Operational
-throwing materials
-bangs head on wall
-flapping hands
-hits others with his hands
-calls others profane names
-responding with the
following profanities
when asked to complete
a task:
Behavioral Complaints Typically Used
in Education:
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Student won’t do his work
Student doesn’t work to his potential
Student is disruptive in class
Student is attention seeking
Student likes to make me angry
FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR
ASSESSMENT
• Why?
– The majority of student behavior is purposeful.
– Behavior (appropriate and inappropriate) is
related to the context(s) in which it occurs.
– Behavior is influenced by past-to-present events.
– Behavior serves a predictive function.
Why..
• To acknowledge that the individual’s problem behavior is
functional (see following slide)
• To understand the structure and function of the problem
behavior to teach and promote effective alternatives
• To provide a process that eliminates “blame” on the
individual, but rather examines the relationship between the
individual and environment
What FBA is NOT:
• The form that goes with the BIP in the ARD
What FBA IS:
A process of determining why
a student engages in
challenging behavior
and how the student’s
behavior relates to
the environment
• Through this process, we can gather:
• Description of problem behavior
• Prediction of occurrence
• Identification of consequences maintaining problem
behavior
• Development of hypotheses
• Data to support hypotheses
What FBA is NOT:
Information gathered simply from
the memory of event(s)
What FBA IS:
Data collected through direct
observation across places,
times, task and other demands,
other persons present, changing
conditions, etc.
The Function of Behavior
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Who
What
When
Where
Why
So What?
Things to know before you start…
• Problem Behavior Serves a Purpose!
• COMMUNICATION!!!
• We can’t fix it until we know why it’s broken.
• One size does not fit all.
• No one gives up something for nothing.
Escape
• Unpleasant or difficult tasks
• Changes in routine or transitions
• Attention from certain people
• Corrective feedback
Acquire
• Assistance
• Social interaction
• Attention from peers and adults
• Sensory Stimulation
Functions for Most Problem
Behaviors:
Get peer attention
Gain access to
preferred activity
Get adult attention
Get reward or
tangible item
Get sensory
stimulation
Escape or delay a
difficult task or
non - preferred
activity
Escape or avoid a
demanding
situation
Internal/External Stimulus
• Automatic Reinforcement
– The sound of your own voice
– Butterflies in the stomach (thrill-seekers)
– A sight, sound or feeling that is pleasing
– Etc.
Tangibles
• Food
• Toys
• Money
• Special Events
Is an FBA justified?
• Before going to the process of an FBA…decide
“who cares”
– Is the behavior important to ME?
– Or to the student(s)?
– If it just bothers US…is it really justified?
Getting started…
• Data Gathering Tools
– Interview/Questionnaires (i.e.,
Teacher/Student/Family)
– Checklists
• Observation
– A-B-C forms
PURPOSES FOR DATA COLLECTION:
• to determine current level of
learning/behavior (baseline)
• to investigate learning/behavioral event
(A-B-C)
• to measure progress toward
learning/behavioral goals
• to guide “next steps” in programming
(adjustments)
ABC Data
A
B
C
Identifying Antecedents
Academic Tasks
Walking Around the room
Verbal Refusal
Talking with Peers
Identifying Consequences
Consequences
•Student given time-out
•Teacher gives
praise/attention
BEHAVIOR
•Student gets free time
•Teacher reprimands student
•Teacher redirects student
•Student gets good grade
Example
Time
Setting
Ant.
Beh.
Consq
10:01
Math seat
work
Teacher
gives
sheet
Tom says, Teacher
“No”
glares
10:05
Math seat
work
Tom talks Peer looks
to peer
at Tom
10:06
Math seat
work
Teacher
says
“Stop
talking”
Teacher
says “
Get Busy”
Tom ‘flips Teacher
the bird’ sends to
office
Analyze your data
• Identify
– Patterns that emerge from information collected
– Circumstances under which behavior is most and
least likely to occur
– Function(s) of behavior.
– Broader variables that affect student’s behavior
• Summarize information in clear, concise, and
accurate statements
– Specific hypothesis
– General hypothesis
Form a Hypothesis
– under x conditions….
– the student does y….
– in order to z.
• Under X Conditions
– When Susan does not get what she verbally
demands from her peers….
• The student does Y
– she screams and hits them….
• To get Z
– until they give in to her
toy)
(e.g., give up
Create a general hypothesis
statement:
• Susan engages in aggression (hitting,
etc.) to peers in order to get positive
reinforcers (access to preferred
activities, tangibles)
Test your hypothesis
– Can I improve (or worsen) the behavior by
changing one or more of the setting events,
antecedents, and/or consequences of the
behavior?
Make Recommendations
• select a replacement behavior.
– Does the student have the
academic skills necessary to
achieve expected tasks?
– Does the student have the
skills necessary to perform
expected, new behaviors?
– Does the student have the
skill, but, for some reason,
not the desire to modify his
or her behavior?
1. Summary of observations and data
collected
2. Make recommendation that address
function and needs of student
3. Develop behavior support plan with
teachers/support staff
• Goal replacement behavior(s)
– Short-term objectives
– Long-term objectives
• Teaching and reinforcing plan for student to
reach the goal
– What, who, when, how student will be taught and
reinforced
– How to eliminate current response to challenging
behavior
• Environmental changes & supports
• Plan for evaluating success