Functional Behaviour Assessment

1. Functional BehaviourAssessment

2. Common Problems with BehaviourSupport • Behaviour support can be ineffective or make things worse if: • Intervention is based on type of behaviour • e.g., use timeout if child engages in tantrums • Intervention is based on disability • e.g., everyone with autism requires a picture schedule • One intervention (or package) is used for all problems • e.g., all kids get (a) reprimand, (b) hall time, (c) office referral, (d) suspension, and so on...

3. Goals of Function-Based Support • Make challenging behaviour understandable • Apply basic principles of behaviour • Understand “why” we behave • Act on our understanding and personal values to reduce problem behaviour • Place behaviour into a context we can change • Teach skills for enhanced quality of life • Stop inadvertently making behaviour worse

4. Functional Behaviour Assessment is… Functional behaviour assessment is a process for identifying the events that reliably predict and maintain problem behaviour

5. Functional Behaviour Assessment is not… A form to fill out A checklist A standardized, lockstep procedure A piece of paperwork to file away

6. Steps in the FBA Process • Develop a testable summary statement • Definition of behaviour and contextual info • Confirm the summary statement • Build a behaviour support plan • Use competing behaviour pathways to build possible elements • Use contextual fit guidelines to select final elements • Implement behaviour support plan • Monitor and modify as needed

7. Why care about function?

8. Functional Behaviour Assessment Makes a Difference • Carr et al., 1999 • Analysis of 109 studies from 1985 to1996 • 366 total individual interventions • FBA-based interventions were almost twice as likely to lead to significant reductions in problem behaviour

9. Studies showing effectiveness of the FBA process in typical school settings Lee, Horner, & Sugai, 1999 Roberts, Marshall, Nelson, & Albers, 2001 Newcomer & Lewis, 2004 Ingram, Lewis-Palmer, & Sugai, 2005 Hoff, Ervin, & Friman, 2005 Filter & Horner, 2008 Preciado, Horner, & Baker, 2009

10. Ingram, Lewis-Palmer, & Sugai, 2005

11. Ingram, Lewis-Palmer, & Sugai, 2005

12. Assumptions Behaviour is learned (and can be taught) Behaviour is purposeful and understandable Behaviour happens within a context and can only be understood in that context Change the context to change the behaviour

13. Basic elements of behaviour • Behaviour • Antecedent • Consequence • Setting event • These describe the behaviour within an environmental context • Predict occurrence and non-occurrence • Identify how behaviour is functional

14. Basic summary statement When Aaron sits next to his buddies in science class, he talks to them while the teacher is lecturing. Aaron’s buddies talk with him about science, aliens, and Magic cards. Aaron is more likely to do this if he has been absent for a couple of days. Behaviour Setting event Antecedent Consequence Peers talk with him (Obtains peer attention) Absent for more than a day Sitting next to buddies in science class during teacher instruction Talks to his buddies

15. Any observable and measurable action or event Observable beginning & end Is countable Behaviour

16. Are these observable? YES NO YES YES • Gets up from desk and hits other students • Has parent separation anxiety • Reads 120 correct words per minute • Says she hears voices

17. Why Observable and Measurable? • Clear communication with others • What is going on • Are we talking about same behaviour? • Basis for evaluating plan effectiveness • Increase students’ understanding of their behaviour (begin self-management)

18. Doesn’t Complete Work • When told to complete the math problems at the end of the chapter, Leilani: • Spends 20 minutes “getting it together” (e.g., getting paper, sharpening pencil) • Starts work, gets stuck and spends the rest of the time drawing flowers • Completes the assignment and then leaves it in her binder (doesn’t turn it in)

19. Antecedent • Any event, action, object perceptible to senses • Occurs beforebehaviour • Signals or occasions the behaviour • “Sets it off” (quick trigger) Examples • When told to shut up by another student, Rachel hits them • When asked to read aloud to the class, Mitch stands up and tells jokes • When his teachers praise him publicly, Fisher puts his head down on the desk and stops doing his work

20. Identifying Antecedents • Dinesh bangs his fist on the desk, stomps out of the classroom and slams the door. • Dinesh is likely to do this when… • When peers laugh at his answers in class? • When the teacher asks him to take out his math book? • When he forgets to bring in his homework? • When the teacher corrects him for talking out in class?

