Unit 8 Flashcards
A type of behavioral assessment used to determine functional relations between challenging behavior and environmental events.
Purpose – a well-planned and comprehensive _______ _______, should lead directly to an individual behavior intervention plan that is highly likely to be effective
Functional assessment
3 General methodologies:
- Preliminary indirect assessment
- Descriptive assessment. – Direct naturalistic observation
- Functional analysis – systematic manipulations
Functional Assessment Methods
Some abbreviations and terms
- FBA
- A.k.a. direct descriptive functional
- A.k.a. experimental analysis, abbreviated FA
- Functional assessment
- Descriptive assessment
- Functional analysis
Consist of interviews and rating scales
Broad band focus but low fidelity
Helps with decision of whether or not to continue with case
Helps in planning further assessment
Preliminary indirect assessment review
Consist of direct observation of behavior and environmental events in real life context
Medium band focus and medium fidelity
Leads to hypothesis regarding functional relations and how, where, and with whom to intervene
Descriptive assessment
Also called an A – B functional analysis
Consist of manipulation of antecedent events in natural settings.
Mid to narrow band focus and medium Fidelity
May identify antecedents that evoke the challenging target behavior
Mid to narrowband focus, medium fidelity
Structured assessment
Consist of systematic manipulations of environmental events and observation of target in a controlled setting.
NARROW band focus and HIGH fidelity
May determine actual functional relations and lead to effective treatment
Functional analysis
To generate hypothesis about functional relations
Identify idiosyncratic forms of motivating and reinforcing events
Design experimental FA conditions that more closely re presents natural conditions
Estimate natural schedules of reinforcement maintaining problem behavior
Interpret the results of experimental FA methods
Descriptive Assessment- purpose
- Scatterplot analysis.
- Narrative recording
- ABC data collection.
- Data collection of target behavior under different contexts/conditions
Descriptive assessment procedures
Touchette, MacDonald, Langer 1985
Developed this as a practical means for direct care staff to collect data across an entire day or shift
Scatterplot
A data collection form for problem behavior and the intervals of time behavior occurred
It provides a graphic display of data in a grid format
Used to identify patterns of responding in natural settings
Scatterplot
Plots occurrence of target behavior as a function of:
Time, context, activities
Scatterplot
- Break vertical axis Into time intervals corresponding with activity schedule.
- Break horizontal axis into successive days
- Decide whether to use occurrence versus nonoccurrence per given interval or to use three discrete categories, e.g., 0, low, and high
- Recording is done at the end of each interva
Using a scatterplot
Find out what differs in times when behavior occur most versus least. E.g., setting, activity, staff, EO‘s
Find out similarities in times when behavior occur about the same.
Interpreting scatterplot data
A.k.a. anecdotal observation
Observer produces a written narrative of an individual’s responses throughout a specific period of time and a description of the environmental conditions under which the responses were emitted
Narrative recording
A variation on narrative recording
Both are ways to identify topographies of target behavior
Allows one to start to identify idiosyncratic antecedents and consequences
ABC charting
A narrative recording allows the recorder to observe and record the referral behavior in context with potential maintaining variables
True or false
True
Pre-selected and defined target behaviors, antecedents and consequences
Data collection form allows for coding or checking antecedents, target behavior, and consequences.
ABC data collection
O’Neill, functional observation form
Lillian, Browder, Mace, Brown (JABA, 1993)
Behavior incident report. A.k.a. maladaptive behavior card
Examples of ABC data collection
Data collection of target behavior under different contexts and environmental conditions without systematic manipulation.
Provides data on differential probability of the occurrence of target behavior under different contexts/conditions.
Data collection across conditions
Even though the method is purely correlational, it allows one to try to identify, or at least hypothesize, the reinforcement contingency is likely to control the occurrence of the target behavior.
Remember the four term contingency.
(positive reinforcement contingency)
EO for SR plus – RSD for SR plus – R1 – SR+.etc
(See handout For a diagram of contingencies)
Data collection across conditions
The story of Danica:
High : Bathroom/self-care demands
Low: dining room/eating demands
The story of Bobby:
High: fluorescent lights
Low: natural light and dark room
Examples of data collection across conditions
Collect data in a variety of naturally occurring contexts/conditions
No systematic manipulations
Analyze under what conditions behavior tends to occur
-ID potential EO‘s, S D’s
-ID potential maintaining consequences
Look at similarities/differences in contexts/conditions dependent on differential rates are responding
Data collection across conditions recap
A systematic presentation and or examination of information or data regarding the target behavior and it’s conditions
Facilitates the identification of specific types of variations in the occurrence of the target behavior within relevant time frames and potential stimulus conditions.
Scatterplot dad at may be summarized by way of this
Pattern Analysis
