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Establish a Multidisciplinary Team
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Planning should begin with forming a multidisciplinary team that includes all individuals who have observed the learner exhibiting the interfering behavior. The multidisciplinary team allows for a variety of perspectives about the interfering behavior. Often, the multidisciplinary team is the IEP or IFSP team that is already working with the learner. However, the multidisciplinary team formed might include different individuals.
The multidisciplinary teams should include:
After the multidisciplinary team is formed, identify one person as the FBA coordinator. The FBA coordinator will coordinate and manage data collection, answer questions from other team members, and make sure that the FBA is implemented as intended. The coordinator should have training and experience related to FBAs. |
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Identify and Define Interfering Behavior
Together, the team identifies the interfering behavior that is most problematic for the learner. This behavior will be the focus of the FBA. Interfering behaviors include disruptive or repetitive behaviors that interfere with the learner’s development and daily functions. If the learner is demonstrating multiple interfering behaviors, the team will need to determine one interfering behavior to be the focus of the FBA. Any behaviors that create safety concerns for the learner or others should be addressed first.
The team can consider the following questions to help select the interfering behavior:
- Is the behavior dangerous to the learner or others?
- Does the behavior interfere with learning (e.g., academic, social)?
- Does the behavior interfere with socialization or acceptance from peers?
- Is the behavior disruptive or intense on a frequent basis?
Once the team agrees upon the interfering behavior, the behavior needs to be clearly defined. All team members must agree on the definition of the behavior to make data collection easier
Define Behavior:
For example, if the behavior is, “Max becomes upset when asked to put his book away.” The team will need to understand what ‘upset’ means. Does ‘upset’ mean crying, hitting, or a self-injurious behavior? The team clarifies the behavior to be: “When asked to put his selected book away to begin a lesson in math or science, Max throws the book and cries.” The revised version of the behavior now provides information on the intensity of the behavior and when the behavior occurs (prior to a math or science lesson).
For example, if the behavior is, “Max becomes upset when asked to put his book away.” The team will need to understand what ‘upset’ means. Does ‘upset’ mean crying, hitting, or a self-injurious behavior? The team clarifies the behavior to be: “When asked to put his selected book away to begin a lesson in math or science, Max throws the book and cries.” The revised version of the behavior now provides information on the intensity of the behavior and when the behavior occurs (prior to a math or science lesson).
Select Assessment Procedures
The FBA coordinator or other team members will need to gather information concerning the behavior. Formal or informal interviews with people who interact with the learner daily will provide multiple perspectives about the interfering behavior. Additionally, standardized behavior rating scales provide a standardized form to observe a learner’s behavior. Consider selecting one the following tools to use during this process.
FBA Tools
Tool |
Description |
Approximate Time to Complete |
Behavior Assessment for Children (BASC-III) |
Assesses for behavior functioning and identification of behavior problems (aggression, hyperactivity, conduct problems). The items are rated on a 4-point scale of frequency ranging from “never” to “almost always”. |
15 minutes |
Functional Assessment Screening Tool (FAST) |
Determine potential causes of the behavior. Raters answer 18 yes/no questions. Scores are placed into four categories of function ranging from social reinforcement (attention) to automatic reinforcement (pain attenuation). |
15-30 minutes |
Problem Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ) |
Determine the potential function of the behavior (e.g. access to peer attention, access to teacher attention, setting events). Raters answer 15 items and indicate frequency with which behavior occurs. |
15-30 minutes |
Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) |
Identify what motivates individual learner to engage in a particular behavior. Raters are asked 16 questions about the interfering behavior and scores are added up and ranked by category of function (sensory, escape, attention, tangible). |
15-30 minutes |
Functional Assessment Interview (FAI) |
Interview teachers, parents, and other school/community staff. Provides the following outcomes: description of the interfering behavior, events or factors that predict the behavior, possible function of the behavior, and summary statements (Behavior hypothesis). |
45-90 minutes |
Student-Directed Functional Assessment Interview (STUDENT-FAI) |
Used with learners who can reliably report on their behavior. |
20-40 minutes |
Develop a Plan for Collecting Data
Team members will work together to develop a plan for collecting data concerning the selected interfering behavior. Data will need to be collected during times and settings where the interfering behavior occurs most often. Also, it is important to sample in other locations or at other times where the behavior might not occur. Data collection should be for a sufficient period of time to identify consistencies in the behavior. Before beginning data collection, team members should decide how long data will be collected (e.g. several 5 minute periods per day for 4 days, 1 week, or two weeks). The team should consider what will be done if there is insufficient or inadequate amount of data collected during baseline (e.g., observe at different times of the day, use different data collection method). Finally, team members will need to determine who will collect the initial baseline data. For example, a teacher might not be able to collect data across the school day. Therefore, the team might decide that an objective observer should collect data during an identified time and setting.
