This information will help you verify the existence of a problem and will help you define the target (problem) behavior. Look for information of how long the behavior has been occurring, the frequency of the behavior, who is affected by the behavior, where it is/is not a problem behavior, and the setting or events that appear to contribute to the behavior.

To collect background data you can 1) review the student's records, or 2) interview.

Review of Student Records: What issues relate to the behavior? Things to look at: absences, educational performance that is inconsistent, repeated referrals, discrepancies in ability versus performance, environments associated with behaviors.

Review the Archival Records Review Form found in packet (p. 63).

Interviews: Interviews are conducted with people you feel will have relevant information about the student's behavior. Parents should be interviewed along with special educators, general education teachers, related service staff, the student, caregivers, or any other person that you believe would have pertinent information. The information you will gather in the interviews will concern: what behaviors are expected, information about settings and people where the expected and problem behavior occurs, past contexts for behaviors, setting events, potential reinforcers, antecedent and consequent variables.

Review the Functional Behavioral Assessment Interview Form found in packet (p. 67).

When defining target behaviors you can include a general descriptor of the behavior but then you must identify specific descriptors that provide clear indication of the behavior.

Example:

General Descriptor: noncompliance

Specific Descriptor: refuses to complete work, refuses to follow directions

Which of the following would be unacceptable as a description of target behavior:

(a) pushes others; makes inappropriate statements (e.g., calling others meat head)

(b) refuses to complete work; throws assignments on floor

(c) cries; throws body on floor and kicks legs

(d) disruptive; physical aggression

Step 3: Direct Observation of the Student

By this time you have clearly defined the behavior but may need to redefine it as you begin to make observations. There are three methods of direct observation (see column one).

• Scatter Plot Analysis
• Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC) Analysis
• Post-Hoc Incident Report

Scatter Plot

The purpose of the scatter plot is to estimate the frequency of the behavior across the school day. The scatterplot record will identify patterns of the behavior during the day, identifying if the behavior occurs at a greater frequency during a specific time of the day or in specific settings. Refer to Scatter Plot Form in packet (p. 68). Each square down the page represents a half hour across the day and each square across represents a different day. An observer would put a slash in the box if the "target behavior" occurred one time during the specified half hour or would fill in the box if the "target behavior" occurred two times or more during the half hour. The open boxes indicate times when the behavior does not occur. Data across days would identify specific patterns of the occurrence of behavior.

A-B-C Analysis

An ABC analysis or assessment helps us determine the connections of the events that immediately precede or follow and the behavior. This direct observation generally occurs from 15 to 45 minutes and should occur at least 3 times. You will want to be as inconspicuous as possible during your observation. See ABC Functional Behavioral Assessment Form in you packet (p. 69). On the top of the form record the student's name, the date, and a brief description of the setting in which you are observing. As you observe the student record the behavior they exhibit in the middle column, after you have recorded the behavior identify the antecedent (event that was occurring when the behavior occurred or what immediately preceded the behavior). Also, record the consequence (event that immediately followed the behavior). Continue this recording method each time a behavior occurs.

Example

Example:

Imagine you have a student, Henry who is failing your class because he frequently does not have his math homework assignment finished. After a review of his records you find that he does has performed poorly on addition and subtraction facts. When looking over his homework you find that most of his errors are made because of miscalculations. From this information you could conclude that Billy does not turn in his homework because he doesn't know the calculations well enough to be accurate enough to earn a passing grade. A variable you might manipulate would be allowing an adaptation for his math facts and observing how that changes his behavior of "not having his homework done".

If our hypothesis is correct, we have collected the right information to determine the function of the behavior. If our hypothesis is incorrect we need to test another hypothesis.

To test your hypothesis, you will take baseline on the behavior, then manipulate the antecedent or consequent variable in the intervention phase, go back to baseline, then manipulate the same variable. You can also manipulate two different variable in separate phases to see which has the greater impact on the behavior.

Basically, behavior serves one of two purposes:

1. to get something you want (either social or automatic reinforcement)
2. to get out of something (escape or avoidance)