Functional Assessment Process Research Articles

Rodzice i nauczyciele w procesie oceny funkcjonalnej - na przykładzie oceny umiejętności adaptacyjnych dzieci i młodzieży z uszkodzeniem słuchu

Introduction: Functional assessment is an important factor for audiological and medical evaluation of children and adolescents with hearing impairment. Research Aim: The purpose of the research is to present the new position of teachers and parents in the functional assessment process on the basis of the procedure and results of the study of adaptive behavior of 70 children and adolescents with prelingual hearing impairment. Method: The research was done on the basis of observation of children and adolescents by their parents and teachers, using the ABAS-3 tool. Results: Comparison of the results of the parents' and teachers' observations (especially statistically significant differences in these observations) indicates the need for multifaceted assessment of student functioning by different people, both parents and teachers. Conclusions: The results provide important recommendations for analyzing the sources of differences in assessing the functioning of children and adolescents and for preparing parents and teachers to participate in the functional assessment process.

Long-term effectiveness and generality of practical functional assessment and skill-based treatment.

There are several considerations to address when conducting functional communication training for challenging behavior in a school setting, such as the need for schedule thinning and maintenance across staff and the need to establish a variety of appropriate classroom skills. There are several strategies for conducting schedule thinning following functional communication training and for transferring effects across people or settings. However, there are few examples of these processes in natural settings with relevant caregivers and with long-term maintenance of effects. We implemented a functional assessment and skill-based treatment process with six children with autism in a specialized school setting and extended treatment until challenging behavior was reduced to near-zero levels across multiple staff and settings. Follow-up data indicate that effects were still observed 1 year posttreatment and the use of crisis procedures (e.g., physical restraint) was eliminated for all participants.

Ocena funkcjonalna w doświadczeniach nauczycieli w projekcie Specjalistycznych Centrów Wspierających Edukację Włączającą. Doniesienie z badań

Introduction: In June 2023, the pilot program for implementing the first Specialist Inclusive Education Support Centers into the Polish educational practice concluded. The authors conducted evaluative research within the Specialist Inclusive Education Support Centers (SIESCs) in Łódź, Poland. Research Aim: The purpose of the research aim was to evaluate the support provided to teachers in mainstream educational institutions, and the purpose of the article was to show the experience of conducting functional assessment in recognizing the diverse needs of students. Method: The research method employed was focused group interviews with teachers and school principals, along with content analysis of the opinions expressed by participants in the self-study network. Results: The research results are their selected statements, evaluating against different areas of support, the experience of using school functional assessment. Conclusions: The conclusions of the research confirm teachers’ concerns about functional assessment, perceived as a new form of educational diagnosis, but also highlight significant needs in this area arising from the inclusive approach in the Polish education system. The staff of special schools serving as SIESCs, can be instrumental in implementing the functional assessment process for inclusion purposes.

Non-Pedagogical School Personnel as Agents in the Functional Assessment of Students with Disabilities and Special Educational Needs

Functional assessment, as opposed to classical psycho-pedagogical diagnosis, has been playing a significant role in the new model of inclusive education in Poland, launched by the Ministry of Education in 2020. It is a multispecialty process of collecting data about the child or youth’s functioning in order to design an adequate support plan in the ecological niche of the young person’s school. While the specialist role is well described in this process, subject teachers’ and parents’ roles are still being discussed. Little is known about the possibility of playing an active role in this process by the school’s non-pedagogical personnel. The paper aims to explore this role, which was done in a focus group research. The results are promising: they show a high level of non-pedagogical personnel observation awareness of the children’s functioning and their readiness to learn more about the nature of children’s needs and play a more active role in the functional assessment process.

Functional Assessment and Identification of the Needs of Children and Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Functional assessment of child development is an important component in the understanding and support of children and students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This comprehensive assessment provides valuable information on the skills, abilities and challenges faced by a child/student in different areas of their development. By identifying strengths, difficulties and potential areas for support, pedagogical professionals can develop targeted plans and strategies to promote the optimal development and well-being of the child. The article examines the process of functional assessment of child development, the key areas it covers, and the importance of this tool in supporting the development of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Implementation of Functional Behavior Assessments for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Exhibiting Sexually Inappropriate Behaviors

A functional behavior assessment is an evidence-based process that identifies the function of challenging behaviors in order for educators to develop behavior intervention plans for students with disabilities. All behaviors are under stimulus control and research indicates that behaviors typically serve four functions: tangible, escape, attention, and automatic. However, when individuals with developmental disabilities engage in inappropriate sexual behaviors such as exposing their genitalia in public places or groping a stranger, it is not typical for practitioners to implement this functional behavior assessment process as these sexual behaviors are often viewed as different from non-sexual inappropriate behaviors like screaming in class or throwing school materials. This article presents information of how to complete a comprehensive functional behavior assessment for three students with developmental disabilities who exhibit sexually inappropriate behaviors in school settings to highlight the usefulness of the functional behavior assessment process for developing behavior intervention plans for long lasting behavior change

