Wednesday, February 21, 2018

The Functional Behavior Assessment Steps Specialists Undertake To Assist Your Child Academically

By Michelle Patterson


For parents of a child with behavioral issues, meeting with the classroom teacher can be a regular occurrence. Some children have trouble sitting still, following directions, and acting appropriately in school. In certain instances, there is more behind these behaviors than immaturity. When teachers and school administrators have tried the usual remedies without success, they may suggest starting functional behavior assessment steps.

In order to really help your child, you have to fully understand what functional behavior assessment, or FBA, encompasses. Most educators and psychologists are genuinely concerned about the children in their care. When those children are struggling, the professionals want to know why. There is always a reason for inappropriate behaviors. The goal is to find out what the reasons are and develop a plan to successfully change them.

There are a number of professionals involved in the FBA process. The school psychologist often leads the team and talks to individuals who have regular contact with your child. She also sits down with your child to evaluate his thought process and to conduct behavioral testing. Other members of the immediate team usually include the child, the parent, classroom and special education teachers, and school administrators.

Before inappropriate behaviors can be assessed, they have to be defined. Generalizations like disruptive and inappropriate are too vague to have much value. What is required are accurate, unbiased details regarding specific incidents that have occurred in and out of class. The more information the professionals have, the better the eventual plan will be.

Analyzing the data is the next step. The specialist examines the reported events looking for common threads between what the behaviors were, when they happened, and what was going on immediately preceding an incident. It also important for them to analyze times and situations when the child behaves appropriately. They look at where the child was, who was with the child, and if the child is more compliant at certain times of the day.

After this information has been processed, the professionals start to hypothesize about the reasons behind the poor behaviors. This is often difficult to do accurately and takes time. They are trying to figure out if the behaviors are a result of your child avoiding or attempting to escape a situation. They know that these behaviors accomplish something in the youngster's mind.

The final step in the process is the intervention plan. This plan involves creating an atmosphere conducive to promoting positive behaviors and then rewarding this child for his cooperation. Sometimes this plan includes restructuring teaching methods, changing the physical environment, varying or stabilizing routines, and changing consequences for continued inappropriate behavior. The appropriate person will sit with your child to discuss the changes being made and what will be expected of him going forward.

Not all children have an easy time. Adjusting to a classroom with rules, lessons, and tests can be extremely difficult for some. Sometimes it takes a team of adults to create the possibility of academic success for these special youngsters.




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