Functional Behavioral Assessment

The Behavior Rating Profile, Second Edition is an instrument that’s designed for student’s ranging from 6 to 18. The purpose of the BRP-2 is to help identify students with emotional, behavioral, personal, or social adjustment problems in many settings. The BRP-2 assesses behavior at home, in school, and in interpersonal relationships for individuals. According to Kelley, Reitman, & Noell (2003), “The system is comprised of six elements, which can be used independently, or in conjunction with each other to provide a more “ecological” view of the individual’s behavioral functioning” (p. 132). There are three Student Rating Scales, a Parent Rating Scale (home), a Teacher Rating Scale (school), and a Sociogram (peers). The Sociogram is not really a scale, but provides a classroom based peer nomination procedure. The assessment should be given to the teacher, the parents, and used to observe Jay during a peer interaction

When a student who has a disability’s educational placement is changed due to challenging behavior, a functional behavior assessment must be conducted. Functional behavior assessment (FBA) is used to aid in the development of behavior intervention plans (BIP’s). In a functional assessment, the type and the source of reinforcement for problem behaviors are used as a basis for intervention efforts that are designed to increase occurrence. Functional analysis can also be used to determine the specific function of a behavior, but FBA’s are more commonly used, especially in school settings. In a functional analysis (FA), antecedents and consequences that represent those in the person’s natural environment are arranged so that their effects on the problem behavior can be observed and measured. The difference between a functional analysis and functional behavior assessment is that the assessment establishes a connection between the behavior and antecedent or the consequent variables, but a functional analysis identifies informal relationships. For this reason, a functional analysis is seen to be a more valid tool for identifying the function of a behavior; however, there are limitations to using a functional analysis. This method may momentarily strengthen the problem behavior or result in the behavior acquiring new functions. Federal mandates like IDEA 2004 and school reforms such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) have played a role in the increase of the

The BASC- 2 BESC consists of 3 different rating scales taken by the BASC-2 (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004). The authors of the BASC-2 BESS composed the assessment to identify: externalizing problems, internalizing problems, school problems, adaptive skills/personal adjustment, and inattention/hyperactivity. The rating scales can be completed in 5 minutes and a Level 2 recipient with no specialized training can administer the test. The rating scales are: Teacher Rating Scale (TRS – 27 items), Parent/Caregiver Scale (PRS – 30 items), and a student Self-Report of Personality (SRP – 30 items). A 4-point frequency scale is used – never, sometimes, often, and almost always (BASC-2 BESC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2007). Each rating scale is straightforward and

|The duration of this behavior is exhibited daily in 3 out of 6 class periods. |

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. (BACB) has adopted ten guidelines for professional conduct for behavior analyst. Guideline four discusses, The Behavior Analyst and the Individual Behavior Change Program. The guideline states, “The behavior analyst (a) designs programs that are based on behavior analytic principles, including assessments of effects of other intervention methods, (b) involves the client or the client-surrogate in the planning of such programs, (c) obtains the consent of the client, and (d) respects the right of the client to terminate services at any time.” Within guideline four, Least Restrictive Procedures 4.10 dictates, “The behavior analyst reviews and appraises the restrictiveness of alternative interventions and always recommends the least restrictive procedures likely to be effective in dealing with a behavior problem” (Bailey & Burch, 2011.) Based on our ethical guidelines as future behavior analyst we must guarantee our clients interventions are the least restrictive. Promoting least restrictive interventions in school settings ensures the utilization of antecedent manipulations. Utilizing antecedent manipulations may assist with deescalating or preventing further maladaptive behavior. Preventing maladaptive behavior decreases the risks of potential negative side effects such as emotional responding. Employing our ethical guidelines ensures the dignity of our students and promotes student independence.

Content area I: Assessment, includes the task list items I-02: Define environmental variables in observable and measurable terms and I-04: Design and implement the full range of functional assessment procedures (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2012). My submission for this content area is the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), which was completed in SPE 568. This artifact demonstrates how to use measurable and observable terms to define environmental variables, and effectively design FBA procedures.

