Efficient and Effective
Process for Completing
FBA within a 3-tiered
Continuum
Teri Lewis-Palmer
July 11, 2008
Purpose

To describe the critical features of functional
behavioral assessment-based behavior
intervention planning (FBA-BIP) process.
Academic Systems
Behavioral Systems
Intensive, Individual Interventions
•Individual Students
•Assessment-based
•High Intensity
1-5%
Targeted Group Interventions
•Some students (at-risk)
•High efficiency
•Rapid response
Universal Interventions
•All students
•Preventive, proactive
5-10%
80-90%
1-5%
Intensive, Individual Interventions
•Individual Students
•Assessment-based
•Intense, durable procedures
5-10%
Targeted Group Interventions
•Some students (at-risk)
•High efficiency
•Rapid response
80-90%
Universal Interventions
•All settings, all students
•Preventive, proactive
What is FBA?

A systematic problem solving process for
developing statements about factors that:


Contribute to the occurrence and maintenance of
problem behavior, and
More importantly, serve as basis for developing
proactive & comprehensive behavior support plans.
Purpose of FBA

Increase efficiency, relevance, & effectiveness of
behavior support interventions.

Improve consistency with which behavior support plans
are implemented.

Increase accountability (legal & professional)
Use FBA when…

Students are not successful

Interventions need to be developed

Existing interventions need to made more
effective and/or efficient
How do I know if I have
done an FBA?

Description of problem behavior

Identification of conditions that predict when problem
behavior will and will not occur

Identification of consequences that maintain problem
behaviors (functions)

Summary statements or testable hypotheses that
describe specific behavior, conditions, and
reinforcers

Collection of direct observation data that support
summary statements
FBA’s do not…

FBAs guide the development of BIP. They do not
result in




Eligibility
Placement
Manifest determination
Can provide information that is useful for all of
these of procedures
FBA Misrules

Only one way to collect FBA information,
 FBA
process is basically the same
 Decisions about methods for collecting
data may vary based on what
information need to be collected

Must do everything every time.


Base FBA activities on what you know.
FBA is systematic behavior support planning
process.

Everyone has to know how to do FBA.



Small # of people must have high fluency.
All people must know process & what to expect.
Some individuals must work on sustainability.

FBA is it.


One component of comprehensive plan of behavior
support.
FBA is only for students with disability

Process for behavior of all individuals across multiple
settings

Power, authority, control, intimidation,
bullying, etc. are functions
Two basic research validated functions


Positive reinforcement (get/access)
Negative reinforcement (avoid/escape)
Get/Access
Peer/Adult Social
Activities/Tasks
Tangibles
Sensory
Avoid/Escape
WHAT ARE FBA STEPS
(process)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Collect Information to determine function.
Develop testable hypothesis or summary statements and indicate
functions.
Collect direct observation data to confirm summary statement.
Identify desired and acceptable replacement behaviors.
Develop behavior intervention plan.
Develop comprehensive BIP to ensure high fidelity implementation.
Develop on-going monitoring system.
Step 1: Collect Information

Multiple sources


Multiple settings


Student, parent, teacher, etc.
Where it occurs & doesn’t occur
Strengths

Reinforcers, goals, hobbies, social skills, academic
achievements, etc.
Step 1….continued

Multiple methods

Archival review


Checklist/inventory


FACTS, routine analysis
Interview


Office discipline referrals, behavior incident
reports, etc.
Brief, student-guided, parent, teacher
Direct observation

O’Neill et al., ABC, scatter plot. Etc.
Aaron

Teacher interview, student interview, record
review
When Aaron sits next to preferred peers, he talks to
them to gain peer attention.
Defining behavior

Must be in operational, observable, or
measurable terms.

To achieve high agreement between two people.
Aaron

Aaron whispers to three different peers during
class instruction and independent and group work
time. He will both initiate the interaction and
respond to peer initiations. He talks more in
science and social studies. Sometimes he talks
about class topic.
STEP 2. Develop summary
statement.

Testable hypothesis (“objective guess”).
 Write
in observable terms.
 If not confirmable, collect more
information & restate.


