Applied Sciences Signature Assignment

EDUU 695: Signature Assignment

Functional Behavior Assessment with Functional Analysis Assessment

Note – This assignment requires approximately 5 hours of field-based work and builds on your earlier intake and client report assignment. You will need access to a client/child who has identified behavior concerns. Ideally you will use the same client/child as you did in the midterm. If not, you will need to collect additional data (and have parent sign a new permission form).

This assignment builds your skills in determining the function of a behavior by completing a functional behavior assessment (FBA), and a functional Analysis Assessment (FAA). The FBA will allow you to hypothesize the function of a behavior. The Functional Analysis will allow you to test your hypothesis.

You may use your agency’s forms or others you have identified to complete a functional assessment for the client you targeted for your earlier assignment. You may enter the data previously collected on the forms except for the functional assessment observation form. You will need to observe your client to complete that form and hypothesize the function of their behavior.

When you complete the form and have hypothesized a function for your target child’s/client’s behavior, use an alternating treatment design to confirm the function of their behavior.

Use the feedback provided by your peers in Week 7 to revise your assignment.

Your FAA and assignment should be should include the following information and ordered as shown below:

1. Summary information from the FBA and Functional Assessment Observation

a. One paragraph describing the client/child’s presenting concerns

b. One paragraph detailing the dates of the observations and data collected and included in the final report (inclusive of the intake)

c. A summary of the findings from the FBA and Functional Assessment Observation

2. Description of the Functional Analysis Assessment (FAA)

a. Setting within which it was conducted

b. Procedures for conducting the FAA

c. Findings from the FAA

d. Graph showing the results of the FAA

3. Appendices

a. FBA form

b. Functional Observation Form

c. Any assessment protocols

d. Proof of signed consent. All names must be marked out however you will need to keep the consent form for your records.

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Functional Analysis Assessment (FAA)

Setting

The functional analysis assessment (FAA) was conducted in FirstName’s home by the

assessor with assistance from a registered behavior technician. The assessor implemented

procedures for the FA and collected data on the problem behavior while the registered behavior

technician took data on the problem behavior as observer 2 for the IOA scores. The assessor was

able to observe FirstName’s problem behavior and conduct the FA in an enclosed room as free

from distractions from family members and other environmental factors as possible. The room in

which the FA was conducted had furniture which included a table, two chairs, a closet, and two

dressers. Leisure items (i.e., blocks, Buzz Lightyear figurine, puzzles, and books) were available

as needed. Other stimuli included worksheets (i.e., letter and number tracing, coloring, dot-to-

dot), crayons, pencils, eraser, and picture cards.

Procedures

A preference assessment using the choice format was conducted throughout the session to

determine the leisure items that should be available. During the assessment, frequency data was

used for the functional analysis of perseveration. The variables manipulated using a multielement

design were Alone, Attention, Play, and Demand condition. The conditions were conducted in

the following order: Alone, Attention, Play, and Demand condition. The Alone, Attention, and

Demand conditions were the experimental conditions and Play was the control condition. Each

condition was 10 minutes in length and initiated contingent on presence of the problem behavior.

After the conclusion of each condition, there was a 10 minute break before the beginning of the

next condition. The conditions were implemented during four different days between 9:00am and

3:00pm. Due to the setting of the sessions, it was not possible to leave the client completely

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alone during the Alone condition. However, the assessor ensured that no attention including

gestures and eye contact was provided during the 10-minute interval in the Alone condition. An

environmental factor that could not be controlled was interruption from family members entering

the work room or family members coming home. During the Attention condition, the client was

given blocks to play with while the assessor worked on paperwork. Each time the client engaged

in perseveration, the assessor would stop working and either answer the client’s questions or say

“I need quiet mouth” or “all done talking about that.” In the Play condition, attention in the form

of verbal praise was provided every minute while the client watched videos on his iPad. Verbal

praise included “you’re sitting so nicely,” or “I love how you’re watching and paying attention.”

Attention was also provided when the client gained attention or initiated conversation

appropriately. The client was given directive to work on worksheets (i.e., letter and number

tracing, coloring, dot-to-dot) and receptive and expressive identification of picture cards for

functional items during the Demand condition. Verbal praise was delivered if the client complied

with initiating the worksheet with a latency of no more than 3 seconds. Verbal praise was also

delivered on a VI3 schedule of reinforcement for correct responding on the picture cards. Each

time the problem behavior was exhibited, the worksheets were withdrawn for 10 seconds and

reintroduced with the original demand.

