FBA (Functional Behaviour Assessment)

Yes.

Yeah,

hi. We are going to talk about F B A or functional behavior analysis.

And once we've given you a bit of an oversight of what our thinking is around it,

then we're going to drop into a role to show you what

it might look like when you are working with a colleague.

So that's going to take on the role of the teacher,

and I will be the person who just ask the questions

to help you unpack the function of a child's behavior.

Okay,

so I think the first thing that it's

important to remember is that behavior is communication,

and students are always trying to communicate something to you with that behavior.

Um, and what? We have to figure out what it is they're trying to communicate.

There's usually two types of functions.

One is to avoid or escape something, and that might be as simple as avoiding work.

Avoiding that's work because it's too hard for them.

Um, that could be avoiding, um, adults, teachers, peers,

avoiding working near them

what could be escaping sensory because of sensory overload.

The other function is to get something,

and often we see this with getting attention from piers and adults.

Uh, and it might be again with sensory.

It could be needing more sensory important meeting the the urge to move.

Or it might be getting something with a task.

Um,

could be that they're wanting to move onto

another task and looking forward to that incentive.

So how do we determine the function of a child's behavior?

It's quite often there's a lot of emotion involved,

and the first thing that we need to do is the

adults is make sure that we are in our calm space,

because then things become clear.

But if we flipped out a word in any way, then it's just not going to happen for anybody.

So one thing to do is to listen to what the child is actually saying.

What are the words? What are they using?

We're also thinking around. What do we know about the situation?

What do we know about the anti-oxidants? What happened before the behavior?

What do we know about the consequences of the behavior and

the consequences are not the punitive consequences of the discipline,

part of consequences,

the consequences, what maintains the behavior?

And in doing that,

what we notice is that then,

well, we will actually be able to determine what the function is in a lot.

A lot, A lot better way.

So we're going to be looking at what activities?

What sometimes peers,

sometimes being around appear will trigger a particular reaction.

So coming back to it so functional behavior analysis we're looking at,

Maybe there's a trigger event,

definitely looking at the eighty-seven. What's going on before the behavior,

looking at what maintains or the consequence of doing that behavior?

What is the kids get out of it. What purpose does it does it serve?

And then we're also looking at what, actually, is the behavior.

We We do have a series of documents, short documents that actually inform

our own practice around us,

and they will be available from us if you would like to make contact.

But what we're going to do now is still going to drop into the role of the teacher,

and I will be the person who asks

the clever questions.

And hopefully, by the end of that we will come up with a function

for this child's behavior.

Okay, so, Steve, are we good to go? Yeah. Brilliant. I think so. Cool. Cool. Okay.

Can you tell me what is

the problem? Behavior.

Okay, so this is a student that is having a lot of different difficulties in class.

But I'm just going to focus on one particular behavior

in one part of the day because quite often, to if you fix that,

you notice where it's happening throughout the year.

Yeah.

So the problem behavior at the moment is not coping with being on the mat.

Okay, so when you say he's not coping with being on the mat,

what does he actually doing?

So he's lashing out of kits. He's kicking, right? So he's kicking. Kids

moving?

Yeah.

Um so is this as soon as he's been asked to come down to the net? Or is it?

Yeah, pretty much. Pretty much as soon.

Sometimes he can stay focused and be okay sitting on

the mat if there's a screen going in particular.

But usually it's as soon as he fell.

So as soon as he's asked to come to the mat to sit on the mat,

he will start maybe kicking or pushing other Children.

Yeah, or at least moving. And what? And then sort of gearing up to the next stage.

Yeah. Okay. And how frequently does this happen?

Um, quite often.

So I've noticed because I collected data that you asked me to collect

and data I'll just break from that data can just be simply,

um, writing notes whenever you see a particular behavior keeping a little grid,

making a time chart.

And it's really worthwhile doing over the course of the week

because you'll notice patterns.

Um,

So what I've noticed is that it's basically

whenever it's about time apart from afternoon,

aren't so bad.

Tell me about why the afternoon is not so bad.

I kind of feel like he's running out of energy.

Okay, that's interesting. But there must be another reason. So why?

