Description
Before a behavior can be assessed and analyzed it is important to operationally define the behavior. Students who display chronic problem behaviors in schools require specially designed and individualized interventions. (Sprague, Sugai, & Walker, 1998). For students with challenging behaviors, it is imperative to provide behavior change interventions to maintain placement in classroom settings and to receive high-quality instruction. A particularly effective practice is the use of functional behavior assessments (FBAs) and behavior intervention plans (BIPs). The first step in an FBA is to identify the specific behaviors that have a close impact on a child's academic progress. In order for the FBA to be written properly the teacher and the educational team must properly identify the target behavior that they want to be reduced or eliminated. By identifying the behavior before starting the FBA, will help us with collecting data and understanding and focusing on why the behavior is occurring. Once the problem behaviors have been identified, we need to collect information about the behavior. When and under what circumstances does the behavior occur? How often does the behavior occur? How long does the behavior last? Different kinds of data are chosen for different behaviors, including frequency and duration data. Once the behavior is described and the data is collected, it is time to analyze the information we have collected and determine the purpose of the behavior. That usually fall into three distinct groups: avoiding tasks, situations or settings, acquiring preferred items or food, or getting attention. Once we analyzed the behavior we can begin the Behavior Intervention Plan.
Reference:
Sugai, G. M., Lewis-Palmer, T., & Hagan, S. L. (1998). Using functional assessments to develop behavior support plans. Preventing School Failure, 43(1), 6–13. Retrieved from: https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/10459889809603294