Functional safety assessment process for MITICA safety system in the ITER neutral beam test facility

The Safety System of the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF) aims to deal with all risks for people and environmental safety related to SPIDER and MITICA operation. A coordinating system, called Central Safety System (CSS), was designed to supervise safety-relevant systems, implement safety actions on the different plant units to guarantee the NBTF personnel safety and provide an effective human interface of the NBTF safety. The SPIDER CSS, the part of CSS dealing with SPIDER and NBTF shared items, is in operation, while the MITICA CSS is in the detailed design phase. The MITICA CSS will have the same architecture and principles as SPIDER CSS. A safety risk analysis was carried out based on a Hazard Identification (HAZID) methodology: MITICA plant was partitioned into 46 nodes, for each node possible hazards were identified based on a list drawn up from EN ISO 12100 standard and, after that, the risk assessment process was performed. As a result, the Safety Instrumented Functions (SIF) to be implemented in the MITICA CSS were defined. Through a Layer Of Protection Analysis (LOPA) approach, in accordance with the IEC 61511 standard, the Safety Integrity Level (SIL) was allocated to each SIF. This paper will describe the MITICA risk analysis process and present the relevant functional safety results for MITICA CSS implementation.

School Bullying Intervention: Nuancing the Functional Behavioral Assessment Process

Abstract: Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) has shown promise for responding to a range of behaviors, helping teachers and counselors target strategies more precisely. One struggle with employing FBA strategies by classroom teachers, at least in part, is due its observable data-driven approach. This is especially true as applied to school bullying behavior. School bullying is often invisible to adults. Bullies become adept at operating under the adult radar, while being quite visible to peers. Yet, FBA provides strong strategies for the individualized behavioral interventions necessary to address the multi-faceted motivations that may fuel bullying behavior. Making those behaviors visible, or at least accessible, is key to employing an FBA approach to school bullying. In this article we advocate for designing protocols aimed at considering the invisible nature of school bullying to adult eyes, aimed at better data collection and analysis crucial to the FBA process.

Including Students With Significant Support Needs in the Development of Behavior Support Plans

Students with significant support needs (SSN) are often at an increased risk of demonstrating challenging behaviors compared with their peers without disabilities. As a result, students engaging in these behaviors typically experience fewer opportunities for inclusive education, strained relationships with educators, and increased likelihood of exposure to intrusive and harmful practices (e.g., restraint and seclusion), thus providing increased support for the use of effective behavioral interventions. Although research has shown that function-based interventions are more effective in addressing challenging behavior and these practices should be implemented for SSN who engage in challenging behavior, unfortunately these supports are often planned without involvement from the student. All students, including those with SSN, should have input in the selection and design of the supports they receive. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide educators with strategies for including student voice in the functional behavior assessment process and when developing a behavior support plan for students with SSN. We describe in detail methods for (a) gathering student input during the indirect assessment interview process, (b) administering direct preference assessments, and (c) increasing accessibility of these methods for students with SSN.

Functional Analysis in Public School Settings: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Previous studies have shown that variations of experimental functional analysis (FA) can be used effectively as part of the functional behavioral assessment process in educational settings. The purpose of the current study was to review the literature pertaining to FA of problem behavior in schools focusing on method, topographies, and results. Results of this review showed that analog functional analysis (AFA) are conducted most often in school settings; but recent trends show that use of adapted formats (e.g., trial-based FA and brief FA) are increasing. Analysis of FA results identified most frequent topographies and maintaining variables of problem behavior in the reviewed studies. Trends in teacher-implemented FA are discussed, as well as discrepancies surrounding the terminology of FA in the literature base. Implications for further research, such as social validity of FA in public schools and use of multiple targeted topographies within school-based FA are presented.

Addressing Race and Implicit Bias in the Functional Behavior Assessment Process: A Pilot Study of Preservice Teacher Training Modules

ABSTRACT Despite decades of research and reform, exclusionary discipline remains disproportionately used with minoritized students and students with disabilities (SWD). The present study investigates how functional behavior assessment (FBA) and Positive Behavior Support Plan (PBSP) procedures can be taught in conjunction with an explicit focus on achieving equitable outcomes for minoritized SWD. Specifically, researchers created modules for preservice teachers focused on racial and cultural bias within the FBA and PBSP processes. In this manuscript, we will detail the development, delivery, and preservice teachers’ perceptions of modules, directly and explicitly challenge color-evasive FBA and PBSP practices, and consider how PBSPs can be culturally responsive. We present results of social validity surveys and the School Record Analysis (SRA), a tool used to measure preservice teachers’ implicit racial biases. Exploratory results suggest the modules provide a promising and necessary step for using behavior analysis to address disproportionate use of exclusionary discipline for minoritized SWD.

