Instruction in Functional Assessment, 2014a
Instruction in Functional Assessment, 2014a
Instruction in Functional Assessment, 2014a
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<strong>Instruction</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Functional</strong> <strong>Assessment</strong> Chapter 6<br />
Table 21<br />
Steps <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> conduct<strong>in</strong>g a FA<br />
To conduct a functional assessment the professional must:<br />
1. Behaviorally def<strong>in</strong>e the client’s challeng<strong>in</strong>g behavior<br />
2. Review referral form and records<br />
3. Conduct <strong>in</strong>direct and/or observational functional assessments<br />
4. Evaluate the reliability and validity of the data<br />
5. Develop a functional hypothesis regard<strong>in</strong>g the ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g variable for the problem<br />
behavior<br />
6. Design a functional analysis; <strong>in</strong>dicate advantages and disadvantages of this approach<br />
7. State the ethical issues and considerations for assessment<br />
8. Test hypothesis by implement<strong>in</strong>g functional analysis conditions, and collect<strong>in</strong>g data<br />
9. Graph the data collected, and <strong>in</strong>terpret f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
10. Determ<strong>in</strong>e function of the <strong>in</strong>dividual’s challeng<strong>in</strong>g behavior<br />
11. Design behavior <strong>in</strong>tervention plan based on function of the <strong>in</strong>dividual’s problem<br />
behavior and other factors (e.g., context, quality of the environment, severity of the<br />
problem behavior, people present, resources available, sett<strong>in</strong>g, etc.)<br />
12. Select a functionally-equivalent replacement behavior, prevention approaches, active<br />
teach<strong>in</strong>g procedures; and reactive procedures for when the problem behavior occurs<br />
13. State the ethical pr<strong>in</strong>ciples and procedures <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> the treatment phase<br />
Comprehensively Teach<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>Functional</strong><br />
<strong>Assessment</strong> Process<br />
Descriptions <strong>in</strong> the research literature of efforts to teach a comprehensive set of practitioner<br />
skills have been few. One early demonstration of a comprehensive tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g program<br />
to teach undergraduate psychology students to provide cl<strong>in</strong>ical or <strong>in</strong>-home consultative<br />
services was described by Keeley, Shemberg, and Ferber (1973). This tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g program <strong>in</strong>volved:<br />
(a) content and practice <strong>in</strong> observ<strong>in</strong>g and record<strong>in</strong>g behavior, (b) <strong>in</strong>terventions, and<br />
(c) professional and ethical skills. The <strong>in</strong>structional approach <strong>in</strong>volved lectures, role plays,<br />
and problem-solv<strong>in</strong>g client cases. The authors report positive results of this program to<br />
teach 37 senior-level psychology students how to deliver services to <strong>in</strong>dividuals with developmental<br />
disabilities and their families; however, no systematic evaluation of the program<br />
was performed.<br />
In a more recent research evaluation of a comprehensive therapist tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g program,<br />
Chok, Shles<strong>in</strong>ger, Studer, and Bird (2012) describe a curriculum that <strong>in</strong>volves teach<strong>in</strong>g four<br />
components <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g: (a) conduct<strong>in</strong>g FAn sessions, (b) <strong>in</strong>terpret<strong>in</strong>g graphs, (c) respond<strong>in</strong>g<br />
to undifferentiated data, and (d) design<strong>in</strong>g treatments. Participants completed assignments<br />
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