Functional Behavioral Analysis Process

1.Teacher identifies problem behavior:

• Develop operational definition.

• Collect initial confirming data.

• Notify IEP committee members

One of the most challenging aspects of being an educator is managing problem behaviors. Being able to identify the function of the behavior so that you may teach an appropriate replacement behavior is crucial. Through the functional behavioral analysis process an educator can come up with a real solution for problem behaviors. The first step in the FBA process is to identify the problem behavior. Identifying the specific behavior that is problematic will aid in creating an operational definition of the behavior. After the problem behavior has been identified the next step is to form an operational definition

This involves reviewing the student’s cumulative folder for any relevant medical histories. Gathering information from the student’s parents is a great way to make sure you have the most up to date medical information. Medical factors such as sensory issues, health problems, or medications can greatly impact a student’s performance. Knowing about any medical issues can help you consider if it is the primary cause of a behavior, or a contributing factor. Reviewing the student’s psychoeducational evaluation is an essential part of the screening process. This will give the team insight into the student’s learning disability and how it may impact his or her behavior. It is imperative to understand the student’s history before moving forward in the FBA process. In addition to knowing a student’s medical history a screening for vision or hearing may be conducted. This will help the team understand if one of these areas is adversely impact a student’s

This is the process where you begin investigating, and trying to determine the function of the problem behavior. In order to do so you must employ indirect information-gathering strategies, and direct information-gathering strategies. These indirect interview tools help IEP teams process through the behavior. Using a tool such as the FACTS can help the team understand what times of day, how environments are structured, and in what settings behaviors occur. This strategy combined with a direct information gathering strategy helps identify the possible function of a behavior. A direct information gathering strategy is a strategy that has the teacher or other professionals directly observe the student to gather information about the problem behavior. This is important because it removes all subjective opinions about the problem behavior and identifies different variables that effect the behavior. These two stratgies help develop a hypothesis of the function of the behavior. Knowing the function of the behavior can help you plan appropriate interventions that will help reduce the problem behavior. To formulate a hypothesis information from the direct and indirect information- gather strategies has to be analyzed. The antecedent, behavior, and consequence should be stated in the