A functional behavior assessment (FBA) is a means for collecting data on problematic or challenging behaviors. The purpose of a functional behavior assessment is to understand why maladaptive behaviors occur so that a child’s educators, therapists, parents, and caregivers can develop an effective behavioral intervention plan.
Learn the more in-depth answer to “What is a functional behavior assessment?” below.
Who Uses a Functional Behavior Assessment?
ABA therapists, teachers, and parents or caregivers use FBAs. Because of the nature of what an FBA is, functional behavior assessments are used as the foundation of a behavioral intervention plan (BIP). They are more often used for children but can be useful for assessing adult behavior as well.
Functional behavior assessments are a common tool that ABA therapists use before creating ABA therapy plans. Teachers are often the professionals who first identify the need for an FBA, as they are frequently with the child for long stretches each day and witness the full range of their behavior.
Who Performs an FBA?
A Board Certificated Behavior Analyst (BCBA) performs functional behavior assessments.
While parents and teachers may correctly identify certain patterns of behavior, they frequently lack the expertise necessary to conduct a proper FBA. BCBAs will know what data to collect and record to provide a complete and accurate assessment of the child.
What Is Included in a Functional Behavior Assessment?
The three parts of an FBA are direct observations, indirect observations, and behavior hypothesis.
- Direct Observation of the Child
The BCBA will observe the child in various environments, such as at home and in school, in order to identify the situations where maladaptive behaviors frequently occur. During the assessment, the BCBA strictly serves in an observer role and does not attempt to referee a child’s behavior unless the child becomes a threat to themselves or someone else.
The BCBA will note potential triggers, environmental factors, and the child’s reaction to both. This is often called “The ABC Method”, which stands for:
- Anecdote: What happens before the behavior occurs
- Behavior: How the child reacts to the anecdote
- Consequences: The result of the behavior
BCBAs are meticulous in their observations. For example, instead of noting that the child is “being disruptive,” they may write that the “child is constantly jostling other students’ desks.” These details are necessary to create precise hypotheses and effective intervention plans.
- Indirect Observation of the Child
Indirect observation involves information-gathering methods that do not require first-hand observation of the dysfunctional behavior. Examples may include interviews, education and health records, and surveys from those who regularly interact with the child. Such records help establish whether these behaviors are a recent development or part of an ongoing pattern.
When gathering information, a BCBA will talk to teachers, parents, siblings, and anyone else close to the child. Depending on the situation and age of the child, the BCBA may also talk to the child directly to understand their perspective.
The BCBA will ask questions like:
- How often does the behavior occur?
- Do you notice any patterns before or after the behavior?
- Are any lifestyle changes or events happening in the child’s life right now?
- Why do you think the child acts this way?
- Has the child told you how they feel when the behavior occurs?
In addition to interviews, the BCBA may administer surveys to get multiple perspectives on the situation.
- Behavior Hypothesis
Once the BCBA collects all the data, they will create a hypothesis for why the behaviors are occurring. The hypothesis will include a thorough description of the behavior, a list of possible causes, and a summary of how the child is feeling during the event.
Reasons for the behavior may include:
- Attention seeking
- A desire to escape a certain situation
- The lack of a specific skill
- An attempt to gain something
The BCBA presents the data as a hypothesis because, until the intervention plan starts, they cannot say with 100% certainty the cause of the behavior. If the hypothesis is wrong, the BCBA will alter the hypothesis based on the new information gathered during treatment.
Example of an FBA
Each functional behavioral assessment will differ, but here is a typical example:
John struggles to listen to teachers’ instructions in the afternoon. Occasionally, he will also act restless (moving around, tapping his desk, leg bouncing), which distracts other students. This appears to occur more in the afternoon than in the morning. It also occurs on non-school days when he’s tasked with focusing for long periods.
One possible explanation is that John has built up energy and is struggling to focus because he lacks the time or space to run, move, and burn off excess energy.
The FBA can look different depending on the child’s needs or a BCBA’s documentation style. For example, it may include a chart highlighting multiple recorded behaviors.
Discover How We Can Help With an FBA
Our BCBAs can assist with developing a functional behavior assessment in various service areas in California. We’ll take the time to understand your child’s specific needs and perspective, which allows us to create customized plans for skill development and improvement. We also offer caregiver training so parents can take a proactive role in their child’s development.
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