Description
The target behavior is all about the teacher’s encounters with the student. This behavior will let the person who will be doing the FBA know what the assessment is needed for. This is the behavior of concern that is selected for intervention and is sometimes referred to as the problem behavior. The target behavior is expected to increase or decrease as a result of implementing the functional assessment-based intervention. The target behavior is identified during the Teacher Interview. The target behavior is used throughout the functional assessment to guide additional interviews and direct observations. Focusing on one (or in some cases two), target behaviors guide educators in identifying the function(s) of the target behavior to centralize the intervention on the specific behavior ("Operationally Defining Behavior: Target and replacement behaviors", 2019).
Operational Definition, behavior: John blurts out relevant questions without raising his hand 3-5 times during each ELA class.
Analysis: John is paying attention to the content of the class, as he is asking relevant questions. He is not, however, focusing on the rules of classroom behavior. In addition, if he has quite a few relevant questions, he may be having trouble understanding the ELA content at the level it's being taught. It is likely that John could benefit from a refresher on classroom etiquette and some ELA tutoring to be sure he is working at grade level and is in the right class based on his academic profile (Webster, 2018).
This will allow goals to be set and ways to give rewards for the goals that are met.
References
Operationally Defining Behavior: Target and replacement behaviors. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.ci3t.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/FABI_Operationally_Defining_Behavior.pdf
Webster, J. (2018). How to Write and Use Operational Definitions of Behavior. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/operational-definition-of-behavior-3110867