Dr. Patti HershfeldtSheppard Pratt Health System/

Johns Hopkins Universityphershfe@jhsph.edu

◦ Overview of FBT Rationale 3 steps of FBT Strategies to Promote Use Case study

Importance of FBAs◦ Evidence-Based Practice◦ Value to educational process◦ Leads to validated Behavior Intervention Plans

(BIPs)◦ Leads to Important Changes in Student Behavior

BUT…..

FBAs Not Always Administered Why? Some reasons:

◦ Limited Time◦ Limited number of individuals trained to adequately

perform functional analysis (Van Acker, Borenson, Gable, & Potterson, 2005)

◦ Associated with special education◦ Limited technical assistance: FBAs

The Challenge: How to get the benefits of FBA in the current context of schools

Function Based Thinking: A process designed to provide classroom teachers a enhanced and systematic method of dealing with behavioral issues (Not FBA)

How Does it Differ From FBA? Ecological factors are ruled out

◦Double-Check (Hershfeldt, 2010)◦Classroom management

Considers context Simpler and user friendly Designed to support the needs of students

w/less severe behaviors When Used?

◦ Conventional tactics have not been successful◦ Likely candidates include our students in need of Tier 2

support “Yellow Zone”

Primary Prevention:School-/Classroom-Wide Systems for

All Students,Staff, & Settings

Secondary Prevention:Specialized Group

Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior

Tertiary Prevention:Specialized

IndividualizedSystems for Students

with High-Risk Behavior

~80% of Students

~15%

~5%

SCHOOL-WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR

SUPPORT

Differences between FBA and FBT

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) Function-Based Thinking (FBT)

A process and a product

Requires formal assessment and analysis

of comprehensive data

Involves multiple team members

Requires individual trained in behavior

analysis or functional assessment

Typically a lengthy and intensive

assessment and intervention process

Not often used as a preventative measure,

but rather instituted when more

problematic behaviors arise

A quick systematic way of thinking that

informs the selection of effective function-

based supports

A preliminary step, prior to an extensive

FBA

Only requires the teacher and an individual

knowledgeable of behavior management to

facilitate the learning process for teachers

Draws from the research-based components

of FBA

Designed to be used as an early intervention

strategy with mild to moderate behavior

problems

Designed to be used prior to involving the

student support team or outside supports

1. Gathering informationEmphasize data already collected by teachers

2. Development of a planEnsuring interventions match functionMatches teacher style and comfort level

3. Evaluation/monitoring of the planSimple

What other types of data do we collect?

Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence data Data comes in many forms:

◦ Student grades, homework and work completion, tardies, absences and even visits to the nurse or guidance office

Let the data define the problem◦ How do we know it’s a problem? “Show me

the data” ◦ Data bee…

Gather InformationDescribe the problem behavior: Form an operational definition of the problem behavior (targeted behavior)What information have you gathered about the behavior? When does it occur? What happens directly before the behavior (the trigger?) What happens directly after the behavior occurs (the consequence)? Do you detect any patterns? Hypothesize why the student may be exhibiting the problem behavior. Behaviors typically occur for a limited number of reasons, which do you hypothesize is the reason this student is demonstrating the behavior Attention or Avoidance

Its easy to become overwhelmed and rely on whatever intervention might have worked with a previous student

Research suggests selecting an intervention that addresses the function of the behavior yields higher success in changing the targeted behavior (Scott et al., 2005)

Should take into consideration the function of the behavior◦ Answer the question WHY?

Replace the targeted behavior- not punish◦ Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day

Identify personnel that could help the student learn the new behavior◦ Be sure the personnel have the training to

support the student

Avoidance◦ Unfamiliar w/the process or content◦ Academic deficits◦ Capacity (too much)◦ Engagement (material isn’t engaging)◦ Social skill deficit (doesn’t know how to

interact w/ peers and adults) Access

◦ Attention from peers, adults, to a favorite task

Macintosh, et al. (2008)

Avoidance◦ To avoid a task ◦ To avoid a person/interaction (less common)

What to do◦ Premack◦ Build in breaks ◦ Permit escape for a specified time

Access (Attention-Seeking)◦ Engages in behavior to satisfy (unconscious)

need for attention Chronic blurting out, excessive helplessness,

tattling, minor disruptions What to do:

◦ Be careful about reinforcing the “problem behavior”

◦ Planned ignoring◦ Provide attention and reinforce positive

behavior◦ Teach an alternate way to access attention

Does the student have the skill?◦ Lacks ability or knowledge about how to behave

What to do:◦ Explore psychological or constitutional factors◦ Have capacity for insight?

