The use of Functional Behavioural Assessment to inform a Positive Behaviour Support Plan for an Autistic student.
Keywords:
Behaviour, Emotional Regulation, Emotion CoachingAbstract
The current article outlines the use of a Functional Behavioural Assessment (FBA) and explores the use of a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Plan with a 5 year old autistic boy named Rory*, of whom was displaying challenging behaviours of hitting and biting. The FBA process identified the predominant functions of these behaviours, namely access to preferred tangibles and escape from non-preferred activities. Additionally, the FBA process identified the aspects of Rory’s Autism diagnosis which may have been maintaining the behaviours such as his difficulty with transitioning and emotional regulation, along with the possibility of social masking throughout the school day. A PBS Plan was devised to review how the environment could be altered in order to meet Rory’s needs and promote positive behaviour. While the plan was not fully executed at the time of write-up, many strategies were implemented successfully.
References
Anderson, C. M., Rodriguez, B. J. and Campbell, A. (2015). Functional behavior assessment in schools: Current status and future directions. Journal of Behavioral Education [online], 24, 338-371. DOI 10.1007/s10864-015-9226-z [accessed 21 July 2023].
Bauminger, N., Solomon, M. and Rogers, S. J. (2010). Externalizing and internalizing behaviors in ASD. Autism Research [online], 3(3), 101-112. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.131 [accessed 10 July 2023].
Blijd-Hoogewys, E. M. A., Bezemer, M. L. and Van Geert, P. L. C. (2014). Executive functioning in children with ASD: An analysis of the BRIEF. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders [online], 44, 3089-3100. [Accessed 21 July 2023]
Dunn Buron, K. & Curtis, M. (2012) The Incredible 5-Point Scale: The significantly improved and expanded: Assisting students in understanding social interactions and controlling their emotional responses. 2nd ed. Shawnee Mission, Kansas: AAPC Publishing.
Gable, R. A., Park, K. and Scott, T. (2014). Functional behavioral assessment and students at risk for or with emotional disabilities: Current issues and considerations. Education and Treatment of Children [online], 37, 111-135. [Accessed 10 July 2023].
Geiger, K. B., Carr, J. E and LeBlanc, L. A. (2010). Function-based treatments for escape-maintained problem behavior: A treatment-selection model for practicing behavior analysts. Behavior Analysis in Practice [online], 3, 22-32. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004681/ [Accessed 12 July 2023].
Gray, C. (2021). Social stories™. In: Grove, N., Storytelling, Special Needs and Disabilities, Routledge, pp. 152-158.
Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., Todd, A. W.and Lewis-Palmer, T. (2000). Elements of behavior support plans: A technical brief. Exceptionality [online], 8(3), 205-215. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327035EX0803_6 [Accessed 10 July 2023].
Iwata, B. A., DeLeon, I. G. and Roscoe, E. M. (2013). Reliability and validity of the functional analysis screening tool. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis [online], 46(1), 271-284. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.31 [Accessed 21 July 2023]
Lloyd, B. P. and Kennedy, C. H. (2014). Assessment and treatment of challenging behaviour for individuals with intellectual disability: A research review. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities [online], 27(3), 187-199. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12089 [Accessed 5 July 2023]
Mascitelli, A. N., Rojahn, J., Nicolaides, V. C., Moore, L., Hastings, R. P. and Christian-Jones, C. (2015). The Behavior Problems Inventory - Short Form (BPI-S): reliability and factorial validity in adults with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities [online], 28 (6), 561-71. DOI: 10.1111/jar.12152 [Accessed 28 June 2023]
Mazefsky, C. A., Herrington, J., Siegel, M., Scarpa, A., Maddox, B. B., Scahill, L. and White, S. W. (2013). The role of emotion regulation in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(7), 679-688. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2013.05.006 [Accessed 5 June 2023]
Middletown Centre for Autism A (n.d). Sensory Processing Resource: Case Study 4. Middletown Centre for Autism [online].Available from: https://sensory-processing.middletownautism.com/casestudies/case-study-4/ [Accessed 3 June 2023]
Middletown Centre for Autism B (n.d.). After School Restraint Collapse. Middletown Centre for Autism [online] Available from: https://www.middletownautism.com/files/shares/Resources/Thurs_23_Sept_After_school_restraint_collapse_resource.pdf [Accessed 12 June 2023]
National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE). (2015). Challenging Behaviour and Learning Disabilities: Prevention and Interventions for people with learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges [online]. NICE. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng11/chapter/Recommendations#assessment-of-behaviour-that-challenges [Accessed 25 June 2023].
Roberts, R., Stacey, J., Jenner, S. and Maguire, E. (2022). Are Extended Reality Interventions Effective in Helping Autistic Children to Enhance Their Social Skills? A Systematic Review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders [online], 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00320-y [Accessed 4 June 2023].
Rojahn, J., Rowe, E. W., Sharber, A. C., Hastings, R., Matson, J. L., Didden, R., Kroes, D. B. H. and Dumont, E. L. M. (2012). The Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form for individuals with intellectual disabilities: Part I: development and provisional clinical reference data, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research [online], 56 (5), 527-545. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2011.01506.x [Accessed 7 June 2023].
Siegel, D.J. & Bryson, T.P. (2012). The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Proven Strategies to Nurture your Child's Developing Mind. Robinson.
SPACE (2022). After School Restraint Collapse[online]. SPACE for Neurodiversity. Available from: https://spaceherts.org.uk/2022/09/08/after-school-restraint-collapse/#:~:text=After%20school%20restraint%20collapse%20is%20a%20phrase%20coined%20by%20Psychotherpist,at%20school%20comes%20tumbling%20out. [Accessed 5 June 2023].
Special Education Support Service. (SESS). (n.d). Advice Sheet 21: Identifying the Communicative Intent of Behaviour [online]. Available from: https://www.sess.ie/sites/default/files/Resources/Behaviour_Resource_Bank/Advice%20Sheet%2021%20Identifying%20the%20Communicative%20Intent%20of%20Behaviour.pdf [Accessed 21 July 2023].
Sterling‐Turner, H. E., and Jordan, S. S. (2007). Interventions addressing transition difficulties for individuals with autism. Psychology in the Schools [online], 44(7), 681-690. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20257 [Accessed 4 June 2023].
Sung, Y. S., Lin, C. Y., Chu, S. Y. and Lin, L. Y. (2022). Emotion Dysregulation Mediates the Relationship Between Sensory Processing and Behavior Problems in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders [online], 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05839-x [Accessed 7 June 2023].
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 REACH: Journal of Inclusive Education in Ireland
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice
Authors contributing to REACH: Journal of Inclusive Education in Ireland retain the copyright of their article and at the same time agree to publish their articles under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License allowing third parties to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format under the following terms:
- Attribution (BY): You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial (NC): You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- NoDerivatives (ND): If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
Learn more about Creative Commons licensing.
