Functional Behavioral Assessment Chart
As a team, special educators, general educators, related service providers and paraprofessionals come together and describe behaviors with observable and measurable information.
- observable (things you can see like actions and verbs to describe the behavior)
- measurable (using numbers, frequency, and time)
The team is always trying to determine how the behavior is getting in the way of the student’s learning and living experiences at school.
Paraeducators are often asked to track and describe the setting and the actual behavior. Their contributions to these team discussions and planning around behavior are essential.
The key component of the functional behavioral assessment is determining the next steps that happen because of the behaviors and in turn how the behaviors appear to help the person. In other words, the team is asking, “What is the “job” or function of the behavior?” (O’Neill, Horner, Albin, Sprague, Storey, & Newton, 1997)
Paraeducator jobs in this process include:
• Direct observation– educators will explicitly guide paraeducators on how to observe and what to observe
• Manipulation of the educational environment– educators will explicitly guide paraeducators on what to change environmentally to affect the behavior
• Administration of assessments or procedures- educators will explicitly guide paraeducators on what to evaluate and how to evaluate and how to proceed and intervene with a child’s situation.
If you are invited to a functional behavior assessment meeting, come ready to share the following information:
- Describe behaviors of concern, including the rate or baseline the behavior is occurring
- Define the student’s educational environment and daily routines that may predict the occurrence of target behaviors, including setting, social and activity influences
- Define the antecedent events (things that precede) for target behaviors
- Identify the consequences or outcomes of the target behaviors (these may help the behavior continue)
- Identify any functional replacement or new behaviors that could be taught, modeled, practiced with the student
- Identify the primary ways the student communicates with others and how communication plays a role in situations
- Identify effective and ineffective strategies and interaction styles that you have tried
- Summarize the history of target behaviors from your experience
(Young-Pelton, 2015)