On the Reliability and Treatment Utility of the Practical Functional Assessment Process.

Saini et al. (2019) urged caution with respect to the use of practical functional assessment (PFA) procedures to inform behavioral treatment when they found that responses to an open-ended caregiver interview were only somewhat reliable and showed moderate to weak correspondence with analog functional analyses. Because the practitioner's goal in conducting any functional assessment process is to inform the successful treatment of problem behavior, we replicated and extended Saini et al. by (a) evaluating the reliability of hypotheses gleaned from two independent PFA processes for each of four children, (b) conducting treatment informed by a randomly assigned PFA, and (c) determining the extent to which potentially different levels of reliability impacted the treatment utility of the PFA process. Results indicated that the reliability of the PFA process varied depending on the stringency with which it was evaluated. However, treatments developed from randomly determined PFA processes produced efficacious outcomes on problem behavior and targeted social skills that transferred to the context designed from the other PFA process in all evaluations, suggesting that the PFA has strong treatment utility despite parts of the process having ambiguous levels of reliability. We discuss implications for practitioners tasked with treating severe problem behavior.

Functional Assessment of Port Pavements: The Case of Container Terminals

Abstract Pavements play an essential role in the handling of cargo in port areas. This led the Spanish State Ports Authority, together with the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), to embark on an initiative these past ten years to improve pavements in Spanish ports. Part of the doctorate program at UPM on port pavement maintenance is being developed into a pavement condition index for container storage and operation areas. This index includes some aspects of the pavement that directly affects operations, namely, pavement distresses related to roughness, terminal zone, occupancy level and capacity of the terminal, and importance assessed by traffic intensity. Pavement roughness directly affects driver comfort, working speed and pace of work, crane breakdowns, and general operation efficiency. The other factor regarding pavement condition considers the real influence on the transportation line in terms of cost. All the steps of the process were checked by an expert panel formed by technicians involved in this activity area to complete a good functional assessment process for port pavements.

Building Consensus about the Functional Vision Assessment Process: A Delphi Study

Introduction: Within the field of visual impairment, there is no set of standards that guide teachers of students with visual impairments as they conduct, report, and share functional vision assessment (FVA) results with other educational team members, and university instructors vary in how they teach the assessment process to preservice teachers. Methods: In parallel, a group of teachers of students with visual impairments and a group of university instructors completed three rounds of a Delphi study. After providing background information in Round 1, they rated 84 statements about the FVA process. The level for consensus was set at 80%. Results: Of the 84 statements, consensus was reached for 45 statements regarding the level of importance by both groups. Participants rated 11 of 22 visual skills (e.g., near acuity, distance acuity) as extremely important to include in the FVA process. Discussion: There continues to be a need to build consensus on when FVAs should be conducted, what visual skills should be included when conducting them, what should be included in reports, and with whom assessment information should be shared. The importance of conducting such assessments for all students, including students under the age of 5 years and those with additional disabilities, needs to be recognized by the field of visual impairment. Implications for practitioners: University personnel need to work together to develop consistent curricula that focuses on the FVA process. Future studies that examine the FVA practices of individual teachers are necessary.

Avaliação Funcional e a sua Prática em Contextos Aplicados

O presente estudo descreve o processo de avaliação funcional dentro da abordagem analítico-comportamental. Inicialmente, o estudo desenvolve-se apresentando a fundamentação empírica do processo de avaliação funcional. Segue com o enfoque sobre o processo de avaliação funcional com status experimental. E apresenta os métodos do processo de avaliação funcional: a avaliação funcional por observação direta, avaliação funcional por observação direta e análise funcional. Ênfase é dada à manipulação de variáveis – ou análise funcional – como uma estratégia experimental utilizada para demonstrar relações funcionais, cujo desenvolvimento alcançou alto grau de precisão na identificação das fontes de reforçamento do comportamento-problema. Conclui-se que os métodos de avaliação e análise funcional devem ser considerados obrigatórios para aplicação de intervenções comportamentais para modificação de comportamentos-problema severos.

Functional Assessment of Challenging Behavior

The purpose of this review is to evaluate recent research on functional assessment procedures to identify recent advances and best practices. Indirect assessments are the most limited form of functional assessment, but their value increases when conducted by behavior analysts rather than caregivers. Direct assessments produce more valid outcomes than indirect assessments, but do not demonstrate a functional relationship between the environmental contingencies and the behavior. Functional analysis procedures are the most rigorous and valid approaches. Recent research has evaluated functional analysis variations, such as the interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis, that are more efficient and flexible for use in a variety of settings. The implementation of a functional assessment continues to be best practice for developing effective functional interventions for challenging behavior. Indirect assessments have value for informing direct assessments and functional analyses. Using indirect assessment findings to develop functional analysis procedures can increase their efficiency while maintaining the validity of the functional assessment process.

