Functional Analysis of Problem Behavior

Abstract

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at an increased risk for severe problem behavior such as self-injury, aggression, disruption, and stereotypy. Thus, problem behavior exhibited by individuals with IDD is of significant concern because it poses challenges to habilitation programs for these individuals and also because the behavior may jeopardize the health and safety of the individual or others. Functional behavior assessment (FBA) has become the dominant approach to assessment and treatment of problem behavior. Although several formal methods of FBA exist, this chapter focuses on the experimental method or functional analysis (FA), explains the FA approach to assessment, describes the essential features of conducting the “typical” FA, and offers suggestions for procedural modifications to typical FA methodology that may be required under certain circumstances.KeywordsProblem BehaviorAutomatic ReinforcementSevere Problem BehaviorDescriptive AssessmentSocial Positive ReinforcementThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.