Functional Behavior Assessment.
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Number and Name
Instructor's Name
Assignment Due Date
Interview summery, teacher’s classroom expectations and how the identified behavior does
not align with those expectations.
The sixth-grade science class that is co-taught by the general education teacher who was
interviewed for this study is attended by children with general education needs as well as
students with special education needs. The positive behaviour intervention support (PBIS)
system at this school served as the foundation for this general education teacher's classroom
expectations. She then uses the PBIS grid to further elaborate on those expectations in the actual
classroom setting. There are a total of 34 pupils in this class, and thirteen of them require special
education services. Student K, who has autism spectrum disorder, has been acting in
inappropriate ways, which have a severe impact on his academic performance and disrupt the
class as a whole. These behaviours have been observed by other students as well. Math is being
taught to Student K in an intimate special education class, whereas instruction for the remaining
subjects is taking place in a general education setting with the support of a special educator.
Student K has difficulty getting started on projects and remaining on track to see them through to
completion when instructions are given.
In the classroom, group work, socialising, and teamwork might overwhelm or frustrate
Student K, who also has difficulty interacting with peers. As a result, student K frequently uses
profane language, threats, and vocal outbursts of rage. Student K frequently doesn't finish his or
her work, which causes poor subject retention and grades that don't accurately represent his or
her abilities. When student K exhibits these unwanted actions, the Special Education teacher
typically responds by redirecting, ignoring, or removing the student from the classroom. The
student's grandmother, the student's general education teacher, and the student's special education
teacher came together to make the decision to utilise a point sheet to monitor the student's
behaviour and tell the family of any improvement achieved about the student's behaviour. The
student's case manager will check in with them in the morning, during the day, and at the end of
the day to discuss goals, set the tone for the day, and collect incentives if they have earned them.
This is done so that the student can set the tone for the day and discuss their goals.
Importance of Valid and Reliable Data and How the Data collection tool will deliver
reliable data
Implementation of interventions that are not addressing the function of behavior have
been found to be ineffective (Crone, Hawken, & Horner, 2015). This gives importance to
completing accurate FBA data and identification of function and appropriate intervention. The
data collection tool created to collect behavior data on student K will provide information on the
setting and time of day each behavior occurs, frequency of behaviors over time, and which
behaviors are being displayed. Specifically, the data will be analyzed to determine if placement
is a consideration in behavior frequency. Teachers will also be encouraged to write anecdotal
data on the back of the data collection form and notes to parents about work completion or
upcoming due dates. When student K begins the school day, he will set a goal with his case
manager for the day and review the behavior expectations that are written in positive statements
in conjunction with the identified problem behaviors. For the first four weeks, the case manager
will have brief check-in discussions with student K to reemphasize expectations and evaluate
points earned. Small incremental extrinsic rewards will be given throughout the day depending
on achievement of points goal. Weekly rewards will be issued at home in the form of technology
use if student K is able to achieve his points goal for the week with no missing assignments. This
data will be collected and placed in a color-coded table to allow for easy visual representation to
the student, teachers, and parents of patterns or improvement over time.
Individual intervention
For children who have behavioural goals, the interventions and methods that are
implemented should aim to both diminish improper behaviour and improve more suitable
behaviour while doing so simultaneously (Bice, 2009). Autism spectrum disorders, such as
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are frequently associated with children who are
on the autism spectrum. A diagnosis of autism, such as Student K's, can lead to sensory overload
in larger general education settings, and ADHD is frequently associated with children who are on
the autism spectrum (Bice, 2009). Student K has difficulties controlling his behaviour when he is
in a classroom with other kids who are receiving general education because of his attention
problem as well as his sensitivity to different types of sensory input. He need the aid and
involvement of a teacher who is experienced in working with students who have special needs.
The evidence that was received from student K indicates that when given directions or an
assignment, he regularly exhibits vocal outbursts or flat-out refuses to begin a task. Student K is
unable to finish their work because every time they contact with students who do not have
cognitive disabilities, they are met with a verbal outburst or a threat. This prevents them from
completing their assignments. It would appear from his data that the purpose of his behaviour is
to avoid or escape the repercussions of his activities, such as labour and attention. This would
make sense given the nature of the data. Antecedent procedures and social stories are two kind of
treatments that have been shown to be effective by study. When combined with the point sheet,
these two types of interventions can be specifically tailored to student K's individual behaviour.
The objective of precursor processes is to stop undesired behaviour before it even starts, which is
why they are called "precursors" (Bice, 2009). This can be accomplished in a situation where
general education is being provided by having routine check-in talks with his case manager and
enlisting the support of the classroom educator who specialises in special education. This may
include having a talk about how those expectations are met in the classroom, going over the
expected behaviour more than once, and making sure the student is prepared for the agenda of
each lesson before it begins.
