Transcript I Have To Conduct an FBA: HELP!!


The Notice of Procedural Safeguards January, 2012
states:
› If a students conduct is a manifestation of his or her
disability, the ARD committee must: conduct a functional
behavioral assessment (FBA), unless it conducted one
before the behavior that resulted in the change of
placement occurred, and implement a behavioral
intervention plan (BIP) for the child.
› If the students conduct is NOT a manifestation of his or her
disability, then the student must receive, as appropriate,
an FBA, behavioral intervention services, and
modifications that are designed to address the behavior
so that it does not recur.
› When a student has been removed from their general
placement for more than 10 school days for misbehavior.
Current Thinking
Students may require
behavior support.
Past Practice
Student may require
behavior
management.
The Difference
Behavior support
implies addressing
environment, teaching
strategies, teaching
new behaviors, and
using positive
reinforcement
strategies; Behavior
management implies
focus on
consequences,
whether positive or
negative.
Current Thinking
Past Practice
The Difference
Behavior support plans
should focus on
understanding “why” the
behavior occurred
(function) then focus on
teaching/eliciting an
alternative behavior that
meets the student’s
needs in alternative,
more acceptable ways.
Behavior management
plans focused on
specifying the
consequences of
misbehavior, and to some
extent, the
consequences of
acceptable behavior.
Past practice rarely
attempted to understand
the reasons a
maladaptive behavior
occurred; Current
practice, by
understanding the
behavior and teaching
alternatives or changing
environmental conditions,
plans to seek
permanently change the
way a student seeks to
get needs met.
Current Thinking
Antecedents are critical
in changing behavior.
Focus: What can we
actively do
(teach/structure
environment) to change
the behavior?
Past Practice
Consequences were
attempted to be made
so compelling that the
student would stop a
behavior.
Focus: What must the
student do to avoid or to
get something we
provide?
The Difference
Consequence-based
plans: For many students,
neither a strong enough
punishment, nor a strong
enough reinforcer can be
found to change the
behavior.
Antecedent-based plans:
Can result in changing
environmental conditions
and student skills for
lasting change.
Current Thinking
Philosophy: Positive
behavior needs to be
taught (modeled,
shaped, cured) in a
supportive
environment.
Past Practice
Philosophy: Problem
behavior needs to be
controlled or
eliminated. Positive
behavior is to be
expected regardless
of the environment.
The Difference
Controlling Behavior:
Becoming increasingly
more difficult in todays
classrooms.
Teaching Behavior:
Has the potentiol for
lasting change.
•Examine
previous interventions
• Evidence-based practices
• Implemented with fidelity
•Examine
behavior
• Serious
• Persistent
• Chronic
• Threat to safety of student or others
All behavior serves a purpose
 Most behaviors are learned
 Function is more important than form
when developing interventions
 Context, not form, determines how the
behavior is perceived


Describe what the behavior “looks” like
› Use exact quotes
› Describe body movement/gestures
› Resist interpreting or embellishing
› Use verbs, not adjectives
Describe the sequence of events
 Explain what did or did not happen

•Use
terms that are
• Measurable
• Observable
•Describe
only the behavior you observe
•Use specific, non-evaluative descriptions.

Vague
›
›
›
›
›
›
Uncooperative
Self-injurious
Self-stimming
Aggressive
Disrespectful
Belligerent

Operational
Throwing materials
Bangs head on wall
Flapping hands
Hits others with hands
Calls others profane
names
› Responding with the
following profanities
when asked to
complete a task:
_____________
›
›
›
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Each group will:
•Give 3 vague descriptors
•Give 3 operational behaviors

Critical Data to Collect
› Antecedent
› Consequence conditions
› Relevant reinforcers/consequences
› Intervention history
› Resources
› Baseline data
› Competencies (academic & behavior)
› Replacement behaviors

Events that happen immediately before
the challenging behavior
› Examples:
 Demands
 Non-preferred activity
 Working with peers
 Working alone
 Teacher attending to another student

Events that happen immediately after
the behavior that are contingent on the
behavior.
› Examples
 Escape from work
 Peer attention
 Reprimand from teacher
Antecedent
Large group activity
Behavior
Yells and makes off
subject comments
Consequence
Teacher gives mild
reprimand

Antecedent focused
› Events associated with challenging behavior
manipulated before behavior is exhibited.

Behavior focused
› Behavior function directly addressed

Consequence focused
› Intervention consequences implemented
after behavior is exhibitied
Interview the student, parent,
and other teachers to
determine the types of
reinforcers that have been
effective with him/her in the
past.
Pervious Interventions
 Effectiveness
 Hypothesized reason for outcome

Staff
 Family
 Peers
 Student
 Other


Naturally occurring
› Frequency
› Duration
› Intensity of the behavior

Baseline data is very important

Observation
Scatterplot
ABC Observation

Objective Data

Review of records
Indirect Methods
Direct Methods


› Office referrals
› Eligibility folders

Interviews
Rating scales

Subjective Data
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Are there situations that seem to set off the
problem behavior?
Where to the problems tend to occur?
When do the problems tend to occur?
Are there situations in which the problems
seem less prevalent?
How often do the problem behaviors
occur?
How long does the behavior last?
What seem to be maintaining the
behavior?

Leads to plausible interventions
› Appropriate replacement behaviors
› Functionally equivalent

Hypothesis Statement:
› Related to functions
› Statement Includes
 Behavior
 Conditions– setting and antecedents
 Purpose -- Function
1.
You MUST have parental consent.
•
Use the Consent/Notice of Assessment in the Special Education
Manager.
Ideally, obtaining consent should be an ARD committee decision.
•
Identify no more than two specific target behaviors
•
2.
Begin data collection (10 Days minimum of Baseline Data).
•
•
•
•
3.
This will help to identify the function and any possible “triggers”
Graph the base line data.
•
•
•
Look for any patterns in the data
Determine the Present Level of Functioning Performance
This is CRUCIAL for developing the BIP
Determine the function of the behavior.
•
•
5.
6.
Data sources should include at least one of the following:
Frequency, duration, latency.
When behavior occurs, conduct an ABC Analysis
Analyze Baseline Data
•
4.
Examples: spitting, hitting to cause bodily harm, sleeping, cussing
What is Little Johnny getting out of this behavior?
Behavior always has a purpose.
Develop a hypothesis.
Develop a draft BIP to take to ARD just in case the ARD committee
determines the baseline data warrants a BIP.
1.
2.
Determine who is responsible for what
Develop your annual goal
• Make it reasonable
• Do not set the goal for 100%...there is no such thing when it
pertains to behavior
• Remember that a BIP is not a discipline plan…the student
code of conduct is the discipline plan
• Use your PLFP to determine the goal
3.
4.
Identify positive reinforcers and strategies to increase
positive behavior
The objectives should work towards meeting the
annual goal in progression.
•
Strategies and interventions should be outlined in the
BIP that will increase or decrease the target behavior.

An FBA is an assessment, you must have notice
and consent
› Must be data driven, not based off of strictly
discipline referrals

Your draft BIP must have a Present Level of
Functioning Performance
› This comes from your base line data

Once an ARD committee develops a BIP, you
must continue data collection to show whether
the student is meeting his/her objectives and
goal
› Remember…this is all data (think numbers) driven