A Comparison of Functional Behavioral Assessment and Functional Analysis Methodology among Students with Mild Disabilities

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and functional analyses (FA) are grounded in the applied behavior analysis principle that posits problem behavior is functionally related to the environment in which it occurs and is maintained by either providing access to reinforcing outcomes or allowing the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBehavioral disorders Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 5 - 20
Main Authors Lewis, Timothy J., Mitchell, Barbara S., Harvey, Kristin, Green, Ambra, McKenzie, Jennifer
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA Sage Publications, Inc 01.11.2015
SAGE Publications
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders
Subjects
Adolescents
Analysis
Applied Behavior Analysis
Behavior
Behavior Patterns
Behavior Problems
Behavioral assessment
Comparative analysis
Disabled students
Environmental Influences
Functional Behavioral Assessment
Hypotheses
Hypothesis Testing
Intervention
Interviews
Methods
Mild Disabilities
Observation
Preadolescents
Questionnaires
Rating Scales
Special education
Student Behavior
Students with disabilities
Studies
Teachers
United States
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0198-7429
2163-5307
DOI10.17988/0198-7429-41.1.5

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Summary:Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and functional analyses (FA) are grounded in the applied behavior analysis principle that posits problem behavior is functionally related to the environment in which it occurs and is maintained by either providing access to reinforcing outcomes or allowing the individual to avoid or escape that which they find aversive. Previous research has pointed to the limitations across FBA methodologies in comparison to the direct experimental trials used in FA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree to which hypotheses generated by common FBA strategies (i.e., interview, rating scale, and direct observation) match hypotheses generated through FA trials. Results of a multiphase descriptive study indicated that traditional school personnel with behavioral expertise were able to generate FBA hypotheses that were later confirmed by independent review and largely aligned with FA outcomes. The impact of the findings for the field and implications for future research and practice are discussed.
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ISSN:0198-7429
2163-5307
DOI:10.17988/0198-7429-41.1.5