Republication of “Functional Analysis of Classroom Variables for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders”

Functional assessment and functional analysis are processes that have been applied successfully in work with people who have developmental disabilities, but they have been used rarely with students who experience emotional or behavioral disorders. In the present study, five students in elementary school programs for severe emotional disturbance participated in a comprehensive functional assessment process designed to yield a useful understanding of their desirable and undesirable behaviors. Interviews, record reviews, and direct classroom observations led to the development of individualized hypotheses regarding relationships between classroom events and the occurrence of target behaviors. Subsequently, direct manipulations (i.e., functional analyses) were conducted to test each of the hypotheses in the context of regularly-occurring classroom activities. These analyses demonstrate important influences that certain classroom variables can exert over individual student’s behavior. The process and results are discussed with regard to the need for improved methods for understanding student responding, and the benefits that functional assessment can offer programs of educational and behavioral support.

Examination of behavioral flexibility and function of severe challenging behavior in individuals with autism and intellectual disability

Objectives: Behavioral flexibility may be an important aspect of the occurrence of challenging behavior in individuals with autism and intellectual disability (ID). The primary purpose of the current study was to examine the scores on the Behavioral Flexibility Rating Scale-Revised (BFRS-R) across two groups of individuals with autism: those with ID (AID) and those without ID (A). These scores were then compared to the outcome of each participant’s functional analysis. In addition, we evaluated the relationship between these scores and reported adaptive behavior (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale) within each group.Methods: The BFRS-R is a survey measure of the degree of an individual’s behavioral inflexibility. Specifically, the BFRS-R identifies those contexts in which challenging behavior is most likely to occur. In the current study, the BFRS-R, functional analysis of challenging behavior outcome, and Vineland II scores were correlated using a Mann–Whitney test for 110 individuals admitted to a specialized inpatient unit.Results: There was a significant difference (p < .05) between the BFRS-R scores of the A group and the AID group. The A group had slightly higher mean scores (18.3 compared to 15.3), and these individuals were more likely to have challenging behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. Within this group, an automatic function was most likely if the BFRS-R score was above 16. Individuals in the AID group were more likely to have challenging behavior maintained by access to tangible items and activities. Consistent with previous research, higher scores on the BFRS-R were correlated with a higher Adaptive Behavior composite score on the Vineland for both groups.Conclusions: The BFRS may help inform the functional assessment process so that specific conditions can be evaluated. Also, we were surprised to find that high adaptive scores did not necessarily mean that the individuals with autism had more behavioral flexibility. In fact they had less.

The Practical Importance of the Distinction Between Open and Closed-Ended Indirect Assessments.

The identification of functional relations is a hallmark of applied behavior analysis. Building upon this foundation, applied behavior analysts have developed and researched a number of practices that fall within the purview of Functional Behavioral Assessment, a framework used to understand factors that influence a target behavior. Indeed, there now exists a wide range of procedures that fall within the purview of Functional Behavioral Assessment, with different procedures being associated with different strengths and limitations. Indirect assessments are commonly featured in most descriptions of the Functional Behavioral Assessment process. This paper focuses on the distinction between open and closed-ended indirect assessments specifically, highlighting their strengths and limitations. After distinguishing between these two types of indirect assessments considerations for practice are provided.

Patients’, relatives’, and practitioners’ views of pulmonary arterial hypertension: A qualitative study

To study practitioners', patients' with PAH, and relatives' views regarding pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and identify potential improvements in medical care strategies. A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews involving 16 patients, 4 relatives, and 9 practitioners. Patients with PAH, their relatives, and physicians who treat persons with PAH had divergent perspectives on PAH. The discrepancies identified concerned their perceptions of the illness and its impact on patients' with PAH daily lives. Patients with PAH had a broader view, including social, identity, financial, and functional dimensions of PAH's impact on their lives, whereas practitioners were more focused on functional aspects. The study also pointed out divergent approaches among physicians to assessing patients' New York Heart Association functional class. The expectations of patients with PAH, relatives, and physicians also differed. Patients with PAH expected improvement in PAH diagnosis and better coordination between primary care physicians and PAH medical centers. They also valued reducing side effects, less restrictive medications, and greater consideration of their views in the medical decision making process. Physicians' expectations focused more on identifying and validating therapeutic strategies. Our results suggest several potential improvements in patient management, especially in order to better tailor treatment to patients' needs and to achieve a more uniform approach to the PAH functional impact assessment process. The findings may also be useful in enhancing therapeutic education for patients and their relatives, and in enabling practitioners to better interpret dyspnea in patients with PAH. Finally, this qualitative database will help in developing patient-reported outcome measures with better content validity. It lays the groundwork for developing new instruments to investigate the impact of PAH on patients' daily lives in terms of symptom assessment and functional impact.