Functional Behavior Assessments
Behaviors don't just pop into and out of existence, they evolve within us. Behaviors are functionally determined. That means they grow in frequency and intensity when reinforced, and go extinct when reinforcement goes away. To the extent that we can understand the reinforcement maintaining behavior, we can take control of the behavior.
FBAs can be conducted in many ways. Traditionally, there are three basic assessments:
FBAs can be conducted in many ways. Traditionally, there are three basic assessments:
- Indirect functional assessment - Interviews, standardized questionnaires, and discussions with the child, parents, and other involved caregivers
- Direct functional assessment - Observation of the child by the assessor in the natural environment. Data on the behavior will be collected, as well as environmental factors. This produces a descriptive correlation between behavior and function.
- Experimental functional analysis - Empirically test suspected functions by systematically altering the environment contingent upon the child’s behavior
Social Skills and Social Behavior Assessments
Social Behavior Assessment Inventory (SBAI) (Stephens & Arnold, 1992)
The Social Behavior Assessment Inventory (SBAI) is a 136-item curriculum-based teacher rating instrument that measures the performance level of social behaviors of children in a classroom setting. Four areas of social behaviors are assessed: Environmental Behavior, Interpersonal Behaviors, Self-Related Behaviors, and Task-Related Behaviors.
The Social Behavior Assessment Inventory (SBAI) is a 136-item curriculum-based teacher rating instrument that measures the performance level of social behaviors of children in a classroom setting. Four areas of social behaviors are assessed: Environmental Behavior, Interpersonal Behaviors, Self-Related Behaviors, and Task-Related Behaviors.