What is a functional behavior asssesment referring to a special education student in Texas?

Question

What exactly is done and how does student and parent benefit from it?

Answer 1

I have to agree with Jade, and emphasize that if it the FBA is done in school, it has little to do with the parents and the need to follow up with additional private therapy or tutoring. In schools, FBAs are designed to help the administration see where supports are lacking, and thus causing negative behaviors.

To sum up what has been stated, an FBA brings in a nonbiased professional to find and antecedent and outcome of any behavior. They observe the student across environments within the school (Classes, restrooms, hallways, gym, recess, cafeteria, etc) The results are given to the IEP team, who should discuss them and find more appropriate ways to deal with negative behaviors AND WRITE THIS INTO THE IEP SO IT IS A LEGAL AND BINDING DOCUMENT. Please, do not just accept that it will be done because it's better. It must be written down for the safety of both the school and the parent.

The student benefits by having an environment that supports their individual needs. The school benefits because they have a child who is receiving the supports they need before they blow up in negative behaviors. The parent benefits because the child over all is happier, and the school isn't calling every day to tell them they are bad parents because they haven't followed all the schools recommendations (no matter how hard you work, somehow the school always manages to blame the parents)

Answer 2

FBA is the process of gathering and analyzing information about the student's behavior and accompanying circumstances in order to determine the purpose or intent of the actions and if needed to help develop a positive behavior support plan to teach the child alternative appropriate behaviors to meet the same purpose or function as the behaviors that are getting them in trouble. If this child is using walking out of the room to "cool off" a formalized IEP document/ behavior plan could potentially identify this as a strategy for the child to use so that it will be officially sanctioned by the school. Or other strategies may be proposed that are more acceptable to the teacher, but  a team approach should be used to derive at a plan based on the results of the FBA

-FBA was designed to help us:

     -determine the appropriateness of placement and services

     -identify positive interventions to reduce the undesirable behavior

     -develop appropriate behaviors to be substituted in replacement of the

            inappropriate ones.

-FBA is based upon the following assumptions:

      -challenging behaviors do not occur in a vacuum

      -behaviors occur in response to an identifiable stimuli

      -behaviors are governed by the consequences that follow them

      -behavior is a form of communication (we just need to figure out what it says...

            "I am tired.", "I am bored.", "I'm still upset at what happened earlier", etc.)

      -"misbehavior" may actually be adaptive given the circumstances (e.g., "My teacher

            is a ineffective manager of student behavior.  S/he can't protect me from the thugs

            in my class.  I better misbehave so that the aggressive kids like me and won't

            victimize me.")

      -behaviors serve a function & have a purpose, usually:

              -to get something (e.g., attention, money, good grades)

              -to avoid/escape something (e.g., punishment, embarrassment)

-The technology for determining the purpose of behaviors has been around and has research support*, but FBA is complicated and time consuming in nature.  Costs vs. benefits are questionable.

* The research available when the U.S. law was passed had been conducted mostly by professors and their six graduate assistants with severely impaired preschoolers and adults.  It was never (as of the year 2001) conducted with the kids for who it will now be used.  It hadn't been conducted by the professionals now required to implement it.  The process often takes up to six weeks, but now it might have to be done in 10 days or less.

   It will be interesting to see how things work out over the years.

-An FBA must be conducted:

     -if behavioral concerns are present (according to many scholars in education law)

        (New York State recommends FBA as part of pre-referral and referral activities

        and IEP development, review, and revision for misbehaving students.  It should

        be part of an on-going program, not used merely an isolated practice for severe

        school code violations.)

    - within 10 days of an offense punishable by:

        -suspension

        -removal to an IAES (Interim Alternative Educational Setting...a place where kids who have broken the law or been aggressive can be sent for up to 40 days -- with services maintained and issues that led to removal addressed)

Answer 3

I am a behavioral therapist, and the student is receiving an evaluation considering his or her functionality in the school or personal environment. A good parent will benefit by considering the reported child's deficits and seek behavioral intervention. The range may be anything from the ability to feed him or herself to ability to tie shoes to extended vocabulary acquisition. It is basically to see where a child with deficits is on a behavioral level. Are they interacting with peers? Do they talk with other children at recess? Do they participate in group activities? The assessment will vary depending on the administrator unless he or she is using a standardized test.

The assessment may be used to determine appropriate recommendations for a parent regarding additional "schooling" or behavior modification. The test may also be used when considering an individualized educational program implemented for those with special needs. Then again is may also be used to consider appropriate placement for a child within a school or a district.

The test may vary depending upon the administrator. However, a standardized test may be used in Texas for the children receiving these assessments. Hope this helps. . .