FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT (FBA)

Student Name: Student Evaluator: Rhiannon Petrisko

Birthdate: Report Date: 10/18/2018
School: Louisville Elementary Teacher: Mrs.
Grade: 3rd IDEIA Educational Disability: Autism

Description of Classroom Context:

The elementary school is a large rural school that has grades kindergarten-3rd grade, to my knowledge. The classroom is
a 3rd grade inclusion classroom with a general education teacher and a teacher aide, at times, and general education
teacher (in a different room right next to each other) who work together. The general education teacher teaches
everything but math, which the other general education teacher teaches. Students rotate classrooms (between the two
rooms), based on what subject they are learning, but students are pulled occasionally for speech/language therapy,
occupational therapy, testing, etc. There are 25 students, with multiple on IEPs and no English Language Learners.

There is a classroom management system in place. They follow the school’s typical rules and also have a regular
behavior chart that is used to keep students on-task and behaved. The rules are visible in the classroom and the hallway.
If a student is having behavior problems, an individual management plan will be made for them.

The focused student is a male 3rd grader who is 9 years old. He is currently on an IEP, diagnosed with Autism. He is a very
bright student, who knows a lot about things he has learned, but has trouble staying focused when given tasks to do.

Step 1: Description of the Target Behavior(s):

☑ Describe one to two behaviors that occur frequently and interfere most with the student making progress. Include
an explanation of the rationale supporting the need for a functional behavior assessment. Include a rating of the
severity of the behavior based on the rubric below.

This student demonstrates an inability to stay on task. This includes not doing his work, looking around the room,
not paying attention, doing different or irrelevant work, and speaking out of turn. The student usually does not
speak out unless the teacher is talking and is often likely to stare at his desk or paper when the behavior is about to
occur. He does not talk to other students when he does this behavior, he just keeps to himself and does what he
wants.

The behavior is likely to occur when he is given a paper or assignment to complete individually. It does not matter if
the task is hard or easy, he will do the behavior no matter what. The behavior can happen at any time of the day,
except lunch or specials. It is more likely to occur when he is sitting by himself and a teacher is not by him.

An example of this behavior is if he is given a worksheet to do individually. He will start doing his worksheet and
then stare at it and then proceed to look around the room, fiddle with his pencil, do other work that doesn’t pertain
to the worksheet, sit un-properly, and pick his nose. This is compared to the desired behavior: where he would sit
and finish the worksheet without getting side-tracked. He will not continue to do his work until the teacher goes up
to him and says start doing your work.
Rating Level of Severity Rubric
Behavior is confined only to the observed student. May include such behavior as refusing to follow directions,
1
scowling, crossing arms, pouting, or muttering under his/her breath.
Behavior disrupts others in the student’s immediate area. May include slamming books, dropping items on
2
the floor, name calling, or using inappropriate language.
Behavior disrupts everyone in the class. May include throwing objects, yelling, open defiance of teacher
3
directions, or leaving the classroom.
Behavior disrupts other classrooms or common areas of the school. May include throwing objects,
4 destruction of property, yelling, open defiance of staff directions, or leaving the school grounds. Limited social
interaction but requires frequent prompts assistance to initiate and/or respond to social interaction.
Behavior causes or threatens to cause physical injury to self, or other or causes severe property damage. May
5 include displaying weapons or assaulting others. Social withdrawal that results in extreme isolation and
inability to interact with others.

This students’ severity of noncompliant behavior would be rated a 1. It is a 1 because it is only limited to the classroom
setting because he only performs the undesired behavior in class. He does not disrupt other students learning because it
only pertains to him when he gets distracted. The behavior is limited to himself and the student does not interrupt
others learning, except for when he occasionally talks out of turn.

Step 2: Collect Data:

☑ Indirect Assessment – Include a description of the utilized assessment process and a summary of the collected
information. Identify the general events, times, environment, and activities that predict the occurrence and
nonoccurrence of the behavior(s). Include completed indirect assessments in Appendix.

For the indirect assessment, the student’s teacher was interviewed and asked a series of questions. The behavior was
talked about and what happens before, during, and after the behavior. She was asked nine questions about how the
student is in class and what she sees every day. Notes were taken while the teacher was being asked the questions.

She said that the student does not have a specific time of day when the behavior occurred and that it happens all the
time. There are no settings where the behavior does not occur. The people that are present when the behavior occurs
are his classmates, herself, and an intervention specialist. The following actions usually or seem to precede the behavior:
directive or request from authority, unstructured settings, and transition times. The following actions typically occur
after the student takes part in the undesired behavior: receive attention from adults, receives corrective feedback.
Positive verbal reinforcement is used with the student and it is effective and marks on the student’s behavior chart as a
negative consequence. The teacher believes that the student does know he is performing undesired behaviors, but does
not know how to control it and that closed proximity, check lists, or picture cards would help him.

Based on what the teacher said, he is un-focused and off-task at any given time in the school day when asked to
complete individual assignments and listen to group discussions. The student will not become un-focused until the
teacher re-directs him or marks his chart. He does this in order to receive attention from adults.

