The Role of Assessment in Understanding Behavior

As a member of the problem-solving team at any school, when dealing with the need to find the underlying causes of behavior, I would recommend that the team administer a Functional Assessment of Behavior (FBA) to analyze the antecedents, specific behavior and the maintaining consequences for the purpose of developing a hypothesis as stated by Filter and Horner (2009). Observations, interviews, and data collection must be used to target the causes of her behavior. After developing a hypothesis, the next step would be to determine the best intervention and reinforcement to eliminate the specific behavior. An experiment using an ABAB design would be the best method for evaluating the student's behavior and to determine if the intervention would effectively diminish her negative behavior. Baseline data would show the student's frequency in aggressive behavior without interventions and the implementation of the interventions with additional data collection would help to determine if it is effective. An additional set of baseline data, then intervention data would solidify the effects of the intervention (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012). For the student's specific behavior problems, an intervention that includes a daily “check-in” and a discussion session with her counselor at least once weekly to receive frustration tolerance instruction would help to reduce her negative behavior. Continuous monitoring and data tracking should be a part of her support to inform her long term needs and to provide information about whether the school-wide problem-solving system works (Buffum, Mattos, & Weber, 2012).

Since the student's academic progress is also a concern, the teacher collaborative team should review her present levels of academic progress from data collected by her classroom teachers. Tier II interventions should then be administered to provide more intensive supports with progress monitoring data collection to determine how best to continuously meet her needs. The behavior interventions and academic interventions should be provided simultaneously and with equal intensity to prevent any negative effect that one may have on the other. Algozzine, Wang, and Violette (2010) stated that acceptable behaviors should be taught as persistently as academic content to ensure progress.

Algozzine, B., Wand, C., & Violette, A. (2010). Reexamining the relationship between academic achievement and social behavior. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 13(3). doi:10.1177/1098300709359084

 Buffum, A. G., Mattos, M., & Weber, C. (2012). Simplifying response to intervention: Four essential guiding principles. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Filter, K., & Horner, R. (2009). Function-based academic interventions for problem behavior. Education and Treatment of Children, 32(1). Retrieved from http://http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezp. waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail?sid=14990fc5-f77d-43db-b47e-6ce64471eab3%40 sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=105&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db= a9h&AN=36632573

                                                                                        

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012). Student behavior in a multi-tiered system of support. Baltimore, MD: Author.