Wednesday, 21 February 2018

The Functional Behavior Assessment Steps Specialists Undertake To Assist Your Child Academically

By Michelle Patterson


Some children have a difficult time adjusting to the rules and regulations that have to be followed in the classroom. They may be inattentive, disruptive, and have trouble getting along with teachers and classmates. If you are the parent of a child with behavioral issues, you have probably already met with teachers, school psychologists, and administrators. When normal remedies are unsuccessful, these professionals may suggest taking functional behavior assessment steps.

In order to really help your child, you have to fully understand what functional behavior assessment, or FBA, encompasses. Most educators and psychologists are genuinely concerned about the children in their care. When those children are struggling, the professionals want to know why. There is always a reason for inappropriate behaviors. The goal is to find out what the reasons are and develop a plan to successfully change them.

A lot of times the school psychologist is chosen to lead the FBA team. She meets with educators and others who frequently interact with your child to get their thoughts on the situation. She will meet privately with your little one and might do some behavioral testing. Administrators, special education and classroom teachers, the child, and the parent are usually members of the team.

Before inappropriate behaviors can be assessed, they have to be defined. Generalizations like disruptive and inappropriate are too vague to have much value. What is required are accurate, unbiased details regarding specific incidents that have occurred in and out of class. The more information the professionals have, the better the eventual plan will be.

Once the information has been compiled, it can be analyzed. The specialists look at when the conduct occurs, and if there are commonalities in what goes on immediately before. They want to know how often the behaviors are occurring and who is there when they happen. On the other side, these specialists need to understand if there are certain times, places, and people where the inappropriate behaviors are consistently absent.

With the data they have gathered, the professionals are usually ready to try and get to the root of the behaviors. This can be difficult and time consuming. Some children act out when they feel threatened, frightened, or confused, and want to avoid or escape those feelings. The way they behave is their attempt to do that.

Finally the specialists devise a plan of intervention. This is designed to redirect the child's energy into positive behaviors and reward him for his efforts. There are no set guidelines for this plan. Each one has to be tailor made to fit the unique circumstances surrounding each child. The plan might include changing the physical environment, adjusting teaching methods, varying routines, or changing the consequences for negative actions.

Childhood is not easy for everybody. Some kids have issues that make classrooms places that bring out destructive and inappropriate responses. When adults, in and out of the academic world, work together, a troubled child can begin to thrive.




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