Behavioral Assessments: An Overview

“Severe behavior disorders are among the most perplexing conditions encountered by clinicians” (DeLeon & Silverman, 2008). In the past, different treatments were used for people who displayed serve behavioral issues. “Not long ago physical restraint was the only option, the goal being to make it literally impossible for affected individuals to do things like punch themselves in the face or bang their heads against the walls (envision straight-jackets and padded cells). More recently, drugs have been used to medicate those affected” (DeLeon & Silverman, 2008). Although these methods addressed the issue at the time, they did not focus on the underlying cause of the behavior. Therefore, people displaying these undesired behaviors were never taught how to “change” their behaviors. Due to the increasing number of people diagnosed with behavioral disorders, new practices needed to be set in place.

                “Perhaps the most significant innovation over the past serval decades has been an expanded emphasis on understanding the exact circumstances that “trigger” problem behaviors and the consequences that serve to maintain (or reinforce) them… These methods are known collectively as functional behavioral assessment” (DeLeon & Silverman, 2008). Although the article does not talk about how they are used in the classroom specifically, it does a nice job outlining what a behavioral assessment is and why they are important. DeLeon and Silverman (2008) wrote,

“Over the last 20 years or so, several approaches to conducting functional assessments have been under development and refinement. These methods vary with respect to their ease of implementation, but they all strive to determine the regularity with which certain events precede (likely triggers) and follow (likely maintaining consequences-or reinforcers) behaviors of concern, allowing clinicians to make informed guesses about what does and does not cause those behaviors. Indirect assessments are the easiest to do and involved in-depth interviews with parents, teachers, and other caregivers, while detailed and extensive observations of everyday behavior is much more labor intensive.”

                Interviewing a number of people who come in contact with a student throughout the school day is very beneficial. It allows the person completing the assessment to have an idea of where and when the behavior occurs, possibly cutting down the time needed for direct observation. Furthermore, once the behavior is seen, one must consider the consequences the person receives for displaying the undesired behavior. For example, if the student is rewarded with something positive, such as attention or a toy, to get them to stop doing the unwanted behavior, in the long run, it may make the child display the behavior more often. “Although these reactions may lead to immediate decrease in the behavior, over time, the child tends to learn that problem behavior is an effective way to get something he or she wants” (DeLeon & Silverman, 2008).

                Furthermore, the article discusses recent research done on students with sever behavioral disorders. DeLeon and Silverman (2008) wrote, “Recent studies of very young children at risk suggest that some forms of severe disorders may evolve slowly form more benign behaviors like rocking or hand flapping, and the approaches to assessment procedures and interventions that work well with older people could be as successful with younger children.” It is important to be aware of these behaviors and provide replacement behaviors and interventions so they do not continue. Undesired behaviors that are left alone, or treated with a consequence that is desirable to the child, can lead to more and more severe behaviors that will be harder to replace or diminish.

 

 

Reference

DeLeon, I., & Silverman, W. (2008). Solutions and Hope for Severe Behaviors: The Development of

Functional Behavior Assessment. Exceptional Parents, 38(2), 43-45.