Functional Analysis of Problem Behavior, Essay Example

What is an FBA, and why would you conduct an FBA as a clinician?

According to the Steege chapter, a functional behavior assessment allows us to understand the connection between the variables present in the student’s environment and his or her behavior. Determining related variables will ultimately allow clinicians to help student’s modify their behaviors, thereby becoming able to learn a greater amount of material in the classroom. Ultimately, it appears that performing a functional behavior assessments for children with behavior problems will help improve the efficacy of classroom learning not just for the misbehaved student but for the other students in the class as well.

According to the Steege chapter, explain how useful a child’s diagnosis is in the design of effective interventions. Do you agree or disagree with the author…why or why not?

The Steege Chapter states that it is important to look past our obsession with making a “correct diagnosis” for children with behavioral problems because this has interfered in the ability of schools to provide the correct behavioral and counseling services to children in need. Since the “diagnosis does not inform intervention”, it is useful to look past the diagnosis and directly examine the variables that contribute to the behavior issue. While I agree with the author in the sense that it is important to examine the variables that contribute to a particular behavior issue in order to determine an effective intervention for each case, a formal diagnosis does serve as a reasonable guide for this process. Therefore, I believe that one cannot completely ignore diagnosis, because it does in fact inform intervention in many mental health situations. It is important to consider that treatment is not a one size fits all scenario, however, so it is important to determine whether or not an understanding of diagnosis would apply on a case by case basis.

Describe the difference between function-based interventions and those designed (or based) on topography and/or preference. What is the advantage of using a functional approach to intervention over these other processes?

Topography-based interventions require a literature review in which researchers select treatment interventions that had been successful for individuals with similar cases. Meanwhile, preference-based interventions are used when a clinician has repeatedly used a particular intervention and method because it continues to work. However, it is important to consider that the particular method, while effective for some cases, will not be beneficial for every case encountered. Both topography-based interventions and preference-based interventions have not been historically proven, and both consider the case of each child on too broad of a scale.  Some clinicians attempt to treat a child on the basis of their behavior or symptoms rather than the cause of this behavior or symptoms. While this can occasionally work, doing so does not guarantee a large success rate. Therefore, function-based interventions can be used to alleviate these issues. Since this intervention looks at the causes of behavior problems, rather than the results, the clinician is more likely to select an intervention method that will work for the child long-term.

What is an indirect FBA as compared to a direct-descriptive FBA? What is the major advantage of an indirect FBA?

Indirect functional behavioral assessment aims to identify and describe behavior and to synthesize hypothesized functional relationships. Direct descriptive functional behavior assessment involves gathering observational data for a subject and the determination of contextual variables within his or her environment. Since a variety of methods are used to conduct the indirect functional behavioral assessment, the hypothesized functional relationship can be examined from a variety of directions.

Differentiate between either an indirect FBA or a descriptive FBA and a functional analysis; be sure to describe functional analysis…including the typical types of control vs. test conditions used within a functional analysis.

An indirect FBA tests a hypothesis, therefore allowing the clinician to follow the scientific method while undergoing the investigation. The descriptive FBA does not test a hypothesis and is observational in nature. These observations then direct the intervention. A functional analysis focuses on the identification of variables that influence behavior. Descriptive analysis is typically uncontrolled and several different types of controls and test conditions can be utilized for the functional analysis. An example of different test conditions for a functional analysis can be a when a child is alone, in the classroom, or in a variety of other environments.

Provide some examples of the evidence in support of using FBA’s to design behavioral interventions. In your discussion, provide a description of the influence of Carr & Durand, Brian Iwata, and John Northup/David Wacker. Also, provide examples of the types of problem behaviors in the literature that have applied FBA/functional analysis technology in the assessment and intervention process.

Ultimately, the literature has shown that behavior analysis needs to be conducted on an individualized basis. Many researchers have found that interventions based on the function of behavior rather than the form of behavior result in meaningful change. Some of the behaviors that are exemplified in the literature that could be applied to the FBA/functional analysis include head banging, biting, face slapping, and hair pulling. It is possible however, that this method can be utilized to find an effective intervention for other behavior issues as well. It would be necessary to extend the research conducted on this topic to determine if it would be effective for this purpose.

References

Hanley GP, Iwata BA, McCord BE. (2003). Functional Analysis of Problem Behavior: A Review. 36, 147-185.

Lalli JS, Browder DM, Mace FC, Brown DK. (1993). Teacher Use of Descriptive Analysis Data To Implement Interventions To Decrease Students’ Problem Behaviors. Journal Of Applied Behavior  Analysis: 26, 227-238.

Steege MW, Watson TS. (2009). Conducting School-Based Functional Behavioral Assessments. Guilford Publications.