Functional Assessment: Strategies to Prevent and Remediate Challenging Behavior in School Settings

by Chandler, Lynette K.; Dahlquist, Carol M.

• ISBN13: 9780130156754
• ISBN10: 0130156752
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

This book is unique in its wide application to a number of settings. The comprehensive, practical treatment of functional assessment addresses preschool through high school levels, regular education and self-contained classroom settings, and special and regular student populations. Its strong use of vignettes and open-ended case studies promotes problem solving among readers as they identify the function of behavior, choose intervention options, and pinpoint typical functional assessment practices. Focuses on three functions of behavior-positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and sensory stimulation/sensory regulation. Covers specific interventions by function, with coverage of intervention techniques. Encourages positive, team-based approaches to the prevention and remediation of challenging behavior. Provides practical solutions, instructing readers on how to conduct functional assessment in the classroom as well as other school settings and how to choose and apply interventions based on functional assessment.

Table of Contents

PART ONE Introduction to Challenging Behavior and the Functional Assessment and Intervention Model	1	(40)
The Importance of Identifying and Addressing Challenging Behavior	3	(10)
Summary	12	(1)
Identifying Why Challenging Behavior Occurs	13	(12)
The Bad Child	14	(2)
The Disability	16	(2)
The Bad Family or Poor Parenting and Discipline	18	(2)
The Bad Home Situation	20	(2)
Previous Trauma and Experience	22	(2)
Summary	24	(1)
Assumptions and Goals of Functional Assessment	25	(16)
Challenging Behavior and Appropriate Behavior Are Supported by the Current Environment	25	(2)
Behavior Serves a Function	27	(7)
Positive Reinforcement Function	27	(1)
Negative Reinforcement Function	28	(3)
Sensory Regulation/Sensory Stimulation Function	31	(3)
Challenging Behavior Can Be Changed Using Positive Intervention Strategies That Address the Function of Behavior	34	(2)
Functional Assessment Should Be a Team-Based Process	36	(1)
The Goals of Functional Assessment	37	(1)
Summary	38	(3)
PART TWO Conducting a Functional Assessment	41	(42)
Assessing the Current Environment	43	(22)
Collecting Information Through Referral and Interview	43	(7)
Collecting Information Through Direct Observation	50	(12)
Antecedents	52	(1)
Consequences	53	(2)
Setting Events	55	(7)
Summary	62	(3)
Identifying the Function of Challenging and Appropriate Behaviors	65	(18)
Obtains Something Positive (Positive Reinforcement)	68	(2)
Avoids/Escapes Something Aversive (Negative Reinforcement)	70	(1)
Sensory Regulation/Sensory Stimulation	71	(2)
Identifying and Verifying the Function of Behavior	73	(7)
Summary	80	(3)
PART THREE Selecting and Implementing Function-Based Interventions	83	(130)
Selecting Setting Event, Antecedent, and Consequence Strategies and Appropriate Replacement Behaviors	85	(16)
Setting Event and Antecedent-Based Intervention Strategies	86	(1)
Consequence-Based Intervention Strategies	87	(3)
Selecting Intervention Strategies and Appropriate Replacement Behaviors	90	(10)
Intervention Must Address the Function of Challenging Behavior	91	(1)
Employ Natural Stimuli	92	(1)
Intervention Strategies Must Be Feasible and Acceptable	93	(1)
Select Normative Intervention Strategies	94	(1)
Select Strategies That Can be Applied Class-Wide	95	(1)
Select Educational or Functional Replacement Behaviors	96	(1)
Select Normative Behaviors	97	(1)
Select Acceptable Replacement Behaviors	97	(1)
Select Efficient Replacement Behaviors	98	(1)
Select Appropriate Behaviors That Are Incompatible with Challenging Behavior	99	(1)
Summary	100	(1)
Intervention Strategies Related to the Positive Reinforcement Function	101	(20)
Positive Reinforcement Intervention Strategies	102	(11)
Use the Reinforcer That the Student Currently Obtains for Challenging Behavior to Reinforce Appropriate Replacement Behavior	102	(2)
Stop Providing, or Prevent the Delivery of the Reinforcer That the Student Currently Obtains for Challenging Behavior	104	(1)
Use Differential Reinforcement to Increase Appropriate Behaviors	105	(4)
Provide More Reinforcement for Appropriate Behavior Than the Student Currently Receives for Challenging Behavior	109	(1)
Provide Positive Reinforcement to Peers Who Engage in the Appropriate Replacement Behavior	110	(1)
Identify Appropriate Behavior: Tell the Student What to Do versus What Not To Do	110	(1)
Redirect the Student to the Appropriate Replacement Behavior	111	(1)
Teach Students Appropriate Methods to Request Reinforcement	111	(1)
Provide Presignals and Safety Signals	112	(1)
Tips for Using Positive Reinforcement	113	(6)
Provide Reinforcers Immediately and Consistently Following Behavior	113	(1)
Provide Reinforcers Contingent on Appropriate Behavior	114	(1)
Vary Reinforcers	115	(1)
Individualize Reinforcers	115	(1)
Employ Natural Reinforcers	116	(1)
Employ Acceptable Reinforcers	117	(1)
Do Not Interrupt Appropriate Behavior When Delivering Reinforcers	117	(1)
Provide Effective Social Reinforcement	118	(1)
Summary	119	(2)
Intervention Strategies Related to the Negative Reinforcement Function	121	(30)
Teach Appropriate Behaviors That Result in Escape or Avoidance	123	(3)
Teach Students Appropriate Methods to Indicate That They Do Not Want to Begin or Participate in an Activity, Use Materials, or Interact With Peers	123	(1)
Teach Students Appropriate Methods to Request Alternative Activities, Tasks, Materials, People, or Locations	123	(2)
Teach Students Appropriate Methods to Request Breaks from Aversive Tasks or Activities	125	(1)
Teach Students Appropriate Methods to Request an End to Activities, Interactions, or Tasks	126	(1)
Strategies to Change the Function	126	(1)
Category One: Change the Task, Activity, Materials, and Peers	127	(7)
Reduce the Difficulty: Make the Instructions Easier to Understand, Make the Task or Activity Easier to Do, and Make the Materials Easier to Use	127	(2)
