Functional Behavior Assessment in Classroom Settings: Scaling Down to Scale Up

SMC Author

Alter, Peter

SMC Affiliated Work

1

Status

Faculty

School

Kalmanovitz School of Education

Department

Teacher Education

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2010

Publication / Conference / Sponsorship

Intervention in School and Clinic

Description/Abstract

Functional behavior assessment (FBA), although mandated by federal law in situations involving students with emotional and behavioral disorders, is not well defined in the literature in terms of how it should best be undertaken in widespread practice in schools. Functional behavior assessment can be defined as a process for determining the reason or reasons why a student engages in inappropriate behaviors by identifying predictable relations between the behavior and the environmental conditions in which it occurs. Unfortunately, highly technical terminology and a poorly defined process have turned a valuable technology into more unnecessary bureaucratic paperwork in its widespread implementation. This article describes how FBA can be applied in a straightforward manner for students with challenging behaviors. The process is broken into steps and described using a case study from a real classroom context. Detailed examples help guide practitioners through some of the more likely roadblocks to creating and implementing FBAs.

Keywords

functional assessment, classroom, behavior

Scholarly

yes

Peer Reviewed

1

DOI

10.1177/1053451210374986

Volume

46

Issue

2

First Page

87

Last Page

94

Disciplines

Education

Original Citation

Scott, T. M., Alter, P. J., & McQuillan, K. (2010). Functional behavior assessment in classroom settings: scaling down to scale up. Intervention in School and Clinic. 46(2), 87-94. doi:10.1177/1053451210374986

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