Developed from review of assessment
information.
Composed of (a) problem behavior, (b)
triggering antecedent, (c) maintaining
consequences, & (d) setting events.
Setting events

Factors that make problem behavior worse (more
likely to occur, more intense)


E.g., illness, fatigue, social conflict, change in
routine,……
Factors that change value of current reinforcers

E.g., verbal praise less effective, peer attention
more influential,escaping work more desirable….
Testable Hypothesis
Setting Events
Triggering
Antecedents
Problem
Behavior
Maintaining
Consequences
Testable Hypothesis
Setting Events
None
Triggering
Antecedents
Peer
proximity
Problem
Behavior
Talks in
class
Maintaining
Consequences
Gain peer
attention
STEP 3. Collect direct
observation data to confirm
summary statement



Testable hypothesis
Multiple settings
Measures of




problem behavior
triggering antecedents,
maintaining consequences, &
setting events

Collect direction information to confirm
summary statement.
Appropriate
Talking
Preferred peer
55%
45%
Alone
98%
2%
Non-preferred peer
96%
4%
STEP 4. Developing “competing
pathways” summary statement

Components

Confirmed summary statements

Desired replacement behavior to be displayed in
problem situation (behavioral objective)

Alternative replacement behavior that could
achieve same outcome as problem behavior
Competing Behavior Pathway
Existing Consequence
Desired Behavior
Work quietly
Grades
More work
Maintaining Consequence
Setting event
Antecedent
Problem Behavior
None
Preferred peer
Talking
Alternative Behavior
Peer helper
Gain
Peer attention
STEP 5. Develop behavior support plan.

Tactics for





discouraging problem behavior,
teaching & encouraging desirable & acceptable
replacement behavior,
preventing & responding to emergency/crisis
situations, &
monitoring implementation effectiveness
Emphasis on manipulation of (a) behaviors, (b)
antecedents, (c) consequences, & (d) setting events
Guidelines

Design antecedent strategies to make triggering
antecedents irrelevant.


So they no longer serve as triggers.
Design behavior teaching strategies to make problem
behaviors inefficient.

So more acceptable behaviors are easier to do.
Guidelines

Design consequence strategies to make maintaining
consequences ineffective.



So they no longer are present or
Are less reinforcing.
Design setting event strategies to eliminate or neutralize
effects of setting events.

So they have less impact on routines & reinforcers.
Aaron
Setting
Events
None

Triggering
Antecedents
Teaching
Behaviors
Maintaining
Consequences
Praise/tokens
for appropriate
(self & peer)

Self-management
sheet

Choice of seating

Teach Aaron to:
- self-assess
-self-monitor
-self-recruit

Planned
correction

Teacher
precorrection

Neutralize
Irrelevant
Inefficient
Ineffective
STEP 6. Develop details & routines for full implementation of
behavior support plan


Logistics
 E.g., schedules, people, materials, training,
monitoring
Scripts for adults to
 Modify structural/routine/environment
 “Neutralize” setting events
 Manipulate antecedent & consequence events
 Teach response/skills
 Respond to emergency/crisis situations
Setting
Events
Antecedents Behavior
Consequenc
es
None
-Give Aaron
Appropriate
-Check and
initial if
correct
-Give VISA
tickets &
praise
Inappropriat
e
-Remind him
of plan
-Redirect to
task
-Teach
selfAaron to
management self-manage,
sheet
record, and
-Remind him recruit
to work
quietly
-Provide
choice of
seating
Generic Plan Template
Beginning of class
-give Aaron self-management sheet
-Remind him to work quietly
When Aaron raises his
hand
-check his self-management sheet
-initial if accurate
-give Aaron VISA tickets & praise
If Aaron talks during
class
-Remind him of plan
-Redirect to task
At end of class
-collect self-management sheet from Aaron
-give him praise for efforts/successes
At end of week
-debrief on weeks progress
-send plan summary home to parents
STEP 7. Monitor & evaluate implementation of
behavior support plan.


Data
Impact on



student behavior, lifestyle outcomes
significant others
Fidelity of implementation
Consider contextual fit
(Albin, Lucyshyn, Horner, & Flannery, 1996)



Characteristics of person for whom plan is
designed.
Variables related to people who will implement
plan.
Features of environments & systems within which
plan will be implemented. (p. 82)
Aaron
A
BL
100
B
Functional Analysis
A
BL
C
Intervention
A
BL
C
Self-management
90
80
70
Preferred Peer
Alone
60
Non-Preferred Peer
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
3
6
8
10 12 14
17
20 22 24 26 28
Observations
32 34 36 37 39 41 43
Big Ideas

FBA-BIP is a process designed to increase the
effectiveness and efficiency of individualized
behavior support planning.

FBA-BIP is appropriate for all students and all
types of problem behavior.

Intensity of FBA-BIP should match intensity
of problem and needs of students.
Additional Resources



www.pbis.org
Technical assistance guide #1
O’Neill et al (1997). Functional assessment and program
development for problem behavior: A practical handbook.
Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole
Desired Behavior
Existing Consequence
Let others host
Some events
Less work
Setting event
Antecedent
Problem Behavior
Maintaining Consequence
Job Stress
Deadlines
Family event
(e.g., holiday)
Host all events
Do all cooking
Control
Alternative Behavior
?????