By assisting student K in comprehending what will occur in class each day and by
periodically reminding the student of what is expected of them, it is possible to reduce the
behaviours that occur when a task or direction is given to student K. This will make it possible to
reduce the amount of disruptive behaviours that occur when student K is given a task or
direction. The student K's check-in sessions with his support instructors and his affective skills
class will both allocate some time to the discussion of social stories. These occurrences can serve
as models for both acceptable and unacceptable methods for peers to communicate with one
another. The information that was acquired on student K's point sheet, in addition to the
anecdotal notes, can be of use to his case manager in addressing the social difficulties that are
now being explored in general education classes. In addition to that, the teacher of the special
education class may bring up the instances during the lesson. This method, which tries to
influence the behaviour of student K, focuses on student K's behaviour in his interactions with
his peers and has as its primary goal the modification of student K's behaviour.
Impact on All Students
The attention of pupils is diverted away from their academic work when teachers are
required to concentrate on a behavioural issue posed by a child who has special needs. According
to the findings of various pieces of study, some children who are enrolled in general education
suffer as a result of being in an environment where there are also students who struggle
emotionally or behaviorally (Samuels & Constantinescu, 2020). Samuels and Constantinescu
(2020) cited a number of repercussions on students enrolled in general education, some of which
included an increase in the number of students who were absent from school, a decline in
academic performance, and an increase in students exhibiting problematic behavioural patterns.
According to the findings of some studies, the academic performance of students who were
educated in inclusive classrooms alongside students who struggled with behavioural disorders
was significantly lower than the academic performance of students who were educated in
standard general education settings (Fletcher, 2010).
Because of the interventions and strategies that have been put into place for student K,
there is a possibility that the student's behaviour in class will improve, which will free up more
time for instruction. The data tracking will make it possible to make adjustments in the event that
the inappropriate behaviours are not stopped. The social stories have the potential to assist
student K in developing positive interactions with other students, and the preventative
procedures outlined in the antecedent processes have the capability of preventing disruptive
outbursts and occurrences. The findings of Student K's academic success indicate that both his
reading comprehension and his reading fluency are within a typical range. If there is a way to
improve students' interactions with one another, then Student K could end up being a huge help
to the other students in the group while they are doing the assigned group work. This would also
help everyone learn more.
References
Bice, H. (2009). Behavioral Strategies for Students with Autism in the General Education Classroom.
Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 114– 131.
[Link]
Crone, D. A., Hawken, L. S., & Horner, R. H. (2015) Building positive behavior support systems in schools:
Functional behavioral assessment (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Dutt, A. S., Chen, I., & Nair, R. (2016). Reliability and Validity of Skills and Needs Inventories in Functional
Behavior Assessments and Interventions for School Personnel. The Journal of Special Education,
49(4), 233–242. [Link]
Fletcher, J. (2010). Spillover effects of inclusion of classmates with emotional problems on test scores in
early elementary school. Journal of Policy Analysis & Management, 29(1), 69– 83. [Link]
[Link]/10.1002/pam.20479.
Samuels, C., & Constantinescu, C. (2020, April 29). Studies Flag Potential Downside to Inclusion.
Education Week. [Link]
[Link].
Appendix A: Interview Transcript
Q: How were your classroom expectations created?
A: Classroom expectations were created to align with the school’s positive behavior intervention
system. The behavior indicators under the classroom setting on the PBIS matrix were used to
create expectations for this class. Students at DMS are expected to be R.E.A.L Falcons in the
classroom.
R: Respectful means listening and following directions and respecting yourself and others.
E: Engaged means be prepared, participate, and complete tasks to the best of your ability.
A: Accountable means turn in authentic work, use technology correctly, and own your mistakes.
L: Being a leader means being honest, inspirational, positive, and empathetic.
Q: Do you have these expectations set?
A: The expectations are set and are general enough to cover nearly every situation that can occur
in the classroom.
Q: Are these expectations posted in the classroom?
A: The expecations are posted on the PBIS matrix. Each day during the warm-up problem, one
of the expectations is posted on the slide that is displayed. During our once per week advisement
period, these expectations are discussed in more detail and examples of students following these
expectations are discussed.
Q: What are some of the undesired behaviors displayed by student K?
A: Student K struggles with beginning tasks when given direction, completing and remaining on
task, and verbal outbursts when he becomes frustrated or overwhelmed by work or peers.
Q: What are the antecedents of student K’s behavior?
A: Being given a direction or task demand and peer interaction.
Q: What are the consequences when student K displays undesirable behavior?
A: Verbal redirection and student removal from class
Q: What strategies have been tried to diminish the undesired behaviors?
A: A point/reward system has been implemented to help track data and to give student K a visual
representation of his behavior expectations and his progress throughout the day. The point sheet
is also sent home each night for his Grandmother to see and discuss with him.
Appendix B: Data Collection Tool
CHECK IN CHECK OUT POINT SHEET
Name;
Date;
Scores table
2- great job
1-Avarage
0-Poor
Goals;
Target Social Languages Science Mathematics Connection A Connection
behaviors studies B
Respect 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
others; Use
correct
language
Complete 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
task/
assignment
Be 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2
responsible
; Follow
adult orders