Results

The average number of responses for each condition was as follows: Alone = 1.75,

Attention = 4.75, Play = 3, Escape = 2.75. The results of the functional analysis (Figure 3)

showed that perseveration occurred at the highest level with low variability in the Attention

condition. A slightly increasing trend was also observed in the Attention condition. Perseveration

had the most stable decreasing pattern of responding in the Play and Alone conditions. During

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the Play condition, it was observed that perseveration occurred at a moderate level with a

decreasing trend and low variability. A low level of perseveration was exhibited for both the

Escape and Alone condition. However, it appeared that during the Escape condition,

perseveration had a slightly increasing trend. Based on the results of the FAA, the hypothesis for

the function of perseveration being attention was confirmed.

Figure 3

Functional Analysis of Perseveration

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1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 2 3 4

N um

be r o

f R es

po ns

es

Sessions

FA Graph

Alone

Attention

Play

Escape

Functional Analysis Data Sheet Conduct sessions as described below and in the listed sequence (Session #1=Alone, #2=Attention, etc.) Add a Tangible condition only if it is strongly suspected that problem behavior is maintained by access to tangibles. Each session should last for 10 minutes. Record either the # or the rate of problem behavior (PB) in each session, and summarize as the mean per condition. Alone: Begin session: Student is alone in a room with no access to attention or leisure items.

If PB: No consequences.

Attention: Begin session: Inform student that you are busy; then ignore. If PB: Deliver a mild reprimand, statement of concern, physical comfort, then ignore again.

Play: Begin Session: Deliver frequent attention and allow free access to preferred items. Do not deliver demands.

If PB: Ignore briefly, then resume play.

Demand: Begin session: Deliver non-preferred academic or work tasks. If PB: Remove task and ignore for 30 seconds; then resume tasks.

Tangible: Begin session: Allow brief access to preferred item then remove and ignore. If PB: Provide brief access to preferred item; then remove again.

Other: Begin session:

If PB: Client: ______________________________________________________ Start Date: ________________________ Problem Behavior: _____________________________________________ End Date: ________________________

Session Alone Attention Play Demand Tangible Other 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Mean PB

1. Client:
2. Start Date:
3. Problem Behavior:
4. End Date:
5. Alone1:
6. Attention1:
7. Play1:
8. Demand1:
9. Tangible1:
10. Other1:
11. Alone2:
12. Attention2:
13. Play2:
14. Demand2:
15. Tangible2:
16. Other2:
17. Alone3:
18. Attention3:
19. Play3:
20. Demand3:
21. Tangible3:
22. Other3:
23. Alone4:
24. Attention4:
25. Play4:
26. Demand4:
27. Tangible4:
28. Other4:
29. Alone5:
30. Attention5:
31. Play5:
32. Demand5:
33. Tangible5:
34. Other5:
35. Alone6:
36. Attention6:
37. Play6:
38. Demand6:
39. Tangible6:
40. Other6:
41. Alone7:
42. Attention7:
43. Play7:
44. Demand7:
45. Tangible7:
46. Other7:
47. Alone8:
48. Attention8:
49. Play8:
50. Demand8:
51. Tangible8:
52. Other8:
53. Alone9:
54. Attention9:
55. Play9:
56. Demand9:
57. Tangible9:
58. Other9:
59. Alone10:
60. Attention10:
61. Play10:
62. Demand10:
63. Tangible10:
64. Other10:
65. Alone11:
66. Attention11:
67. Play11:
68. Demand11:
69. Tangible11:
70. Other11:
71. Alone12:
72. Attention12:
73. Play12:
74. Demand12:
75. Tangible12:
76. Other12:
77. Alone13:
78. Attention13:
79. Play13:
80. Demand13:
81. Tangible13:
82. Other13:
83. Alone14:
84. Attention14:
85. Play14:
86. Demand14:
87. Tangible14:
88. Other14:
89. Alone15:
90. Attention15:
91. Play15:
92. Demand15:
93. Tangible15:
94. Other15:
95. Alone16:
96. Attention16:
97. Play16:
98. Demand16:
99. Tangible16:
100. Other16:
101. Alone17:
102. Attention17:
103. Play17:
104. Demand17:
105. Tangible17:
106. Other17:
107. Alone18:
108. Attention18:
109. Play18:
110. Demand18:
111. Tangible18:
112. Other18:
113. Alone19:
114. Attention19:
115. Play19:
116. Demand19:
117. Tangible19:
118. Other19:
119. Alone20:
120. Attention20:
121. Play20:
122. Demand20:
123. Tangible20:
124. Other20:
125. AloneMean PB:
126. AttentionMean PB:
127. PlayMean PB:
128. DemandMean PB:
129. TangibleMean PB:
130. OtherMean PB: