This paper reviews behavioral and pharmacological approaches to the treatment of self-injurious behavior in autism. Both behavioral and pharmacological approaches offer a multitude of treatment options which we hope to elucidate. In providing this review, the goal is to provide an awareness of the treatment options available and to prompt further…

In the present case illustration, teacher interviews, conditional probability analyses of direct observations, and brief teacher-implemented functional analyses are demonstrated to help practitioners learn an efficient and effective method for determining the function of problem behaviors exhibited in general education classrooms. Future…

Traces functional assessment (FA) in school settings to early contributions by B. F. Skinner. FA plays an important role in behavior analysis, and the value of this approach in dealing with behavior problems in many settings has long been evident. Although interest in FA in school settings has only recently become widespread, FA in education has a…

Describes a four-phase procedure that can be used to functionally assess distracting and disruptive behaviors occurring in the school setting. A variety of procedures under each of the first three phases are discussed, and procedures for linking information gained in the first three phases of the model to treatment implementation and treatment…

Legal mandate and limited resources provide an impetus to increase the utility of functional assessment. The goal of this study was to develop a brief assessment that could be conducted in the natural setting to identify naturally occurring, high-frequency subsequent events that may serve as maintaining consequences for disruptive behavior using…

Examines discriminant and convergent validity of the Teacher Functional Behavior Assessment Checklist (TFBAC) using 89 first- through third-grade students. Results are discussed in terms of increasing the convergent validity of the TFBAC, teacher training in concepts about functional behavioral assessment and the possibility of concurrent…

Examines whether curriculum-based assessment (CBA) procedures could be incorporated into a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) to identify antecedent events that occasion off-task classroom behaviors of students in a general education classroom. Suggests that the use of CBA during a functional analysis appears to be a practical and effective…

This article provides a review of current literature on the comparative validity of different functional assessment and analysis strategies. It describes functional assessment as an outcome-driven process and explains observational assessment strategies and using assessment information to plan interventions. A proposed process for teachers and…

Provides a brief overview of functional behavior assessment and contrasts functional behavior assessment and traditional psychological assessment. Messick's (1995) theory of construct validity is presented and then applied to the evaluation of the validity of functional behavior assessment measures. Finally, implications and guidelines of current…

Illustrates and evaluates the reliability and accuracy of an efficient performance-based behavioral recording procedure to record both appropriate and problem behaviors with persons with developmental disabilities. The results demonstrate that performance-based behavioral recording procedures are precise and efficient methods of recording…

A social dynamics perspective of aggression in school is presented. This framework focuses on the role of natural social processes in the establishment and maintenance of aggressive behavior in the school context. The five articles in this special issue are briefly reviewed and a synthesis of their contributions for understanding the social…

Provides a wide range of information for 100 articles published from January 1980 through July 1999 that describe the functional assessment (FA) of behavior in school settings. Results indicate that FA is useful for ascertaining the variables that control high-frequency problem behaviors in students with low-incidence disabilities and for…

In this field-based study, functional behavior assessment was incorporated into the student assistance team (SAT) process. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine whether team members could identify the correct function of behavior by selecting related interventions. Further, the extent to which FBA information collected at each stage…

Although functional behavioral assessments (FBA) have long been considered "best practice" in the field of applied behavior analysis, their use by school psychologists has a much briefer history. To assist school psychologists in becoming better acquainted with FBA, this article overviews the conceptual foundations and underlying principles of FBA…

This article presents the legal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments regarding Individualized Education Programs (IEP), functional behavioral assessments, and behavior intervention plans for special education students with problem behavior; describes the initial policy letters and due process hearings that…