Instruction in Functional Assessment, 2014a
Instruction in Functional Assessment, 2014a
Instruction in Functional Assessment, 2014a
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Chapter 2<br />
The Methodology of<br />
<strong>Functional</strong> <strong>Assessment</strong>:<br />
Process and Products *<br />
Focus Questions:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What is functional assessment?<br />
What are the three ma<strong>in</strong> functional assessment approaches and how are they used?<br />
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach?<br />
What ethical considerations are necessary when implement<strong>in</strong>g functional assessment?<br />
What is <strong>Functional</strong> <strong>Assessment</strong>?<br />
<strong>Functional</strong> assessment (FA) refers to a variety of approaches, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>direct, observational,<br />
and experimental/functional analysis procedures (Hanley, Iwata, & McCord,<br />
2003; Hagopian, Rooker, Jessel, & DeLeon, 2013; Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, &<br />
Richman, 1994; Mueller, Nkosi, & H<strong>in</strong>e, 2011). FA has been found to be useful with a wide<br />
range of behaviors and populations, such as feed<strong>in</strong>g disorders (Gale, Eikeseth, & Rudrud,<br />
2011; LaRue et al., 2011), chronic hand mouth<strong>in</strong>g (Roscoe, Iwata, & Zhou, 2013), off<br />
task behavior of children <strong>in</strong> the classroom (Meyer, 1999), social avoidance (Harper, Iwata,<br />
& Camp, 2013), aggression and self-<strong>in</strong>jurious behaviors (Fritz, Iwata, Hammond, Bloom,<br />
2013), elopement (Tarbox, Wallace, &Williams, 2003), hand flapp<strong>in</strong>g of children (Mueller,<br />
Sterl<strong>in</strong>g-Turner, & Scattone, 2001), hair twirl<strong>in</strong>g (Deaver, Miltenberger, & Stricker, 2001),<br />
and rum<strong>in</strong>ation (Lyons et al., 2007). The spr<strong>in</strong>g 2013 issue of the Journal of Applied Behavior<br />
Analysis is devoted to FA-related research reflect<strong>in</strong>g the strong empirical foundation that<br />
has contributed to the development of this approach. Furthermore, FA is a relatively versatile<br />
approach that, follow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>struction, has been implemented by parents (Gale, Eikeseth,<br />
* Please note that FA and treatment procedures should be performed only by well-tra<strong>in</strong>ed and<br />
experienced <strong>in</strong>dividuals or under the supervision of a qualified <strong>in</strong>dividual (e.g., a Board Certified<br />
Behavior Analyst®)