Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is often the cause of limited communication skills, challenging behaviors, feeling overwhelmed easily, and facing difficulty in managing activities of daily living (ADLs). While there is no cure for people on the autism spectrum, multiple interventions have been developed to inculcate all the required skills needed for a better quality of life.
Before any therapy can be applied, it is important for the therapist to understand if it will be the most appropriate and effective way forward. This is possible by observing the skill level of the individual and the cause of their natural responses. This is where Functional Behavior Analysis has a crucial role to play.
What is Functional Behavior Assessment?
Functional behavior assessment or FBA is a combination of strategies used to determine the cause of any challenging behavior that may be hindering a child’s development, or causing concern for their safety. This assessment identifies the problematic behavior, comes up with a likely cause, and guides the direction of the treatment plan.
One of the reasons why FBA is conducted is to make effective behavior intervention plans, therefore it is important for implementing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for autistic people. In addition to ABA, functional behavior assessment is also paired with other strategies such as differential reinforcement or social skills training to achieve more successful outcomes.
Conducting an Effective FBA
Functional behavior assessments play an integral role in determining the function of certain behaviors displayed by people on the autism spectrum. This is especially helpful in ABA, enabling therapists to analyze challenging behaviors so they can create effective intervention plans to replace problematic behaviors with alternative behaviors that meet the needs of the individual and their caretakers, peers, etc.
There are four main steps involved in executing an effective functional behavior assessment:
Identify the behavior
To begin an FBA, the first step is to identify a specific behavior or multiple behaviors to target for assessment and therapy. These behaviors can either be problematic - in which they would be targeted for decrease, or prosocial - in which they would be targeted for increase.
Therapists will collaborate with the autistic person, their parents, caregivers, educators, and other family members to establish which behaviors need to be addressed. Some of the behaviors an FBA is helpful for are:
- Disruptive behavior - tantrums, breakdowns, shouting, etc.
- Communication issues - not being able to express preferences or needs.
- Interpersonal skills - restricted ability to engage and interact with others.
- Safety concerns - head banging, self-injury, biting others.
Once target behaviors are identified, therapists then move on to gathering data to understand when and why the individual exhibits those behaviors.
Data Collection
The goal of gathering data is to collect any and all information related to the target behaviors so environmental factors can be identified successfully. There are three different ways in which therapists can collection this information:
Indirect Assessment
In this approach, therapists consult with people who know the autistic person well or interact with them often. They use interviews, questionnaires, and rating scales to learn more about the target behavior and characteristics of the environment that affect it.
Descriptive Assessment
In this method, the therapist directly observes the autistic person’s behavior in their natural setting and takes notes. The objective of descriptive assessments is to observe and record the events that occur before, during, and after the target behavior. This is often called ABC Data Collection.
Functional Analysis
In a functional analysis (FA), a therapist experiments with different conditions to observe the behavior. The results of these test environments are compared with that of the control environment to understand the function a certain behavior serves for the individual. The central idea here is to comprehend what the individual gains or avoids by displaying the target behavior.
A functional analysis is the most advanced step of functional behavior assessments and generally focuses on four main areas:
- Attention - is the target behavior displayed to seek attention?
- Escape- is the target behavior displayed to avoid certain tasks or responsibilities?
- Alone - what does the target behavior look like when the person is alone with no toys/activities or other stimulants.
- Tangible- is the target behavior displayed to get a specific item such as cookies or for a specific activity/experience such as going out or playing video games.
There is also a form of FA called an IISCA (interview-informed, synthesized contingency analysis). An FA is a powerful tool, but must be performed by a Board Certified Behavior AnalystⓇ or Licensed Behavior Analyst due to the expertise needed and potential danger involved.
Analyze and hypothesize
After all the information is collected and the therapists have studied the observations in detail, they will hypothesize or make an educated guess to determine the function of the target behavior. The hypothesis should answer the following three aspects:
- Description of the target behavior.
- What generally occurs before, during, and after the target behavior.
- What function or purpose does the target behavior serve for the individual.
The hypothesis is tested over several days or weeks; during this time more activities that trigger the target behavior are added to the therapy session.
Create an effective BIP
The goal for FBA in ABA therapy is to create an effective behavior intervention plan so the individual can overcome challenging behaviors that are hindering their development and learning or learn new behaviors that lead to their independence. The therapist will create an evidence-based treatment plan which will include strategies to reduce the occurrence of the problematic behavior, identify and teach replacement behaviors and create more opportunities for the individuals to implement the newly-learned alternative behaviors.
Data are collected over time to determine if the BIP is effective or not. If the individual persists in displaying the undesired behavior, the therapist will revisit the BIP and suggest alternative strategies. New behaviors may be added as necessary.
Conclusion
A Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA) is a helpful tool in ABA therapy to identify and decrease challenging behaviors, especially in autistic individuals to encourage their learning, social and personal development, and basic life skills and improve their quality of life. The main objective of any FBA is to determine the function of the undesired behavior and replace it with a desired, alternative behavior that works for both the individual and those in their environment.
