FBA

Through watching the video and reading Goldstein, I have learned there are many important guidelines to consider when making a functional behavioral assessment. Functional behavioral assessment can be considered a problem- solving process in addressing a students behavior. There are four main steps to help reduce problematic behaviors. They include: Functional behavioral assessment, behavioral intervention plan, data, and objective modification based on data. Some may believe that functional behavioral assessment is the most important component in an effective plan. I on the other hand, agree that all four main steps have an important component in gathering information and helping reduce negative behavior.
When considering a functional behavioral assessment, it is important to bear in mind why we think a student is showing a certain behavior and what the main function of the behavior may be . For example, is the child trying to escape/avoid a situation? Or is the child trying to gain some type of adult attention?

Since I do not have much experience in functional behavioral assessment, I found St. Clair County RESA, very informative in planning how to write a FBA. The layout was easy to understand and pretty straight forward. I also like how RESA functional behavioral assessment is beneficial for students with intensive behavioral needs or students within a RTI model.

St. Clair County RESA, focuses on eight main sections when completing an functional behavioral assessment. From my experience thru the video, it is important to have data and records of the child's problematic behavior. Data can include ABC logs, observations, school counselor, and most importantly teacher and parents feedback. Another essential section in FBA form is describing the actual behavior problem. When gathering information based on the behavior, it is important to describe the behavior in concrete terms and to stay away from abstract terms. I agree with this, because if the writer is too vague, it can be some what challenging to collect measurable data.

I do agree it is essential to gather all the problematic behaviors, but to focus on ONE problematic behavior instead of three. I could be completely wrong on this statement, but from my previous reading, it can be over whelming and frustrating to figure out an intervention that will benefit the child if there are to many behaviors to focus on. It is necessary to focus on the behavior that is most disruptive and unsafe in the classroom environment. I also found it very beneficial to see the FBA form had a section for student input. This is a great way to acknowledge the child's feelings and any other motivations/strengths that can be used in the behavioral plan.

Lastly, I agree with having a summary/ hypothesis statement. This plays a big role in the outcome of the child's behavior and what function it may play. The main goal is trying to teach the student to obtain the behavioral function in a more appropriate way. This will only benefit the child in the end. I found it eye catching to know the teams do not always get the assessment correct. The team can continue to review the data and if they are right, one will see a decrease in the child's behavior. If the problimatic behavior is still occurring the assessment team will plan on revising/making another functional behavioral assessment.
I found the information gathered from St.Clair Country to be helpful in planning a functional behavioral assessment. I would definitely consider using the FBA form in other school systems. I like the clarity of the format and believe it to be helpful for teachers and parents, who may be unfamiliar with functional behavioral assessments.