21. Activity: Why is it important to identify the antecedent? • When: • peers laugh at his answers in class • the teacher asks him to take out his math book • he forgets to bring in his homework • the teacher corrects him for talking out in class • Given the antecedents identified, what support would you give? Bangs, stomps, & slams

22. Consequence • Any event, action, object perceptible to senses • Occurs afterbehaviour • Can increase or decrease future behaviour Examples • When Rachel hits her peers, they leave her alone • When Mitch tells jokes, the students in the class begin to laugh, he is sent to the office and doesn’t have to read aloud • When Fisher puts his head down, the teacher walks away and doesn’t say anything to him for about 20 minutes

23. Maintaining Consequences(aka Functions of Behaviour) • Obtain/Access • Attention (adult or peer) • Tangible Object/Activity • Sensory Stimuli • Escape/Avoid • Attention/Social Interaction • Aversive Task/Activity • Aversive Sensory Stimuli

25. For Russell What strategies might improve his behaviour? What strategies might make his behaviour worse?

26. “Functions” NOT supported by research or practice “Power” “Control” “Revenge” “Family issues” “Basically evil” “Autism” “Spawn of the devil”

27. Maintaining Consequence(aka Function) One maintaining consequence per summary statement A single problem behaviour may serve multiple consequences, but there is typically one primary function per routine

28. Setting event • Event occurring before or with an antecedent that increases likelihood of a behaviour (momentarily increases value of the reinforcer) • Sets it up (slow trigger) • Sometimes is present and sometimes is not • Examples • Lack of sleep • Headache/illness • Lack of food (e.g., no breakfast) • Fight with peer/parent/etc. • Failed a test in previous class • Didn’t get any coffee this morning

29. Basic summary statement When free time starts, Wayne pulls the hair of the girl sitting next to him. The teacher then gives Wayne a long reprimand. This is more likely to happen on Mondays when Wayne has stayed at his father’s house. Consequence Setting event Antecedent Behaviour Pulls girl’s hair Gets long reprimand (obtains teacher attention) Stayed with father (on Mondays) Start of free time

30. Basic summary statement When peers tease her about her poetry, Susan runs out of the room crying and skips the next class. Susan is more likely to run if a boy she likes is in the room. Setting event Antecedent Behaviour Consequence Boy she likes is in the room Leaves class (Escape social interaction) Peers tease her about her poetry Runs, cries, and skips

31. Basic summary statement When peers tease her about her poetry, Susan runs out of the room crying and skips the next class. Susan is more likely to run if a boy she likes is in the room. Distorted/Negative Thought “They all hate me!” Setting event Antecedent Behaviour Consequence Boy she likes is in the room Leaves class (Escape social interaction) Peers tease her about her poetry Runs, cries, and skips Uncomfortable Feeling Shame

32. Basic summary statement Tiana has ADHD. When a peer makes fun of her in class, Tiana starts a nasty rumour about that student, and that student never bothers her again. Setting event Antecedent Behaviour Consequence None identified Peer makes fun of her in class Starts a nasty rumour about peer Peer never bothers her again (escape social attn.)

33. Where do summary statements come from? • Records review • Referral for support forms • Interviews/team meetings • Direct observations

34. What if summary statementis incomplete or inaccurate? • Review what you know • Collect more information • Change summary statement • Test/confirm new summary statement

35. What if there is more than one problem behaviour? • Consider response classes • Assess behavioural chaining • Does one behaviour lead to all others? • Multiple summary statements? • Pros and cons of single vs. multiple statements • Narrow with teacher • What is the most concerning/dangerous behaviour? • What needs to change NOW?

36. Big Ideas • Functional Behaviour Assessment • is a flexible process • involves using information to create a summary statement and testing it if necessary • produces information that contributes directly to behaviour support plans • improves the effectiveness and efficiency of behaviour support