Functional Assessment Resources

Functional Assessment Resources

Below are some practical resources for collecting information to complete functional behavior assessments.  These resources can be used for direct observations, interviews, and team meetings to identify variables affecting student behaviors.

Functional Assessment Checklist for Teachers and Staff (FACTS)

The Functional Assessment Checklist for Teachers and Staff (FACTS) is a brief, semi-structured interview for use in functional assessment and building behavior support plans.  The FACTS should be completed by people who know the student best (e.g. teachers, family members, clinicians).  After completing the FACTS interview, confirmatory observations are recommended.  The results of the FACTS and the observations are used to build a hypothesis statement.  The FACTS can be completed in a short period of time (15-20 min.).  Efficiency and effectiveness in completing the forms increases with practice. 

The interview consists of two parts; Part A is the routines analysis and Part B is the functional behavior assessment. The goal of the routines analysis is to isolate routines during which problem behavior does and does not occur.  The functional assessment section (B) leads users to develop a Summary of Behavior identifying: (a) the function of the student behavior and (b) a detailed understanding of the specific environmental variables that trigger the problem behavior (antecedents) and maintain the problem behavior (consequences).  It is essential that our Summary of Behavior is sufficiently detailed so that we can develop specific interventions based on the information that we collect in the functional assessment.

Behavior Advantage:  Use the information collected in the FACTS to help identify Target Behaviors, Antecedents, Consequences, and Hypothesized Functions in the Behavior Advantage FBA Tab.

  

Direct Observation A-B-C Recording Form

An ABC Chart is a direct observation tool that can be used to collect information about the events that are occurring within a student's environment. "A" refers to the antecedent, or the event or activity that immediately precedes a problem behavior. The "B" refers to observed behavior, and "C" refers to the consequence, or the event that immediately follows a response.

An ABC Chart is used to organize information over several observation sessions by recording the types of behaviors observed and the events that precede and follow the behavior. Observing and recording ABC data assists the team in forming a hypothesis statement and gathering evidence that the function maintaining a problem behavior has been identified.  ABC Forms can also be used to retrospectively document and analyze behaviors in a team meeting among staff who have observed multiple instances of target behaviors over time in various contexts.

Behavior Advantage:  Use the information collected in the A-B-C Recording Form to help identify Target Behaviors, Antecedents, Consequences, and Hypothesized Functions in the Behavior Advantage FBA Tab.

  

Behavior Chain and Escalation Pattern Analysis

Listing the behavioral antecedents (i.e., related and/or more mild behaviors that precede a target behavior) can be useful to help highlight how a student escalates toward a target behavior.  This escalation cycle can be used to more strategically identify interventions that can be used to prevent escalation in the future.

Behavior Advantage:  Use the information collected in the Behavior Chain or Escalation Pattern Worksheet to help identify behavioral antecedents in the Behavior Chain section of the Behavior Advantage FBA Tab.