PYRAMID PLUS APPROACH

Session 17: Functional Behavior Assessment

Learning Objectives

Participants will gain an understanding of the purpose and function of behavior interventions

Participants will learn the components of ABC’s and how to apply those to shaping behaviors

Participants will learn the importance of identifying functions of behavior

Participants will gain tools for conducting FBA’s and will practice using these tools

Intensive Interventions

Functional Behavior Assessment

PTRLEAP

Benjamin Franklin…

“The definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and then expecting different results.”

Video

Perception

Who has challenging behavior?

Who’s problem is it?…

Large Group Discussion

Reframing

Behavior____________

Unmet Need_________

Terms

ABA – Applied Behavior Analysis• Scientific study of behavior• Focuses on both biology and environmental

factors• Components Include: measurable, baseline logic

(with baseline data and able to be replicated), assessment/data driven

LOVAAS Model- of ABA PBS – Positive Behavior Support

Purpose of Behavior Intervention

Meet function of the behavior by teaching appropriate replacement skills.

1. Need to decrease inappropriate behavior

2. Need to increase appropriate behavior

Three Means…for Inappropriate Behavior- Part 1

1. Make the problem behavior irrelevant: decrease or eliminate the need to engage in the behavior.

2. Make the problem behavior inefficient: provide the student with a replacement behavior that serves the same function.

3. Make the problem behavior ineffective: do not allow the child to obtain what he or she wants through inappropriate behavior.

Crone & Horner (2003)

Three Means…for Appropriate Behavior – Part 21. Make the appropriate behavior relevant:

decrease or eliminate the need to engage in the behavior

2. Make the appropriate behavior efficient: provide the student with a replacement behavior that serves the same function

3. Make the appropriate behavior effective: do not allow the child to obtain what he or she wants through inappropriate behavior

Positive Behavior Support:The ABC’s of Behavior

Behavior

A specific action that a person does that can be observed

• Feelings Words vs. Descriptive Words

• Learned vs. Reflective Antecedent

Setting for the behavior, the “trigger”, could be a change in the physical surroundings, social circumstances, or behavior of others

Consequence

What happens immediately after the behavior

Parent Skills Training Worksheet

Activity

Emphasis…

Every communicative behavior can be described by the form and function.

Form: the behavior used to communicate

Function: the reason or purpose of the communicative behavior• To get• To get away

Madison

Madison is in housekeeping, putting on high heels and a hat. Emily moves into the area and selects a purse from the dress-ups. Madison shouts “no” and bites Emily. A teacher comes over, she asks Madison to go to the thinking chair and takes Emily to the bathroom to look at the bite. After 4 minutes, Madison leaves the thinking chair and returns to housekeeping. She grabs the purse Emily had selected and continues to play. Emily leaves the bathroom with the teacher and then begins an art activity where the teacher is present.

Madison

• Setting ESettingEvent

Trigger Behavior Maintaining Consequence

Another child moves to area and gets a toy (purse).

Shouts “no,” bites child.

Function:Avoid sharing

the purse.

Sent to “thinking chair,” other child consoled. 4 minutes later, Madison leaves chair and returns to play with purse.

Tim Video

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

The FBA is the central feature of PBS

FBA is a process for gathering information about problem behavior and the environmental conditions that predict and maintain it (Crone & Horner, 2003)

The goal of FBA is to improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of the behavior support plan (BSP).

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

The process involves gathering information about the problem behavior, the situations where the problem behavior is most and least likely to occur, and the consequences that reward and maintain the problem behavior

A major outcome of FBA is a hypothesis statement that identifies the function(s) that the problem behavior serves for the person

Horner et al., 2006

Outcomes of FBA

Description of child’s problem behavior (B)

Identification of consequent conditions that maintain the problem behavior (C)

Identification of antecedent conditions that set (and do not set) the occasion for the problem behavior (A)

Production of hypothesis (Function)(Horner et al., 2006)

Hypotheses Statement

Triggers of the challenging behavior

Description of the challenging behavior

Responses that maintain the challenging behavior

Purpose of the behavior

Not Sure About the Hypothesis? What would make the challenging

behavior stop? Is it something you would provide or allow the child to access? Or is there something to remove? Or can you allow the child to leave?

If still unsure, collect more data in the same context.

Some challenging behavior may have the same form, but serve multiple functions.

Some challenging behaviors may begin around one function (e.g., escape) and continue to serve another function (e.g., gain attention).

Functional Behavior Assessments Tools

About our child PTR assessment CSEFEL TACSEI Observation cards

Use case studies to practice with assessment tools in small groups.

Activity

Old Way New Way

General intervention for all behavior problems

Intervention is reactive

Focus on behavior reduction

Quick Fix

Intervention matched to purpose of the behavior

Intervention is proactive

Focus on teaching new skills

Long term interventions

Albert Einstein …

“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.”

Major Message

Behavior serves a function

Behavior can be shaped

FBA is not a bad word or an “F” word

Data shapes intervention plan

Old way vs. new way

What went well today?What needs improvement?

Quality Improvement

Thought Seeds

What will I change in my behavior in regard to Functional Assessment?

What will I apply to the families and the children with whom I work in regard to Functional Assessment?

What will I take back to my team/co-workers in regard to Functional Assessment?

Additional Thoughts:

Contact Us

Pyramid Plus: the Colorado Center for Social Emotional Competence and InclusionUniversity of Colorado Denver1380 Lawrence Street, Suite 643Denver, CO 80204pyramidplus@ucdenver.eduwww.pyramidplus.org

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