Therapist and setting influences on functional analysis outcomes

A Systematic Review of Caregiver-Implemented Functional Analyses

The purpose of this systematic review was to systematically locate and analyze the research on caregiver-implemented functional analyses and subsequent function-based interventions. We included 36 studies and examined multiple features of the studies, including participant demographics, functional analysis characteristics, intervention characteristics, procedural fidelity, risks of bias, and social validity. Overall, the studies showed that caregivers were able to implement functional analyses that yielded differential responding, although few studies reported procedural fidelity data. Caregivers were also able to implement function-based interventions that led to socially significant changes in challenging behavior. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Efficiency in functional analysis of problem behavior: A quantitative and qualitative review

Originating in the mid-1960s, functional analysis (FA) has become the gold standard method for understanding the environmental variables that come to shape and maintain problematic behaviors such as aggression, self-injury, and property destruction. Over the decades, a number of studies have refined FA methods, attempting to improve the overall efficiency of the analysis through experimental design and procedural modifications. In the present review, we used ongoing visual-inspection criteria and basic probability theory to compare and analyze levels of efficiency across FA types. The multielement design and synthesized contingency analyses were about equally efficient with respect to the mean number of sessions conducted per function tested, and the trial-based and synthesized contingency analyses were the 2 most efficient with respect to the mean duration per function tested. We discuss the implications of these findings in the broader context of efficiency and provide recommendations for maximizing efficiency during an FA. We also discuss other qualitative procedural details that may influence the overall efficiency of an FA.

Teacher-Conducted, Latency-Based Functional Analysis as Basis for Individualized Levels System in a Classroom Setting

Latency-based functional analysis (FA) may be appropriate when stakeholders are concerned with safety or feasibility. We trained a first-year special education teacher to collect data while she implemented a latency-based FA and validated a function-based intervention. Treatment effects were generalized across paraeducators and were maintained during a 1-month follow-up.

REDUCING AMBIGUITY IN THE FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR

Severe problem behavior (e.g., self-injury and aggression) remains among the most serious challenges for the habilitation of persons with intellectual disabilities and is a significant obstacle to community integration. The current standard of behavior analytic treatment for problem behavior in this population consists of a functional assessment and treatment model. Within that model, the first step is to assess the behavior-environment relations that give rise to and maintain problem behavior, a functional behavioral assessment. Conventional methods of assessing behavioral function include indirect, descriptive, and experimental assessments of problem behavior. Clinical investigators have produced a rich literature demonstrating the relative effectiveness for each method, but in clinical practice, each can produce ambiguous or difficult-to-interpret outcomes that may impede treatment development. This paper outlines potential sources of variability in assessment outcomes and then reviews the evidence on strategies for avoiding ambiguous outcomes and/or clarifying initially ambiguous results. The end result for each assessment method is a set of best practice guidelines, given the available evidence, for conducting the initial assessment.

Thirty years of research on the functional analysis of problem behavior

Hanley, Iwata, and McCord (2003) reviewed studies published through 2000 on the functional analysis (FA) of problem behavior. We update that review for 2001 through 2012, including 158 more recent studies that reported data from 445 FAs. Combined with data obtained from Hanley et al., 435 FA studies, with line graphs for 981 FAs, have been published since 1961. We comment on recent trends in FA research and introduce the studies in the 2013 special issue of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Antecedent events as predictive variables for behavioral function

Challenging behavior is one of the largest barriers to ensuring that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are able to participate in the community. These difficulties have become one of the main causes of social exclusion. The research into and treatment of challenging behavior has usually involved the identification of its function and the manipulation of the events or environmental conditions that influence its occurrence (antecedent variables). The present research explores the relationship between antecedents and behavioral function and the extent to which antecedent variables may act as predictors of behavioral function. This relationship is explored using two standardized instruments: Questions About Behavioral Function and Contextual Assessment Inventory. Data from the validation of these instruments for the Spanish population involved 300 participants with ID and 328 challenging behaviors. The results suggest that social/cultural variables are most related to challenging behavior, whereas biological variables seem to only be related to physically maintained behavior.