A functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is a systematic process to identify the underlying causes or functions of challenging behaviors in individuals. It is a process that helps identify the function of a person’s behavior in educational or therapeutic settings to develop effective intervention plans. It teaches appropriate replacement behaviors and provides opportunities for students to generalize skills.
FBAs are based on the theory that behavior is functional, predictable, and changeable. They aim to understand why a person engages in certain behaviors, especially those that are disruptive or problematic. FBAs can address various behaviors, including academic, social, and emotional.
Academic-related behaviors could be not completing homework assignments or class work. Social or emotional behaviors may include hitting others, getting up from the desk frequently, calling others’ names, or refusing to follow classroom or school norms and expectations.
Functional Behavioral Assessment Purpose
FBAs help identify the purpose of a behavior and how to address it. They describe behavior in measurable terms. FBAs should provide the team with the following information:
- What the challenging behavior is in observable and measurable terms, and where, when, and with whom the behavior occurs;
- What the antecedents are (what typically occurs before the behavior);
- What consequences reinforce or maintain the behavior (what typically occurs after the behavior);
- What interventions and strategies have been tried previously, and their effects; and
- What the setting events are (what makes the problem behavior worse or more likely to occur).
Functional Behavioral Methods
Functional behavior assessments are divided into direct observation, information methods, and functional analysis. They have become a professional standard before implementing interventions to reduce challenging behaviors.
FBAs gather information through data collection, which uses various methods, including direct observations, interviews, document reviews, and person-centered planning. They generate a hypothesis about why a behavior occurs. They start by identifying triggers that precede the behavior and any conditions that follow the behavior that may reinforce it.
Usually, these behavior functions to serve more than one or more consequences:
- To gain attention.
- To escape or avoid tasks, situations, or people.
- To seek sensory stimulation or avoid sensory overload.
- To obtain a tangible object or activity.
A plan is developed to address the negative behavior. Often, it includes proactive strategies, teaching alternative behaviors, decreasing inappropriate behaviors, and changing environmental factors. This helps create positive behavior support plans that use a person’s strengths and weaknesses to guide interventions. The amount of detail included in the plan is based on the intensity and complexity of the assessed behaviors.
FBAs are often conducted for students in school settings when their behaviors interfere with learning, and they are essential in developing individualized interventions, especially for students with disabilities or special needs.
