Functional Behavioral Assessment-based Interventions

Children Identified With Or At Risk For An Emotional Disturbance

FBA-based interventions were found to have potentially positive effects on school engagement and potentially positive effects on problem behavior for children identified with or at risk for an emotional disturbance based on evidence from single-case design studies. The evidence from the single-case design studies for FBA-based interventions does not reach the threshold to include single-case design evidence in the effectiveness ratings for the social-emotional competence domain.

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is an individualized problem-solving process for addressing student problem behavior. An assessment is conducted to identify the purpose or function of a student's problem behavior. This assessment process involves collecting information about the environmental conditions that precede the problem behavior and the subsequent rewards that reinforce the behavior. The information that is gathered is then used to identify and implement individualized interventions aimed at reducing problem behaviors and increasing positive behaviors.

The studies evaluating FBA examine different FBA-based interventions identified for each student. FBA-based interventions can be used to address diverse problem behaviors, such as disruptive and off-task behaviors, noncompliance, and inappropriate social interactions.

The WWC recently reviewed the research on FBA-based interventions to determine the impacts on children identified with or at risk for an emotional disturbance. Based on the research, FBA-based interventions were found to have potentially positive effects on school engagement and problem behavior.