If yes: Conduct lessons to develop skills and knowledge about appropriate behavior Model, reinforce, and provide feedback

If no: Make accommodations

Is the student aware? ◦ Truly unaware that behavior is problematic◦ Defensive, argumentative

What to do:◦ Provide feedback◦ Develop a signal to cue the student about the

misbehavior◦ Develop a self-monitoring and evaluation

strategy

Develop a planIf the student is trying to access attention then how can he/she get attention in a way that is okay in the setting ? If the student is trying to avoid a task or interaction how can the student avoid the task (at least temporarily) that is okay in the setting? Operationally define the goal behavior you would ‘ideally’ like the student to demonstrate? Knowing that learning new behaviors takes time (just like w/academics), what behavior would you ‘settle for’ while the student develops mastery of the new behavior? Is there anyone else (aside from you and the student) that could help the student learn or could reinforce the student when he demonstrates the new behavior? How will you reward the student for demonstrating the new behavior (reinforcement increases the likelihood that the behavior will happen again)?Is there anything that will prevent the student from being successful with this plan (substitute, no breakfast…)? How will we address this ahead of time?

Data collection should be on-going and simple(Jenson, Rhode, and Reavis (1995) in the Tough Kid Tool Box)

Periodically compared with the baseline◦ How else do you know if it is working? Reported to those involved

◦ including the student ◦ self-monitoring most effective

Measuring the success of the planHow will you know if the new behavior is happening more often? If the old behavior is happening less often?

Teacher willing and able Training in FBT On-going coaching Evaluation (Fixsen, Naoom, Blasé, Friedman, & Wallace,

2005).

How will you support teachers in changing their behavior?

Discuss methods for getting this information to teachers.

Who is available to provide initial and ongoing support to teachers as they learn FBT?

SYSTEMS – Support Staff Behavior

PRACTICES – Support Student Behavior

DATA + Culture – Supports Decision Making

PBIS “3-Circles” Problem-Solving Worksheet

Targeted Problem: _______________________ Step 1: What does the data say?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 4: What will we do to support staff?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 3: What will we do to support student behavior?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 2: What is the goal?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

29(VDOE ESD Project, 2011)

Student level◦ Rule out ecological factors◦ Empower the teacher to think functionally and

plan accordingly Classroom level

◦ Classroom Check Up (Reinke, Lewis-Palmer, & Merrill, 2008 )

School level◦ Use of school-wide data◦ Data based decision making

Tier 3

Tier 2

Tier 1Triangle Triangle Activity:Activity:

Applying the Applying the Three-Tiered Three-Tiered

Logic to Logic to Your SchoolYour School

PBIS Team uses FBT for SW Problem Solving

Classroom level Problem Solving

FBA for Individual level problem solving

FBT for Individual student problem solving

Two students calling out frequently, disrupting the learning of others

Step 1: Collect information◦ When◦ Where◦ Who was involved◦ ABC observations

Step 2: Develop a plan◦ Answer the question WHY? ◦ Teach and reinforce the replacement behavior:

“ask for help”

Step 3: Evaluate/monitor the plan

What did the student do ?(Be specificMeasurable /observableWhat, when, who, )

How do I feel? What do I usually do?What do I say?What do I look like/sound like?

As a result, what does the student do?

What is maintaining the behavior?Why is it happening?

Student shoved his book on the floor in the direction of his neighbors feet when I asked the class to begin working independently on their math assignments

I feel startled at first and then I get anxious

I usually send him to the office to conference w/the principal. I tell him, “Go straight there – do not pass go…”

He spends the remainder of math class waiting for the principal to see him.

AvTI believe he escaping to the office to avoid independent work in math.

Adapted from Cooperative Discipline- Linda Albert-

AA =Access adult attention; AP =Access peer attention; AC =access to choice; AI =Access to item; AvP = Avoid peer attention; AvA =Avoid adult attention; AvT = avoid task

Activity : Staff Response Form

On the Road to Success

Fixsen, D.L., Naoom, S.F., Blasé, K.A., Friedman, R.M. & Wallace, F., (2005). Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, The National Implementation Research Network (FMHI Publication #231).

Hershfeldt, P.A., Rosenberg, M.S. & Bradshaw, C.P. (2010) Function based thinking: A systematic way of thinking about function and its role in changing student behavior problems. Beyond Behavior 19(2).

McIntosh, K., Horner, R. H., Chard, D. J., Dickey, C. R., & Braun, D. H. (2008). Reading and skills in function of problem behavior in typical school settings. Journal of Special Education, 42(3), 131-147.

Reinke, W.M., Lewis-Palmer, T., & Merrell, K. (2008) The classroom check-up: A class wide teacher consultation model for increasing praise and decreasing disruptive behavior. School Psychology Review, 37(3).

Scott, T. M., McIntyre, J., Liaupsin, C., Nelson, C. M., Conroy, M., & Payne, L. (2005). An examination of the relation between functional behavior assessment and selected intervention strategies with school-based teams. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 7, 205-215.

Van Acker, R., Borenson, L., Gable, R.A., & Potterson, T. (2005) . Are we on the right course? Lessons learned about current FBA/BIP practices in schools. Journal of Behavior Education, 14(1).