FBA Quick Notes

So you’ve determined it’s time to use an FBA, an evidence-based process rooted in the science of applied behavior analysis (ABA) focused on the relationship between behavior and environmental variables to empower an individual to function independently in Club? Great! Ask yourself the following questions and write down your answers!

Data Sheet

First, double-check that an FBA is necessary by asking these questions, and if the answer is “no” refer back to the Behavior Guidance flow chart:
- Is the behavior of concern dangerous to the child/others?
- Does the behavior of concern interfere with academic learning?
- Does the behavior of concern interfere with socialization and/or acceptance from peers/community (is it a friendship barrier)?
- Is the behavior of concern disruptive and frequent?

Pre-Screening questions:
- Does the child have a condition, acute injury, or illness that causes discomfort?
- Does the child take medications that may cause certain side effects (e.g., irritability, drowsiness)?
- Does the child have undetected challenges in learning that may affect behavior?

30-45-minute Behavioral Interviews of children, staff, and families (potentially use the Functional Assessment Interview (FAI)) and the following sections/questions:
- What happened, specifically, what was the operational definition of the behavior of concern?
  - Some examples of operational definitions: elopement, hand mouthing, aggression, and/or property destruction.
    - Ask: How often does the behavior occur?
    - Ask: What does the behavior look like?
- What happened after the behavior, specifically, what was the consequence following the behavior?
  - Some examples of potential consequences: multiple staff grab a child, a staff person lets a child return to an activity, a staff person removes a child from the space, and/or peers laugh.
    - Ask: What consequences typically and immediately follow the behavior?
    - Ask: When the behavior occurs, is anything in the environment removed (e.g., demands, tasks, attention)?
- What is reinforcing that this behavior gets the desired consequence, specifically, what types of reinforcement occurred?
  - Some examples of types of positive reinforcers: adult/peer attention, access to tangible, and/or access to a preferred item.
  - Some examples of negative reinforcers: escape from upcoming activity and/or removal of a disliked item.
- What happened prior to the behavior, specifically, what types of antecedent events triggered the behavior?
  - Some examples of types of discriminative stimulus (SD “ess-dee”) which signal that reinforcement is available: screaming with friends at a waterpark but not at the dentist, complaining with one staff but not another because it allows for escape in only one of those instances.
  - Some examples of motivating operations (MO) which temporarily alters (increases/decreases) the value of a reinforcer: either food usually motivates, but not after a big lunch, and certainly after a hot day outside.
  - Some examples of establishing operations (EO) which temporarily increases the value of a reinforcer: missed snack (for a candy reinforcing stimulus), child doesn’t have access to a game for 2 hours prior to instruction (for access to computer games reinforcing stimulus).
  - Some examples of abolishing operations (AO) which temporarily decreases the value of a reinforcer: class is working quietly (for an escape from noisy environment reinforcing stimulus), child gets 1 to 1 instruction (for access to teacher attention reinforcing stimulus).
  - Some examples of settings events which refer to complex antecedents that do not occur immediately prior to a problem behavior: construction work resulting in sleepless night, change in a caregiver, and/or ear infection.
    - Ask: are there circumstances that seem to consistently precede the behavior?
    - Ask: What time of day does it typically occur?
    - Ask: Are there particular activities/settings in which the behavior occurs?
    - Ask: When the behavior occurs how do the peers respond?
    - Ask: Are there aspects of the environment that the child may find aversive (e.g., noisy, hot)?

Following Behavioral Interviews, determine type of and then daily track the measurement system:
- Some examples of measurement systems: duration (total and per occurrence), count (observation periods are the same), consistency (rate/length of time), and/or latency (how long for occurrence following a particular event).

In conjunction with the measurement system, visit for observation and narrative ABC or continuous recording:
- Narrative ABC recording: identify relevant environmental variables and capture them using objective behavioral descriptions.
- Continuous recording: record all relevant environmental stimuli for a period of time, attempting to capture contextual variables (i.e., antecedents, consequences, ongoing setting events) associated with the occurrence and non-occurrence of problem behavior, recording predetermined ABCs and using codes.
  - D=direction/demand
  - SR=staff reprimand
  - NI=no interaction
  - PA=peer attention
  - SP=staff attends to peer
  - R=discontinuation of task
  - ET=engages with tangible
  - T=access to tangible
  - RT=removal of tangible
  - NR=no observable response

With the gathered data, develop a hypothesis describing the ABC relation, to clearly indicate the purpose the behavior serves.
- Some examples of hypothesis: When working for periods of time without staff interaction, child will engage in disruptive comments to access staff attention.
- Some examples of purposes/functions of behavior: social positive reinforcement (adult/peer attention), tangible positive reinforcement (access to a preferred item/activity), automatic positive reinforcement (sensory input), social negative reinforcement (escape from demands), and/or automatic negative reinforcement (pain attenuation).

From the gathered data and hypothesis, develop a few optional replacement behaviors.
- Some examples of replacement behaviors:
  - "chewelry"
  - taking a 5 minute break
  - raising a hand to ask for space...