Functional Behavior Assessment Essay

Development of an intervention is the final step in the functional behavior assessment (FBA) process. In the completion of the FBA antecedent and reinforcing contingencies are identified which can be manipulated to prevent the behavior from occurring, remove reinforcement for engaging in the undesired behavior, or be utilized to reinforce alternate behaviors (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007). An FBA is a necessary component of the intervention process in that it provides the necessary information with regard to the function of the behavior through the systematic manipulation of environmental variables thought to maintain the problem under controlled conditions; yielding a clear demonstration of the interaction between the independent variable

It is an important part of a practitioner’s job to observe and assess children in order to establish where a child is at with regards to their development, health and well being and if they require extra support. The factors that need to be taken into account when assessing development are:

When a student who has a disability’s educational placement is changed due to challenging behavior, a functional behavior assessment must be conducted. Functional behavior assessment (FBA) is used to aid in the development of behavior intervention plans (BIP’s). In a functional assessment, the type and the source of reinforcement for problem behaviors are used as a basis for intervention efforts that are designed to increase occurrence. Functional analysis can also be used to determine the specific function of a behavior, but FBA’s are more commonly used, especially in school settings. In a functional analysis (FA), antecedents and consequences that represent those in the person’s natural environment are arranged so that their effects on the problem behavior can be observed and measured. The difference between a functional analysis and functional behavior assessment is that the assessment establishes a connection between the behavior and antecedent or the consequent variables, but a functional analysis identifies informal relationships. For this reason, a functional analysis is seen to be a more valid tool for identifying the function of a behavior; however, there are limitations to using a functional analysis. This method may momentarily strengthen the problem behavior or result in the behavior acquiring new functions. Federal mandates like IDEA 2004 and school reforms such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) have played a role in the increase of the

Functional behavioral assessments have two major components, identifying and defining target behaviors as well as conducting behavior observations. The assessment should begin with indentifying and defining targeted behaviors and the best way to do that is to conduct a formal interview of the student. The interview should include family who are directly connected to the student's home life as well as the staff involved with the student. The interview should reveal important things like when does the behavior occur during the day, how frequently, what the behavior is receded by, what

When assessing a child you must be careful to take into account confidentiality before carrying out an observation you must have parents and the settings permission and not to leave confidential material lying around they must be secured in a locked cabinet. Only talk to authorized personal about

. Sometimes it can be useful for a second person to assess a child as observations can be very subjective. It is also useful to use a wide variety of methods of assessment. Things need to be recorded according to what is exactly happening and should not be interpreted according to the assessors point of view.

1.1. When assessing development some factors need to be taken into account one of these is confidentiality, this means that you will need permission from a child’s parents/carers before doing observations, also when information is wrote down about a child is important that it is kept in a safe place were only the relevant people can access it. Also making sure that information about a child is only shared with parents/carers or colleagues and professionals that have the right to know. Another factor to take into account is a child’s wishes and feelings, this means to take into account the child’s wishes when doing an observation or assessment. The child may not want to be assessed at

Some of these strategies are delivered through the consultation process to staff. The strong part of functional behaviour assessment is that it allows interventions to directly address the function (purpose) of problem behaviour. For example, a child who acts out for attention could receive attention for alternative behaviour or staff could make an effort to increase the amount of attention throughout the day. Changes in setting events or antecedents are often preferred by PBS because contingency management often takes more effort. Another tactic especially when dealing with disruptive behaviour is to use information from a behaviour chain analysis to disrupt the behavioural problem early in the sequence to prevent disruption. Some of the most commonly used approaches

List two potential problems that a nurse may discover in an assessment of each age group.

Applied Behavior Analysis analysts are required to know the steps that are needed and necessary for behavior modification. This type of modification requires a clear definition of the behavior needing modification (target behavior), how this will benefit the individual in need of the modification, a clear plan of modification, and consistent data gathering to determine the effectiveness of the proposed behavior modification plan. In order to achieve a successful modification plan, the ABA professional first needs to gather information about the individual either by direct or indirect means. The modification must always been in the best interest of the individual, or those closest to the individual, and it must be a functional modification that can be carried out in the absence of the analyst. The ABA professional needs to understand the needs of each client. In order to do this, the professional will have to assess the behavior, gather data, identify a target behavior, propose a hypothesis about an intervention, implement the modification program, gather more data about the effectiveness of the program, and report about the outcome.

It is imperative that practitioners are able to observe and assess each child’s development in order to gain a full understanding of their development and how they can build upon this in order to cater to the needs of the child and allow them to fulfill their potential. This is highlighted by Wheeler (2009, p.63) in stating that ‘Observations are fed into family worker and team planning so that future activities can be based on an individual child’s interests and patterns of behavior and thereby enhance their learning’.

The key to understanding children is observation. As observers, we begin to look for daily patterns in their behavior. Once patterns of behavior are recognized, the observer can then give positive guidance in securing the child’s developmental needs.

To do so, the researchers conducted functional behavior assessments (FBAs) on the participant who was three years old. Based on the results, the researchers anticipated that the participant would gain appropriate self-control and be less reliant on teacher prompts. The results showed a dramatic decrease in problem behaviors and increase in compliance during transitions. The schedule boards helped the child to keep track of the day’s events and to develop an understanding of time frames and environmental

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