Preparing for an FBA Meeting by Terry Scott, Ph.D. Functional Behavior Assessment is a process by which persons who are familiar
with the student discuss their observations as a means of assessing the
relationship between behavior and its surrounding environment. This information
then is used to develop an individualized and functional intervention plan.
Because they are often unfamiliar with FBA, many teachers may be uncertain
about their role in the process and wonder what they can contribute or why
they should attend. Simply by fact of having multiple experiences with the
student, the teacher possesses the most important information necessary
to complete the FBA. However, when teachers are unaware of the information
that is helpful, the team spends much of their meeting time fishing for
information through a laborious question and answer session with the teacher
and other naïve members. To make FBA meetings maximally efficient, those
invited should be prompted so that they are prepared to offer the information
necessary to complete the FBA in the quickest and most effective manner
possible. To be effective, prompts need to be provided to faculty prior to the organization
of the meeting. One efficient method of facilitating readiness for FBA meetings
is to develop a school-wide set of prompts that can be applied to problem
behaviors both as a pre-referral process and as a set of questions to be
considered prior to attending the meeting. Following is a description of each of the generic questions with details
of the types of information and decisions that must be considered. Explain - What is the problem? NEEDS: An operational definition of behavior begins with a description of its
topography – what exactly does the behavior look like? Dimensions such as frequency, duration, and intensity will also be necessary.
For example, the behavior “talks out” may not, by itself, be
seen as a major issue for many teachers. However, if it were known that
the behavior occurred 40-50 times per hour, for durations of over 3 hours
per episode, or loud enough to be clearly heard from a distance of 200 feet,
it is much more likely that the behavior would be treated as a priority
issue. This also would help to define why the behavior is considered a problem. Teachers also should be prepared to present evidence of the types of past
intervention strategies used, how those strategies were applied, and the
outcomes of those strategies. Reason - What is he/she getting out of it
or getting away from? NEEDS: This information may be compiled by considering past interactions with
the student. The more times a person has interacted with the student, the
better information they will be able to provide. When memories alone aren’t
sufficient, any available school or classroom data (e.g., office referrals,
incident reports, etc.) may be helpful in answering the questions. Remember when considering the antecedents and consequences that the environment
consists of all actions, items, and events. The teacher, peers, tasks, instruction,
and other subtle conditions are part of the environment and must be considered. Appropriate - What do you want him/her to
do instead? NEEDS: 1. fair pair – incompatible
with problem (can’t do at same time) Replacement behaviors are best determined by persons familiar with the
environment. The first step in determining an appropriate replacement is
to ask, “what do successful students do under these conditions?”
This provides an example of a relevant behavior in that environment. When
we select behaviors that suit us but are not relevant to the student it
is unlikely that the student will use that behavior as a replacement. Similarly,
the replacement we choose must be acceptable to us but also must work for
the student in terms of meeting his/her needs (i.e., function). Selecting
effective replacement behaviors requires consideration of each of these
issues. Support - How can you help this happen more
often? NEEDS: 1. Rules (what it is and --
when, where, how, and why to use behavior) 1. prompts and reminders 1. reinforcement (matches function) Evaluate - How will you know if it works? NEEDS: 1. keep it simple 1. measurable behavior CONSIDERATIONS FOR
DEVELOPING A MEASUREMENT PLAN
What Should I Bring?
When a student’s behavior continues to interfere with his or her learning
or the learning of others, despite typical school or classroom management
strategies, referral for functional behavior assessment (FBA) is warranted.
The role of the FBA team is to assess the student and to then use that information
to develop an effective intervention plan.
An example of this type of standardized school-wide process is the “ERASE”
prompt. ERASE
is an acronym for Explain,
Reason,
Appropriate, Support, and Evaluate: all prompts for
the generic questions that must be answered during the meeting. When all
faculty are aware of these questions and have fully considered each prior
to attending the meeting, the process can be more collaborative, efficient,
and effective in terms of developing an intervention plan that is designed
to facilitate student success. After presenting to staff and providing a
sufficient explanation of the process, the ERASE prompt
sheet in the form seen here may be duplicated and distributed to every teacher.
In some schools, the prompt sheet has been formatted and printed as bookmarks
that are distributed to the entire faculty. As part of a school-wide agreement,
staff use these questions as the basis for dealing with problem behaviors
in all students – both in the classroom and as part of an FBA team.
1. problem behavior
2. appropriate behavior
1. peers, instruction, consequences, etc.
2. after problem behavior
3. after appropriate behavior
1. access to . . . (persons, objects, attention, etc.)
2. escape or avoid . . . (persons, activities, attention, etc.)
2. functional – meets the same function as problem behavior
2. Examples (modeling and use of naturally occurring examples)
3. Practice (opportunities to practice with teacher feedback)
2. supervise
3. avoid spoilers
2. correction (how might this happen?)
3. negative consequences (matches function)
4. natural (try to keep it as realistic as possible)
Replacement behaviors must be taught to the student and then teachers must
arrange environments to create success opportunities for students –
following that up with reinforcement to maintain the behavior. Negative
consequences for negative behavior also need to be considered. All strategies
considered here must involve thought of what is realistic for school personnel
to implement in a consistent manner.
2. consider times and conditions where measurement would be particularly
meaningful and realistic
2. by what time should this happen?