Functional behavioral assessment

Abstract

Functional behavioral assessments (FBA) provide a structured and reliable measure of environmental contingencies maintaining problem behavior. It has been used to assess problem behaviors in animals, children, and individuals with disabilities and within organizations. The methods popularity is growing and it is frequently used in U.S schools since Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was established. With this comes some particular challenges in meeting a broader group of professionals with different exposure to behavior analytic theory. These papers seek to elaborate on the different categories of FBAs and to suggest previously proven refinements that suit different contexts and behaviors. The review article enlightens some ongoing theoretical and empirical discussions within the field, and comments on current recommendations for best practice. The empirical paper compares the accuracy between structured ABC form and narrative ABC forms, when used by undergraduate students. The findings are modest with non-significant differences and a show a slight preference for using narrative ABC forms.