Reduce or Change Task Demands or Expectations or Shorten the Duration of the Activity or Task	129	(1)
Provide Choice of Tasks, Activities, Materials, and Peers	130	(2)
Make the Task, Activity, or Materials More Interesting	132	(2)
Category Two: Arrange for Incremental and Continued Success in Performing the Task or Using the Materials	134	(7)
Provide Assistance During the Task or Activity	135	(1)
Provide Positive Corrective Feedback During the Task or Activity	136	(1)
Model Task-Related Behavior and Appropriate Behavior	136	(1)
Provide Prompts and Cues Prior to the Task or Activity	137	(1)
Reinforce Partial Task Completion	137	(1)
Reinforce Participation and Successive Approximations Toward the Behavioral Objective	138	(1)
Teach the Student Appropriate Ways to Request Assistance	139	(1)
Use Small Cooperative Groups or Peer Tutoring	140	(1)
Category Three: Intersperse Activities, Tasks, and Materials	141	(4)
Alternate Tasks, Activities, and Materials	141	(1)
Use Behavioral Momentum	142	(1)
Use Preferred Activities or Tasks to Reinforce Participation in Nonpreferred Activities and Tasks	143	(1)
Provide Breaks During the Activity or Task	144	(1)
Category Four: Other General Strategies	145	(4)
Provide Presignals and Safety Signals to Increase Self-Control	145	(1)
Ignore Challenging Behavior	146	(1)
End the Task or Activity on a Positive, Successful Note	147	(2)
Summary	149	(2)
General Intervention Strategies Related to the Sensory Regulation/Sensory Stimulation Function	151	(16)
General Sensory Regulation/Sensory Stimulation Strategies	153	(13)
Alternate Active, Highly Stimulating Tasks with Passive, Less Stimulating Tasks	153	(2)
Provide Multisensory Stimuli and Individualize Types of Sensory Stimuli	155	(1)
Redirect the Student to an Appropriate Activity That Provides Required Levels or Forms of Stimulation	156	(1)
Provide Presignals and Safety Signals	157	(1)
Teach the Student to Request a Change in Stimulation or a Break From Stimulation	158	(2)
Teach Appropriate Behaviors That Result in Desired Levels and Types of Sensory Stimulation	160	(3)
Teach Self-Control and Tolerance	163	(2)
Increase Your Tolerance for the Types of Stimulation That Students Require	165	(1)
Summary	166	(1)
Specific Intervention Strategies Related to the Increase and Decrease Sensory Regulation/Sensory Stimulation Functions	167	(24)
Strategies That Match the Increase Sensory Regulation/Sensory Stimulation Function	167	(13)
Provide Stimulating Activities and Materials During and Between Activities and Tasks	169	(3)
Develop Effective and Efficient Transitions	172	(1)
Reduce Waiting	173	(2)
Add Movement to Activities and Movement Breaks	175	(1)
Increase the Pace of Instruction and Interaction	176	(1)
Provide Variety in Instruction, Materials, and Student Response	177	(1)
Use Stimulating Social Reinforcement	178	(1)
Conduct Calming Activities at the End of Stimulating Activities	179	(1)
Strategies That Match the Decrease Sensory Regulation/Sensory Stimulation Function	180	(8)
Develop Areas That Provide Low Levels of Stimulation	181	(1)
Decrease the Level of Sensory Input and Stimulation	182	(1)
Structure the Environment and Provide Predictable Schedules	183	(3)
Reduce the Pace of Instruction and Interaction	186	(1)
Use Reinforcement That Provides Low Levels of Stimulation	186	(1)
Conduct Arousal or Jump-Start Activities at the Beginning of Stimulating Activities	187	(1)
Summary	188	(3)
Prevention Strategies and Strategies to Promote Generalization and Maintenance of Behavior	191	(22)
Generalization and Maintenance	191	(2)
Strategies to Promote Generalization and Maintenance	193	(7)
Select and Teach Functional Target Behaviors	193	(1)
Employ Common and Natural Stimuli and Consequences	194	(2)
Train Loosely	196	(1)
Provide Sufficient Exemplars	196	(1)
Use Indiscriminable and Intermittent Contingencies	197	(1)
Teach Mediation Strategies	198	(1)
Specify a Fluency Criterion	198	(1)
Employ Sequential Modification	199	(1)
Implementing Strategies to Promote Generalization and Maintenance	200	(1)
Prevention Strategies	201	(10)
Summary	211	(2)
PART FOUR Functional Assessment Within School Settings	213	(58)
Guidelines for Program Implementation and Consultation	215	(26)
Guidelines for Conducting Functional Assessment and Implementing Interventions	216	(9)
Learn How to Respond During a Crisis	216	(2)
Involve the Family	218	(2)
Be Patient	220	(1)
Expect Increases in Challenging Behavior and Periodic Regressions of Behavior	221	(1)
View Intervention as a Dynamic and Evolving Process	222	(2)
Apply Intervention and Prevention Strategies Class-Wide	224	(1)
Frequent Objections to Intervention or Reasons for Resistance	225	(6)
Students Should Be Self-Motivated	227	(1)
I Don't Have Time to Do This	228	(1)
It is Not My Job	228	(1)
It is Not Fair to Treat Students Differently	229	(1)
It is Not My Fault	230	(1)
It Won't Work or I Tried That Already and it Didn't Work	230	(1)
Tips for Providing Functional Assessment Consultation	231	(8)
Begin with One Teacher Who is Willing to Participate and Spread the Word about Success	231	(1)
Reduce Jargon	232	(2)
Emphasize That the Functional Assessment/Intervention Model is One of Many Tools	234	(1)
Do Not Blame or Criticize	235	(1)
Acknowledge the Expertise and Skills of Educators with Whom You are Consulting	235	(1)
Demonstrate Understanding of the Variables That Affect Staff	235	(1)
Anticipate and Be Prepared to Respond to Resistance Issues	236	(1)
Brainstorm with Staff versus Telling Them What to Do	236	(1)
Directly Administer and Monitor Intervention Strategies	237	(1)
Teach Others How to Do Functional Assessment	238	(1)
Summary	239	(2)
Problem-Solving Case Studies	241	(30)
Case Studies Set One: Is This Challenging Behavior? Should This Behavior Be Changed?	241	(5)
Cheeri	241	(2)
Leonard	243	(3)
Case Studies Set Two: What is the Function of the Student's Challenging Behavior?	246	(9)
Ani	246	(2)
Miles	248	(3)
Ruben	251	(2)
ShariLynn	253	(2)
Case Studies Set Three: Developing Interventions	255	(14)
Roland	255	(4)
Matt	259	(3)
Carter	262	(3)
Casi	265	(4)
Case Study Four: Reducing Resistance	269	(2)
References	271	(18)
Name Index	289	(8)
Subject Index	297