The importance of the Functional Behavior Assessments lies in the 1997 Reauthorization of IDEA that mandates “the use of FBA and BPS to address chronic and excessive problem behaviors” (Wheeler & Richey, 2010). More specifically IDEA states in Sec. 1414(d)(3)(B)(i), that: “In the case of a child whose behavior impedes his or her learning or that of others, the child’s IEP team must consider, when appropriate, strategies, including positive behavior intervention strategies and supports to address that behavior” (Wheeler & Richey, 2010)

One of the most crucial parts of successfully managing a classroom does not only have to do with providing a child with a great education, but also having the ability to successfully manage behavior in order to have a strongest learning environment possible. There are two important questions a teacher needs to try to answer when collecting data on a behavior. The first is "does the target behavior happen frequently enough to warrant a formal intervention program?" (Lee, 2011) , as well as "Has the intervention changed the target behavior to a more acceptable level?" (Lee, 2011). These questions can be answered by knowing how to successfully track and monitor behavior with the use of tracking behavior through data summarizing sheets and graphs,

There were a variety of high and low level activities for the campers to engage in. Layla was fully functional and able to participate in all activities assigned. Her physical capabilities were within normal limits for her age group. Layla did injure her ankle at camp; however, she maintained full mobility, and it did not prevent her from future activities. Layla engaged in all exercises with the other campers and performed exceptionally.

As state by the student scenario, Gloria is self-biting when being reprimanded by an adult or peer. The scenario also states that a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) has been conducted, and suggests that Gloria is self-biting as an avoidance/escaping behavior to avoid situations where she is being reprimanded. To support Gloria in reducing the self-biting behavior, I would take a proactive approach and implement positive reinforcements. First I would review the FBA, to make note of when and in what situations the negative behavior was occurring most often. I would assess these situations to see if there were factors contributing to the behavior that could be altered or removed. I would then devise a behavior intervention plan (BIP) that

According to Villalba, Latus, Hamilton, and Kendrick (2005), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates all students in special education classes must be provided with counseling services as part of their right to a free and appropriate education (FAPE). Furthermore, the act mandates those students in special education classes who display inappropriate behavior must have a functional behavior assessment (FBA) on their record, which is developed by a team of school providers, including counselors, and used to create and implement a behavioral intervention plan (BIP).

The implications of these results are that we need to provide support to teachers and increase universal practices for all students. The teachers in our study were effective in their use of classroom behavior management. More importantly, previous research has demonstrated that when teachers are effective behavior managers, they experience less burnout, and have students with fewer disruptive behaviors (Ritz, Noltemeyer, Davis, and Green, 2014). However, most teachers do not feel they are effective in working with challenging behavior and request more assistance in this area (personal communication, 2015). Continuation of staff development training for teachers can guide teachers on appropriate practices as well as increasing behavior strategies. In fact, these strategies can be addressed to parents and be applied in the home

The PBIS framework provides behavior supports through essential strategies that enhance academics and social outcomes in schools, (Responsive Classroom and PBIS Can Schools Use Them Together, n.d). According to the Office of Special Education Programs Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, OSEP TA Center on PBIS (2013) it is reported that school-wide PBIS has been implemented in 50 states and over 19,000 schools across the United States. Hence, the PBIS framework is a structure that provides a strong foundation in positive discipline. Using positive discipline and positive reinforcement centers the attention on desired outcomes and redirection. Some of the strategies include a focus on skill teaching, the use of positive statements through respectful practices, data-based decision making and the implementation of three tiers of positive behavior support to meet the variety of student needs. Tier one is intended to support all students in all situations (Responsive Classroom and PBIS Can Schools Use Them Together, n.d). This is done through the use of common language, positive reinforcements, frequent verbal connections of behavior to expectation, morning and closing classroom meetings, logical consequences and problem-solving

Under Functional Behavior Assessment a Behavior intervention plan or a “BIP” is a detailed outline designed for a specific behavior that a child may be experiencing. The detailed outlined is used to change the behavior of concern examples are off-task behaviors meaning; drawing when the child is supposed to be working on an academic task or oppositional behaviors meaning; child often argues with adults or people in authority. There are many reasons a child should have a BIP. One reason is to reduce problem behaviors so that a child may learn to the best of his/her ability and another is to keep themselves and others safe in the environment that they are in.

In applied behavior analysis behaviorists use techniques such as functional behavior assessment (FBA), to create functionally-based interventions that target maladaptive behavior. The goal of an FBA is to identify the conditions that predict behavior and the consequences that maintain behavior (Carr et al., 2002). If the link between antecedent, behavior, and consequence can be established, it will be possible to alter a behavior by changing its predictive stimuli and maintaining consequences (Bender, 2015). After forming this link by collecting data, a behavior intervention plan (BIP) will be created to diminish problem behavior (Bender, 2015). This BIP must target the function of the behavior and