Functional Behavioral Assessment Essay

Functional behavior assessments are very useful to teachers because they will help to identify reasons for inappropriate behaviors of a student. Not only will the assessment peal back the layers of a student's behavior but it can also reveal how to change the inappropriate behavior. Students with disabilities will have inappropriate behaviors in order to communicate with the teacher and adults involved in their day. These behaviors could appear for something as simple as the disabled students refuses to write down what they were asked to, because they are not able to spell or write a word. Students without disabilities may also behave in an inappropriate way because they may not be able to spell or write a word. The functional behavior assessment will guide a teacher to know what subject or even what part of a subject is challenging to a student.

Cole’s mother and English teacher completed BASC II scales. The BASC II measures a student’s emotional, behavioral, and adaptive functioning. The score that is used for the scale is the T-score. The T-score indicates the distance of a score from the norm group mean. The BASC II has a mean T-score of 50 with a standard deviation of 10. Scores ranging 60 to 69 are considered to be in the At-Risk range. The T-scores that are 70+ are in the Clinically Significant range. On the Adaptive Scale portion of the BASC II, the T-Scores that are from 30 to 39 are in the At-Risk range. The T-scores that are below 29 are in the Clinically Significant range.

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.

Another program would be the applied behavior analysis department (ABA) this program provides behavior diagnostic services to the children with developmental needs. This program is also connected to the board certified behavior analysts (BCBA). The BCBA are intense therapy treatment that is based on scientifically tested behavioral principles and procedures. The ABA involves steady evaluation of treatment progress and clinical decision-making based on each child. ABA is the only treatment approach with rigorous scientific evidence to support its effectiveness as both comprehensive and focused treatment. The psychology services pay attention to attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays, behavioral; disorders, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and difficulties associated with genetic disorders. They start evaluating the students by reviewing their historical background and looking at their past academic history. The Child Development Clinic (CDC) is another program that is provided. It is a multidisciplinary clinic that includes a psychologist and social worker. The psychologist may administer rating scales, cognitive, language, and/or developmental screeners as well as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2). Afterwards, the psychologist provides the family with a diagnosis (there may be more than one),

According to Raymond (2012), “FBA is the process of gathering information about a learner’s behaviors in order to determine the purpose of a problem behavior in addition to its antecedents and consequences”. This process is for all students regardless if they have a disability or not. Once the target behavior has been implemented, a hypothesis can be developed and more effective behavioral interventions can be designed and implemented, including PBIS. All data used to create these implementations need to be “recent…properly collected and interpreted”. In addition to our textbook’s information, I also found this: “Functional behavioral assessment is a test that is meant for identifying the reason for behaviors displayed by individuals with severe cognitive and communication problems. (…) The following are key benefits gained from a functional behavioral assessment.

Anthonio “Tony” Ceja is a fifteen-year, six-month old male diagnosed with Autism (ASD) per Psychological Assessment evaluation administered 2003, by an Inland Regional Center Psychologist.

List two potential problems that a nurse may discover in an assessment of each age group.

Behavior is reinforced when one or more of the following Guidelines for Success (G.F.S.) are met:

The B.A.T clinical team met John’s mother, Terese and Father, John II on October 3rd, 2016, at Terese’s home. On this date the clinical team conducted an indirect functional assessment, which consisted of a parent interview and a review of ABA services in relation to John. The clinical team gathered information regarding John’s history (as outlined in the section above) and inquired about the challenges they encounter, including all behaviors that are of concern. John was present during the visit.

List two potential problems that a nurse may discover in an assessment of each age group.

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

One strength of using the FBA/BIP assessments is that it allows you to break down what has been observed to find out the antecedent, function, and consequences of the behavior. The FBA allows you to figure out what the cause is to the behavior, and the BIP helps you figure out the replacement to the target behavior. The target behavior is defined as, “the behavior targeted for observation measurement, and assessment, and/or modification” (Zirpoli, 2016, p. 121) It also helps you see if the student has the necessary skills to change the target behavior and if the student’s 504 plan or IEP goals are too hard or too easy. Another strength is that it states the setting and situations in which the behavior occurs or does not occur, and who isn’t present when it does or does not occur. It’s important to look at these to figure out these factors as it will determine the possible functions of the

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is one of the most misunderstood methods of reinforcement. ABA also is referred to as ‘behavior modification’, which is the main contributor of the negative connotation with this method. ABA is the application of behavioral learning principles to change behavior (Woolfolk 256). Applied Behavior Analysis can be very successful in the classroom if done correctly. However, to begin this, one must study a student to decide what reinforcers will best work to modify the behavior.

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

Most contemporary psychological treatment approaches are predecessors of the ancient and medieval philosophies and theories. Cognitive behavioural therapy as one of the modern treatment method in not an independently formed treatment, different theories have contributed to its present shape and application.