☑ Direct Assessment - Complete A-B-C Observations to confirm and/or identify the routines, setting events,
immediate antecedent events, consequences, and reinforcers that maintain the behavior(s). Describe and
summarize the results of your A-B-C Observations. Include completed data charts in Appendix.

A series of A-B-C observations were conducted on October 18, 2018 from 12:30 p.m -3:20 p.m. This was
during a social studies assignment, a science art project, and a group meeting that the class had. The A-B-C did
confirm that the noncompliance could take place in the classroom at any given time of the day.

There were consequences for the student’s behavior. The main one was being asked by the teacher to continue
doing his work instead of the behavior he was doing. The marking system on his behavior chart did not occur,
but the behavior may not have been severe enough. There were positive verbal reinforcements where he was
encouraged to keep up the good work when he stayed on task.

Overall, the A-B-C observation confirmed that the noncompliant behavior of looking around, picking his nose,
speaking out of turn, and doing irrelevant work.

☑ Direct Assessment - Complete baseline data collection to determine the patterns of frequency, intensity, duration,
and/or latency of the target behavior(s). Describe and summarize the findings of the baseline data assessments.
Include completed data charts in Appendix.

A series of direct assessments were conducted on October 18, 2018 in the student’s classroom. It was conducted during
class time while doing a science art project, social studies assignment, and a group meeting. The direct assessments
included a duration of how long the student participated in the noncompliant behavior. It took place during three
different times for five minutes twice and six minutes once. The student does demonstrate a lot of the noncompliant
behavior(s). The noncompliant behaviors included looking around the room, picking his nose, doing irrelevant work, and
speaking out of turn. The most common noncompliant behavior was looking around the room.

According to the duration record, the three different sessions were broken up into five minutes. The first assessment
was done during a science art project where he participated in the noncompliant behavior 20% of the time (60 seconds
of 300 seconds). The second assessment was during a social studies assignment where the student participated in the
noncompliant behavior 67% of the time (185 seconds of 300 seconds). The third and final assessment was during a
group meeting where the student participated in the noncompliant behavior 56% of the time (200 seconds out of 360
seconds). The average was 46% of the time was the student participating in the noncompliant behavior.

Step 3: Data Triangulation:

☑ Complete the Data Triangulation process. Collected data must be from three different sources. Provide a summary
and interpretation of the collected data as related to the targeted problem behavior(s).

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

Teacher Interview A-B-C Chart Duration Recording
The teacher said that the behavior During any time throughout the day, The noncompliant behaviors,
does not have a specific time of day when the student was asked to including looking around the room,
when it occurs and that it happens all complete independent work or sit picking nose, doing irrelevant work,
the time. There are no settings where and listen during a group activity, the and speaking out of turn were seen
the behavior does not occur. The student engages in noncompliant many times throughout the
people that are present when the behaviors such as: looking around observation periods. The student was
behavior occurs are his classmates, the room, picking his nose, doing seen demonstrating the behavior and
herself, and an intervention irrelevant work, and speak out of having to be redirected to be back on
specialist. The following actions turn. There were consequences when task. The durations were 5 minutes
usually or seem to precede the he participated in the behaviors, he each time and one 6-minute and the
behavior: directive or request from was redirected by the teacher. The time frame which the behavior
authority, unstructured settings, and determined function of the occurred was found. The amount of
transition times. The following noncompliant behavior is to get time that the student demonstrated
actions typically occur after the attention from adults. the behavior were:
behavior: receive attention from 1: 56% of the time in a 6-minute time
adults, receives corrective feedback. frame
Positive verbal reinforcement is used 2: 20% of the time in a 5-minute time
with the student and it is effective frame
and marks on the student’s behavior 3: 67% of the time in a 5-minute time
chart as a negative consequence. The frame
teacher believes that the student
does know he is performing
undesired behaviors, but does not
know how to control it and that
closed proximity, check lists, or
picture cards would help him.

INTERPRETATION:
1. Antecedent Events
when the student is asked to complete independent work or sit in a group setting to listen
2. Maintaining Consequences
the student will look around the room, pick his nose, do irrelevant work, and speak out of turn
3. Likely Function
when the student does these behaviors, he gets attention from adults in the room.

Step 4: Summary Hypothesis Statement:

☑ Identify and summarize the possible functions of the target behavior(s). Analyze the indirect and direct data to
determine the possible function of the behavior or what need the student is trying to meet by engaging in the
behavior. Write a summary hypothesis statement that identifies the function of the observable and measurable
behavior and how the behavior is related to the routines, setting events, antecedents, and consequences.

During any time of the day, when the student is given independent work or asked to listen to the teacher in a group
setting, the student will do one or more of the following: look around the room, play with his pencil, do other and un-
irrelevant work, pick his nose, and talk out of turn. The student does these actions to receive attention from the teacher
or the teacher aide in the room. The behavior is least likely to occur when working one-on-one with an adult.

APPENDIX – Completed Data Collection Forms

Date and Goal Off-Task
Time
Frame

Dear Family,

Your student had a _____________ day today.

(Type what happened if he had a good day and why it was a good day and
what happened if it was a bad day and what made it a bad day.)