Excerpts

We have conducted workshops, university courses, and in-service training in functional assessment for more than 15 years. We also have extensive experience conducting functional assessment in a variety of settings, across a variety of ages of students, and with students with and without disabilities. We wrote this book because we needed a practical and easily understood model of functional assessment that dealt specifically with school-aged populations and settings. When we conducted workshops and taught courses in functional assessment, students and participants often asked if there was something published that they could give to other educators, parents, or administrators or that they could read as they tried to apply functional assessment. This book is a result of their requests. This book turns theory and research into practical applications in school settings and situations. We present a comprehensive and positive approach to the prevention and remediation of challenging behavior using functional assessment. The book is written for special and regular educators and consultants who work in school settings. This book is divided into four sections that take the reader through the process of conducting functional assessment and implementing interventions based on the function of behavior: Part One (Chapters I to 3) provides an introduction to challenging behavior and functional assessment. It presents the rationale for addressing challenging behavior, common misconceptions about the causes of challenging behavior, and it provides a rationale for using functional assessment and describes the assumptions and goals of functional assessment. Part Two (Chapters 4 and 5) describes the process of conducting functional assessment in school settings and identifying the function of behavior. Part Three (Chapters 6 to 11) presents suggestions and tips for selecting and implementing function-based interventions. It also presents specific intervention strategies by behavior function: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and sensory regulation/sensory stimulation increase and decrease. Finally, it provides suggestions for implementing strategies to prevent the development of challenging behavior. Part Four (Chapters 12 and 13) provides guidelines for program implementation and consultation. It discusses common problems encountered in conducting functional assessment and in providing consultation to educators. It then provides strategies to prevent and remediate those problems. Part Four also includes problem-solving case studies. These case studies allow the reader to practice functional assessment and to develop intervention plans to address challenging behavior. This book contains numerous examples of functional assessment as it is employed in school settings. Examples cover all ages of students (preschool through high school), both regular and self-contained special education settings as well as other school and home settings, a variety of challenging behaviors, and students with and without disabilities. The examples also include a variety of team members who conduct the assessment and implement intervention strategies.