Conducting School-Based Functional Behavioral Assessments, First Edition: A Practitioner's Guide(The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series)

This indispensable manual takes school practitioners step by step through conducting functional behavioral assessments and using them to plan effective interventions. The authors present a cogent rationale for the use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA), clearly explaining its advantages over traditional approaches to dealing with problem behavior. Basic terms and procedures are defined and the process of working with individual students is described in depth. Bringing concepts to life with realistic case examples, the authors also include a variety of sample FBA reports and corresponding positive behavior support plans. A Q&A chapter offers straightforward answers to practitioners' frequently asked questions. Perhaps most important, the volume provides all of the tools needed to complete a reliable and valid FBA, including forms, questionnaires, and worksheets, conveniently designed in a ready-to-photocopy 8 1/2" x 11" format.

Table of Contents:
Introduction to Functional Behavioral Assessment. Genesis of Functional Assessment. Legal Aspects of Functional Behavioral Assessment. Basic Principles of Functional Behavioral Assessment. Observing and Recording Behavior. Indirect Functional Behavioral Assessment. Direct Descriptive Functional Assessment. Supporting Documentation. Putting It Together...Where Science Meets Art: Or, Linking Assessment to Intervention. Extraenvironmental Variables That Influence Function. Training School/Agency Personnel to Implement Functional Behavioral Assessments. A Baker's Dozen Plus One: The Authors' Responses to 14 Frequently Asked Questions about Functional Behavioral Assessment.

Review :
"This book's strengths include readable and straightforward descriptions of the nature, purpose, concepts, and methods of functional assessment; numerous realistic examples to demonstrate points and applications; and lots of easy-to-use forms. It will prove to be a very practical resource for school psychologists, special educators, and other professionals responsible for doing functional assessments in schools. Especially appealing are the multiple forms for each step of the process. The book will serve as an excellent supplemental text for graduate-level behavioral assessment and intervention courses and practica." - Edward J. Daly III, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln