SPECIAL EDUCATION
A REFERENCE GUIDE FOR PARENTS
Addressing Challenging Behavior and How it Relates to the IEP Process By Dana Howell Board Certified Behavioral Analyst Easterseals Massachusetts ABA Services | Rehablitation Services Department
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hen you have a child with academic, social, or behavioral challenges, providing them with the correct supports can be an overwhelming and confusing process. How do you ensure that teachers and therapists effectively meet the needs of your child? For many families, the creation of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) accomplishes this goal. An IEP is a legal document that outlines the specific supports, services, and instructional methods a child needs to make meaningful progress in a school setting. If your child also engages in challenging behavior, additional supports, assessments, and written plans may be necessary. These documents provide the educational team with a structured protocol, ensuring that they work collaboratively to reduce challenging behaviors, teach functional replacement behaviors, and assist with creating an optimal learning environment for your child.
WHAT IS AN FBA? A Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) is the first step of the behavior evaluation process. Typically, an FBA is conducted after the classroom teacher or a related service provider identifies concerns about the frequency or intensity of certain behaviors. The goal of an FBA is to describe a child’s challenging behavior, discover the reasons why those behaviors are occurring, and to develop a plan to teach adaptive alternatives to those behaviors.
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Boston Parents Paper | Special Needs Guide
Once concerns have been raised, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) will conduct a FBA. They will gather information systematically through both direct and indirect measures. Direct measures include observations and data collection. ABC data collection is a direct measurement tool that evaluates the antecedents (i.e. what happened before a behavior occurred), behavior (i.e. what the child did), and the consequences (i.e. how the adult responded) in relation to challenging behavior. ABC data indicates the factors that influence behavior and helps discover why a particular reaction may occur. In addition to ABC data, the evaluator completes several observations of the child in his or her natural environment. The purpose of conducting an observation is to watch and document behavior as it is happening. Direct observation allows the BCBA to see, not only the frequency and severity of the behavior, but also the antecedents and consequences that impact each situation. BCBAs also use indirect measures which often include informal rating scales, parent/ teacher/therapist interviews, and a review of the child’s records. Each of these indirect measures allows the people who know the child best to contribute information about why a particular behavior occurs. The information collected during the FBA process helps to answer the question “Why are challenging behaviors occurring?” After assembling the relevant information
