For clinicians working in schools, you probably know that being asked to write up functional behavior assessments is a nigh-weekly occurrence. And while functional analyses may be the gold standard of behavior assessment, barely 50% of BCBAs in the world regularly use them. Rather than wag our fingers for a full hour, we take a look at the literature around conducting the best FBAs possible taking into account time, space, and efficiency. Plus, Rob’s spicy hot takes on descriptive assessments!

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Nesselrode, R., Falcomata, T.S., Hills, L., & Erhard, P. (2022). Functional analysis in public school settings: A systematic review of the literature. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-022-00679-8

Oliver, A.C., Pratt, L.A., & Normand, M.P. (2015). A survey of functional behavior assessment methods used by behavior analysts in practice. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 48, 817-829. doi: 10.1002/jaba.256

Asmus, J.M., Vollmer, T.R., & Borrero, J.C. (2002). Functional behavior assessment: A school based model. Education and Treatment of Children, 25, 67-90. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42900516

Anderson, C.M. & St. Peter, C.C. (2013). Functional analysis with typically developing children: Best practice or too early to tell?: In response to Hanley (2012). Behavior Analysis in Practice, 6, 62-76. doi: 10.1007/BF03391806

Kestner, K.M., Peterson, S.M., Eldridge, R.R., & Peterson, L.D. (2018). Considerations of baseline classroom conditions in conducting functional behavior assessments in school settings. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12, 452-465. doi: 10.1007/s40617-018-0269-1

Lewis, T.J., Mitchell, B.S., Harvey, K., Green, A., & McKenzie, J. (2015). A comparison of functional behavioral assessment and functional analysis methodology among students with mild disabilities. Behavioral Disorders, 41, 5-20. doi: 10.17988/0198-7429-41.1.5

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Episode 208 - Functional Behavior Assessments in Schools