Functional Behavior Assessment Summary

748 Words2 Pages

In their summary of Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) current practice, Weber, Kullu, Derby, and Barretto (2005) list FBA categories and how they relate to Posotive Behavior Intervention Supports. Since the authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 and reauthorization in 2004, much emphasise has been placed on remediating student’s behavior problems. One part of the Individualized Education Program is to use An FBA where appropriate but states vary in practice, philosophy, and assessment tools to determine the function of behavior. Weber et al. (2005) gathered FBA resources and assessment information from fourthy-eight states that choose to participate in that study. They determined that while fourty-one states …show more content…

This study has been attributed as a great leap in our understanding of functional assessment, and many furture researchers will use Iwata’s method to expand their studies. However, the majority of these studies are conducted in contrived, clinical settings typically with two to four participants in a study. (Northup et al., 1991) attempted to remedy the problem of substantial time and resouces needed to conduct the extended FA. This was later categorized as the “brief functional analysis” which greatly shortened the length of each session and the amount of sessions needed to hypothesis function. …show more content…

A major reason for the use of a checklist is that it is less labor-intensive in nature and does not require expertise or training in behavior modification. Two major checklists used in the field are the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) developed by Durand & Crimmins in 1988. While the reliabilities studies have found the MAS to disappointing, it is to be commended as establishing the first alternative in checklists for functional analysis. Another questionnaire is the Questions About Behavior Function (QABF) developed by Matson and Vollmer in 1995. Similar to the MAS, the QABF analyziez five factors in the 25 questions: escape, attention, nonsocial, tangible, and problem behavior as it relates to the individual’s pain. Using the Likert three-point rating scale, the QABF is brief and easy to use by any person who has knowledge of the subject’s

Open Document