The FBA | Functional Behavior Assessment | Special Education Decoded

An FBA is an acronym for Functional Behavior Assessments and Is a process that identifies behaviors that are directly Interfering With The Child’s Educational Progress;
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1. Specific target behavior
2. The purpose of that behavior
3. What factors maintain the behavior
A functional behavior assessment is a part of the behavior intervention plan (OR BIP) process.
If you’d like to more about behavior intervention plans or BIPs, please check out our video on that topic; • Behavioral Interventio...
When is it necessary to complete an FBA?
When a specific behavior or emotional concern is;
1. Disrupting the academic progress of a child
2. Other children within the classroom.
3. A repeated behavior has escalated as the year has gone on and been a continuous concern.
Now that we have discussed what an FBA (or Functional Behavior Assessment) is and when it’s necessary to complete let’s dive into why this type of assessment is a necessary part of a child’s academic progression…
There are 4 main reasons;
1. An FBA is Used to find the specific behavior that is causing your child’s academic progress to decrease.
2. An FBA is Used as a part of creating a behavior intervention plan or BIP.
3. An FBA is Used to help both you, as a parent, and the teachers focus on the positive outcomes.
4. An FBA is Used to help you to build a relationship together.
Now that we have discussed the importance of an FBA let’s cover an overview of what all goes into this assessment…
What all does an FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment) entail?
1. Identify the severity of the behavior
- This is done with both Parents
- And the Behavior Support Team
- Or in some cases, The Child Study (Support) Team - Once the severity of the behavior is identified, we move on to step 2 in the process,
2. A Path Is Decided For The Assessment Which Will Eventually Become Part Of The BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan)
- Less Severe Behaviors May Require
-- Some Observations and
-- Verbal Prompts
-- Eventually, A Written Plan Is Created To Change The Challenging Behavior
-More Severe Behaviors Require 5 Key Steps
1. Defining the target or key behavior
2. Several weeks worth of data collection
3. Developing a hypothesis
4. Setting up interventions and
5. Evaluating the plan and making sure it's effective
-There are some Differentiating factors regarding the severity, they include
-- The amount of time the FBA takes to complete.
-- Amount of detail found within the plan
The last part of an FBA or Functional Behavior Assessment is understanding how it fits into a BIP or Behavior Intervention Plan…
How does the FBA fit into a Behavior Intervention Plan?
1. Creation of the FBA is the fourth Step in a BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan) - Again, check out our video regarding the BIP process
2. The FBA Is Vital As It Helps Identify Target Behaviors
3. An FBA Leads To Developing A Behavior Intervention Plan Tailored To Your Child’s needs
Well… that wraps up the topic on Functional Behavior Assessments or FBA’s
Questions / Or Video Topic Ideas?
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Additional Information On Behavior Type Issues;
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From All Of Us At SpecialEdResource.com... THANK YOU!!!!

[@heidifernandez7489]

Thank you Luke and team!

[@Specialedresource777]

You are welcome, Heidi :)

[@mansooralhamady2037]

Really thanks

[@raymondho2405]

Thanks for the video, I think it would have been more helpful to illustrate with an example

[@Classy_Lady23]

Question if getting this for a non serious behavior kid could the school get removed from the school if always getting un necessary referrals ? He got a referral cause a student told him to go get something off the teacher desk not realizing this kid is using him and my kid just wants to be liked. My son behavior happens when he dont know how to start a task or get frustrated with understanding the work he shuts down but the school give no support for him they say he dont need it

[@briannajohnson4278]

Is the FBA apart of the child's IEP? Can it be? Or are they 2 separate things?

[@latrishablakey8105]

Does a BIP keep a child from being suspended if the behavior is in the plan?

[@Specialedresource777]

Latrisha... I have some information to send you regarding this, will you please email us? [e-mail]

[@natashajones6881]

I'd like to know if it keep them from getting suspended too

[@Specialedresource777]

Natasha, The following is from our SPED expert Taylor; No, a child can still be suspended. However, an FBA comes into place if a child has been suspended numerous times. After ten days of suspensions, a manifestation must be completed on the child, and the child can't be suspended anymore before the meeting. An FBA should be completed after the manifestation or reviewed if one has been done prior. If they have had an FBA before the manifestation, they should have a BIP or Behavior Intervention Plan. (Check out our video on this topic) The BIP should have strategies and steps in place to help decrease the behaviors causing them to be suspended. Some BIP's can include a suspension after so many trips to the office or after so many attempts or steps. But, no, it can't keep them from being suspended.

[@kelvs825]

does FBA is used to find some specific behaviors that cause students academic issues only?

[@alexm1841]

Behavioral. Related to the functions of behavior; sensory, escape, attention, access. Academic issues that may be caused by intellectual deficit (for example) are not addressed by behaviorists in an FBA

[@dfritts5812]

Who qualifies as a trained professional to do an FBA, a BCBA?

[@alexm1841]

It should only be a BCBA. Special education teachers in my district perform them… although they are often overwhelmed with the process

[@lunamartinez7517]

How can I ask in school for fBA

[@Specialedresource777]

Luna, thank you for your question! The best way to get the process started is to email (or send a letter) to your child's teacher/case worker requesting one. The important part here is to DO IT IN WRITING. Then, they will get the ball rolling for you. If you have more questions on this... please let us know :)

[@mony19831]

I've done this with my son recently since he's been having problems at school and has autism. My son's developmental doctor recommended me to first write a personal letter to the school principal that states that you as a parent are requesting for an FBA to be done on your child. The second thing that my sons doctor mentioned was to also send an email and if a week has past by and you haven't heard from the school then by all means contact the school and ask to speak to the principal and let them know that you were just wondering if they had received your letter in the mail requesting for an FBA to be done. And also let them know that you want to know what would be the next step that you would need to do in order to have one done. And from then on it should get everything going. Also don't be afraid to keep emailing or speaking with your Childs teacher every now and then about how it is going because you have every right to know. I will be praying that everything turns out well. :) Best of luck!

[@jessies16]

Jessica Smith