Lewis et. al (2017) What beginning special educators need to know about conducting functional behavioral assessments. by Jesse Johnson

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Alternative/replacement behaviors refers to an appropriate replacement behavior that can lead to the same or similar function

desired behaviors refers to what the student should do instead of the current inappropriate student behavior

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The authors suggest gathering indirect data to start and then developing a beginning hypothesis. Once you have this hypothesis, then it's suggested to do a more direct collection of data.

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The chart is used to help special educators create effective interventions that teach and reinforce appropriate behavior while addressing the function of the inappropriate behavior

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Step 2: Preliminary hypothesis development: They then can use this information to create

a hypothesis about the possible functions of behavior. This can be done with the

format of “During/when-Student will-To attain”

desired behaviors example: teach appropriate social skills to access peer attention.

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Alternative example: When asked to start their work, a student may be taught to request a break (replacement behavior) instead of screaming while trying to learn. Both screaming and requesting a break allow the student to get out of work (the function).

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Step 3: Direct data collection- observation done by someone with expertise in ABA. This

helps determine when student behavior serves multiple functions

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A function-based intervention begins by identifying antecedent manipulations, which include any changes to the learning environment necessary to prevent inappropriate behavior and to prompt the desired and alternative behaviors. Next, identify procedures for explicitly teaching the desired and alternative behaviors. Then, identify necessary alterations to the consequences for all behaviors in the pathway.

Step One

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To gather indirect data for step one, you may use rating scales or interviews in order to gather that indirect data. An example of this would be interviewing a child's classroom teacher to get an understanding of the behavior in the classroom.

Step 2

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Analyzing data for patterns. For instance, teachers might notice disruptive behavior that tends to occur more frequently during math class, but less during recess. The pattern helps identify potential triggers.

Step Two

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When developing your initial hypothesis, you can view the indirect data you collected and start to put the pieces together. You can then have a theory as to what the function of this behavior is in order to come up with an intervention.

Step Three

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To focus on direct data collection, you need someone trained in ABA. They can conduct more official and direct data collection that can help identify if there is more than one function to the behavior.