Functional Analysis and Paired Choice Assessments: Comparison and Behavior Intervention Planning
Location
CSU Ballroom
Start Date
21-4-2014 2:00 PM
End Date
21-4-2014 3:30 PM
Student's Major
Psychology
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Kathy Bertsch
Mentor's Email Address
kathy.bertsch@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Psychology
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a method of assessment used to develop behavior interventions for individuals with challenging behavior. There are several methods of collecting FBA information. Functional analysis (FA) is a process of validating the function of behavior through experimental analysis. While FA is considered a gold standard, it limitations including requiring specialized training and problem behaviors to occur and be reinforced during assessment. Paired-choice (PC) assessment, another FBA method, is used to assess children’s preference for reinforcers and various classroom arrangements. It is hypothesized that PC assessments are teacher friendly, require little training to implement and lead to accurate hypothesis of function of behavior. The purpose of this project is to validate if PC assessments accurately hypothesize function of behavior as compared to FA. Additionally the project assessed whether either method aided teachers in better understanding function of behavior. Four preschool-age children with problem behaviors were assessed using both FA and PC methods. After each assessment, teachers completed a checklist about function of behavior. Assessment data was then used to hypothesize function. PC allowed for making hypothesis about function of behavior while FA was less useful as few problem behaviors occurred resulting in inconclusive FA results. Teacher report showed that teachers consistently identify multiple functions of behavior. This research provides preliminary evidence suggesting that PC assessments may aid in intervention planning for students with mild problem behaviors and that teachers need further training in distinguishing gain from escape functions even when they are part of FBA assessments.
Functional Analysis and Paired Choice Assessments: Comparison and Behavior Intervention Planning
CSU Ballroom
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a method of assessment used to develop behavior interventions for individuals with challenging behavior. There are several methods of collecting FBA information. Functional analysis (FA) is a process of validating the function of behavior through experimental analysis. While FA is considered a gold standard, it limitations including requiring specialized training and problem behaviors to occur and be reinforced during assessment. Paired-choice (PC) assessment, another FBA method, is used to assess children’s preference for reinforcers and various classroom arrangements. It is hypothesized that PC assessments are teacher friendly, require little training to implement and lead to accurate hypothesis of function of behavior. The purpose of this project is to validate if PC assessments accurately hypothesize function of behavior as compared to FA. Additionally the project assessed whether either method aided teachers in better understanding function of behavior. Four preschool-age children with problem behaviors were assessed using both FA and PC methods. After each assessment, teachers completed a checklist about function of behavior. Assessment data was then used to hypothesize function. PC allowed for making hypothesis about function of behavior while FA was less useful as few problem behaviors occurred resulting in inconclusive FA results. Teacher report showed that teachers consistently identify multiple functions of behavior. This research provides preliminary evidence suggesting that PC assessments may aid in intervention planning for students with mild problem behaviors and that teachers need further training in distinguishing gain from escape functions even when they are part of FBA assessments.
Recommended Citation
Nelson, Jennifer. "Functional Analysis and Paired Choice Assessments: Comparison and Behavior Intervention Planning." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 21, 2014.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2014/poster_session_B/40
