Chapter 6

							             Chapter 6
• Developing a Hypothesis for Behavior
  Change: Functional Assessment and
  Functional Analysis




                  Chapter 6              1
              Maurice’s Behavior


• Read page 170:
  “At Whitier Middle School, the certain
  consequences for fighting is 2 days in-
  school suspension…”




                     Chapter 6              2
 TEC Special Issue on Functional Assessment and
               Behavior Disorders

• Behaviors occur in context of a child’s
  interaction with his or her environment.
• Changing inappropriate behaviors requires
  identifying and changing the environment.
• Challenging behaviors are meaningful and
  serve a purpose or function.


                     Chapter 6                    3
        Form and Function
• …form is what          • …function is
  teachers see a           what motivates
  student do.              the student to
                           perform the
                           action.


                   Chapter 6                4
 Drawbacks to focusing on form.
• Similar behaviors (reading assignments,
  doing homework) are done for dissimilar
  reasons (please teacher, maintain GPA, earn
  a scholarship)
• Dissimilar behaviors (reading assignments,
  calling out in class, pinching a peer) may be
  done for similar reasons (obtaining teacher
  attention)
                     Chapter 6                5
What is functional behavioral
        assessment?
 “…a set of information gathering
 strategies and instruments. Based
   on what precedes behavior and
     what follows it, patterns are
      identified that lead to the
        hypothesis.” (p. 178)

               Chapter 6             6
What is functional behavioral
        assessment?
    “…a multimethod problem-solving strategy for
    gathering information about the topography of a
   particular behavior (what is looks like), as well as
  the ecology (environmental variables) surrounding
                    its occurrence.”



Antecedent          Behavior Consequence

                          Chapter 6                       7
Part I Hypothesizing
functional assessment
               • The hypothesizing aspect
                 is described as functional
                 assessment. It generates
                 clues about the ‘whys,’
                 ‘whens,’ ‘with whoms,”
                 and ‘wheres’ of a
                 student’s behavior.




         Chapter 6                            8
     The hypothesis generating process tries to
                   determine…

• Are there events that consistently precede
  behaviors?
• What are the setting events for the antecedents,
  behavior, and consequences?
• Are there events that consistently follow
  behaviors?
• Can another behavior be taught/acquired that
  will serve the same function of the challenging
  behavior?

                       Chapter 6                     9
 5 functions that behaviors serve
• Gaining Attention (R+)
• Gaining a Tangible (R+)
• Gaining sensory stimulation (R+)

• Escaping external stimulation (R-)
• Escaping internal stimulation (R-)
                           Act: Generate examples.
                    Chapter 6                        10
      Tools used for functional
             assessment
• Rating Scales - based on a norm group
  – Recall the BRP

• Scatter Plot grids - based on observations
  – We’ll see page 186 two slides further.

• ABCs - based on observations
  – We’ll see pages 60-61 two slides further.
                       Chapter 6                11
       Functional Assessment Activity


•In your behavior change project,
what is the “form” of the behavior?
•Hypothesize what function you think
the behavior is serving? (Be specific
in terms of R+ or R-.)
•What made you conclude that this is
the function?

                   Chapter 6            12
Hypothesizing about why a behavior occurs can be
          based on different methods.
 •Rating Scales        Indirect Methods
 •Behavioral Interview
 (p. 181)

 •Scatter Plot Grids         Direct Methods
 (see pp. 185-187)

 •ABCs (see p. 187)
 •Anecdotal Records (pp. 59-62) See
 comparison to ABC on p. 61)

                     Chapter 6                 13
Part II Functional Analysis
            • …is a set of procedures for
              determining the function of a
              behavior by systematic
              manipulation of
              environmental variables,
              antecedents and
              consequences and
              documentation of their effect
              on the occurrence of the
              target behavior (p. 191)
            • …is a strategy of
              manipulating the student’s
              environment and observing
              the effect on behavior (p.
              178)
           Chapter 6                      14
    Functional Analysis: Common Hypotheses


• The behavior is
  getting attention
• The behavior results in
  escaping a demand
• The behavior occurs
  when student is alone
  (e.g., self-stimulation)
  (see pages 192)

                        Chapter 6            15
Functional Analysis: Two ABA Designs

              To test the hypothesis and
                 to develop an
                 intervention data are
                 gathered using a…
              • Reversal (ABAB) Design
                (See page 193)
              • Changing Conditions
                 Design
                 (See page 193)

                Chapter 6                  16
ABAB (Reversal) Design




         Chapter 6       17
Alternating Treatment Design




           Chapter 6           18
    IDEA & the Behavior Intervention Plan
“…attempts to link the management of behaviors
 that impede instruction with positive
 intervention strategies to reduce the occurrence
 of inappropriate behavior…” (p. 51)




                      Chapter 6                 19
               When do we use BIPs?




• …at time of development, review, or revision of
  an IEP…
• …an occurrence of behavior subjects a student to
  disciplinary action…(p. 51)
                       Chapter 6                     20
The Process: Step by step




          Chapter 6         21
http://cecp.air.org/fba/

              Read Trish vignette

              •ABC
              •Scatterplots
              •Interview
              •Rating scale


         Chapter 6                  22