Functional Behavioral Assessment - Paper Example

According to Scott and Alter (2017); functional behavioral assessment is also referred to as a functional behavior assessment, and it is condensed to FBA. It is a trial that revolves around looking away from the visible clarification of specific behavior as bad and discovers what reason it may be representing for a young child. In real meaning getting to decipher the real motivation to the manner in which a child carries himself or herself the way he or she does is the key, most preferred way to realizing solutions that bring an end to the unwanted behavior in question (Brath, 2015). A childs folks and teachers, for the most part, have to collectively work together until a child challenged with functional behavior problems gets better. Since teachers are usually educated on how to give assistance to learners challenged with special needs such as attention deficit problems, they ought to be the first to extend a helping hand to accord assistance to these types of learners.

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Loman and Horner (2014), posit that there are many methods that instructors make use of to find out the functions of a learners way of conduct; with the most ordinary ones being the gathering of data by the use of Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) and Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs). FBAs revolve around looking out for reasons a childs behavior is the way it is and making an effort to find out all the possible solutions. Besides that, Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs) accord a well-defined blueprint of the ways that can be put to use by the Individual Education Plan (IEP) group will better bad manners that is restraining a learners academic objectives. Manners that are deemed as bad or disruptive is when a young learner is unable to focus and does not finish the homework that is delegated by teachers in school, interrupts any manner of learning activities within a class environment and is always in bad terms with fellow learners.

McIntyre, L. L., & Golya, N. (2016), state that if any given instructor does not place a Functional Behavioral assessment plan as a first priority; he or she may put to application the wrong Behavioral Interventional Plan; besides in this case, not only is the instructor faced with a challenge, the student has a problem too. Finding out the specific reasons as to why a particular learner is behaving the way he or she does may assume several different forms; and while the revisions made to the IDEA commend that all approaches to discover learner's behaviour should centre around functional behavioral assessment (which may help find out exact contributors to child behavior), they do not need or advocate for particular means or policies to utilize when looking at specific behavior. While there are a number of methods at the disposition of teachers to carry out an (FBA) functional behavioral assessment, the initial approach in this course of action is to describe the actions in real terms.

As above stated, it is of key relevance to analyzing and gathering data before the accomplishment of a specific intervention plan to take care of any taxing behavior that is shown by a child. It is for this reason that a Behavioral Intervention Plan is by and large succeeds a Functional Behavioral Assessment or Functional Behavior Analysis. It is worth stating that the Functional Behavior Analysis is based upon the Behaviorist Anagram, ABC: Antecedent, Behavior and Consequence and that a Behavioral Intervention Plan is by and large a manuscript that gives details on the manner in which an Individual Education Plan panel will help the young learner get to improve his or her ways (Loman & Horner, 2014).

The three common cases in point of disruptive behavior instructors may see in young learners and look for replacement or modification include but are not limited to withdrawn/timid behavior, antisocial behavior, and aggressive behavior (McIntyre & Golya, 2016). Besides these, the top fifteen behavioral challenges described by instructors include biting, portraying temper tantrums, being loud, shouting, ruining objects, hurling objects at others, kicking other students or kicking at things, shoving, pinching, frequent expressions of anguish and crying, snatching toys/learning tools from other learners within his or her immediate environment, needs recurrent help from the tutor, spitting out sputum and nose picking every now and then, fails to adhere to instructions, and threatens other learners in the classroom. Perhaps the above-mentioned manners act as invaluable and insightful leads and direct instructors, parents, and health care professionals that is, psychologists in the Functional Behavioral Assessment process; making them to later come up with the right Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs) that would go well with the requirements of learners that could do with specialized care (Crone, Hawken & Horner, 2015)..

Crone, Hawken and Horner (2015), state that it may be very imperative to cautiously and without prejudice look at the behavior of any given learner under scrutiny in poles apart environments and in the course of different types of actions and assignments in the classroom or outdoors, and to carry out interviews with other educated personnel and caregivers, so as to find out the exact distinctiveness of the unwanted manners shown by an affected student. The moment a childs problem behavior has been given a deservingly concrete definition, the Functional Behavioral Assessment team can start to come up with a plan for carrying out a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) to find out the functions of the behaviors in question. The discussion that comes afterward can be utilized to direct teams in choosing the most successful approaches to find out the likely reasons for unwanted behavior in minors.

The importance of a well conducted Functional Behavioral Assessment is without a doubt the recovery of a child with a special need or a child that is abled-differently. FBAs are succeeded by Behavioral Intervention Plans to assist children with normal hypersensitivity, and ADHD among other conditions. It is for this reason that Brath, (2015) states that children with attention problems among other mental needs should be taken care of by well-trained teachers. In essence what Brath is trying to say that only instructors that have training in special needs education can deal effectively with children faced with behavioral challenges?

Loman and Horner tend to think that and indeed explain that the Functional Behavioural Assessment process comprises some key basic stages; these include the development of a hypothesis; hypothesis testing; coming up with a proper behavioral intervention plan; and finally the implementation of the behavioral intervention plan. The implementation of a Behavioural Intervention Plan teaches less negative or positive alternative ways of behavior that usually serve the same function as the bad mannerisms and thus promote their usage. In addition to that, implementation of a BIP involves instructors who are expected to bring about changes to circumstances and events linked with problem behaviors such that bad behavior is never again rewarded or prompted in any particular way.

Scott and Alter note that a well-defined Behavioral Intervention Plan is all about the development of a realistic action plan in the Behavioral Intervention Plan section of the learners IEP. What these two authors are basically stating out is that a BIP is all about coming up with objectives and goals, giving a description of direct interventions, making an identification of prearranged responses to displays of problematic mannerisms, creating a list of replacement behaviors and the manner in which they will be delivered to the learner by the instructor; making a note of any alterations in the services offered, and noting any changes in placement/setting.

References

Brath, K. A. S. (2015). Functional behavioral assessment (Master's thesis, Hogskolen i Oslo og Akershus).

Crone, D. A., Hawken, L. S., & Horner, R. H. (2015). Building positive behavior support systems in schools: Functional behavioral assessment. Guilford Publications.

Loman, S. L., & Horner, R. H. (2014). Examining the efficacy of a basic functional behavioral assessment training package for school personnel. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 16(1), 18-30.

McIntyre, L. L., & Golya, N. (2016). Assessment of Behavior Problems and the Use of Functional Behavioral Assessment During Early Childhood. In Early Childhood Assessment in School and Clinical Child Psychology (pp. 119-138). Springer New York.

Scott, T. M., & Alter, P. J. (2017). Examining the case for functional behavior assessment as an evidence-based practice for students with emotional and behavioral disorders in general education classrooms. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 61(1), 80-93.