Why is the afternoon different to the morning? What's what's

Tell me a little bit more about what's happening in the

afternoon cause he's not doing the behavior in the afternoon.

So why I'm curious.

So, actually, maybe because in the afternoon there's a story being read.

It's a shared experience, whereas the mat times in the morning learning times

Okay, so, like,

six. And then the whole class maths. Okay, So what you're saying is in the afternoon.

He's okay on the mat because there's less stress

and it's more enjoyable. But in the morning,

there's learning whether it's politics or something like that. And he's finding

that's what you're seeing. The behavior. Yes. Okay. Okay.

That's really interesting. Yeah, fascinating. So, in the morning,

if you

so if you really wanted to make the behavior happen,

then what you would do is calm down to the mat and

listen. Yes, in Parliament, among

the whole class. So Okay, so, actually, he's also sitting in the

city right in the middle. Is that his choice? Choice. Choice. Okay.

Sitting in the middle. Okay,

So what happens?

Go back to the mat. What happens when he's sitting on the map? There's a

lot

going on,

and he's starting

to escalate. But just go back to that.

What happens immediately after he starts to do that behavior?

What do you do?

I've been ignoring and Yeah, and does that work?

No. Sometimes sometimes it doesn't. Okay, so just stick with it when you ignore it.

He just escalated.

You know, sometimes he'll be okay, particularly if we move on to,

um

doing like looking at the screen. You know how you can go on and look at your

stuff on the screen.

So that way there's actually due to some looking around

and getting getting among what everyone else is doing.

Okay, so just let me reflect that what I'm hearing.

So what I'm hearing is that when he has to come to the man in the morning,

he's sitting in the middle of the of the group.

It's

usually these learning going on. The

next lesson is that so if the

listening you're going and it's just really a lot more verbal, I guess

then he might start to flesh out or push people or something like that.

But if there is some form of screen component to it, he's not.

He's more likely to be settled. Yes, okay, that's interesting.

Is telling you anything yet?

Yes, it is what they're telling you what it's telling me that.

So

I know for a fact this sensory issue with him.

What's breaking it down and it's telling me, is that he seeks,

he's he's the verbals not enough for him because he's always seeking sensory.

So he's actually needing

to. He always needs to move, but Maybe he's needing to see movement as well,

Right? So

it'll be interesting to go and collect a little

bit more data and notice the times that actually,

when you are using a screen and he can

listen and learn whether that makes a big difference

and when you don't does it make still make a difference that way?

Okay, so let's

let's think about how do you really engage him

after he started to lose? The plot is starting to push him and

push others, um, usually redirecting and usually, um,

sort of redirecting to an activity that he can cope with. Right.

Okay, So when you're on the mat and then you're just just verbal

and he is starting to lash out and push out,

what you do is you redirect into an activity away

from the group away from that that he likes.

Yes.

Okay. Do you think that he is doing this lashing out behavior

purely to get to do another activity?

Is that his wife communicating to you? I can't cope with this.

I need something else. And so he's doing this

because he knows that you're going to redirect into another activity.

Yes, I was going to say, I would normally think that,

but this students a bit of an exception.

But when you put it that way, yes, he is.

He's saying I can't cope in this situation,

and I want to move off and move on to something else.

Okay, So is that the function of

kicking out on the map? Perhaps? Yeah.

Not coping with that activity,

right?

And so But you also know when you build in the support of the screen,

he can he can stay for a bit longer

and you can be successful. Yeah. Okay. So in a way, is behavior is, um,

avoiding

avoiding an activity?

Because it's just it's not enough support for him to stay engaged in the activity.

Yes, because when you think about it, sometimes Children with autism,

um, they have they have the visual as their first language not available.

Okay,

how about you go away and you just notice and

maybe incorporate more screen time with this particular activity?

Or if you can't

maybe redirecting sooner so he doesn't have to do the behavior.

You reckon that's great? Yeah. That's really good, actually. Just talking about

Yeah, Okay.

So as you can see it always pays to have somebody else just asking the questions.

And as you saw, all I did was reflect back what Steve had told me.

I didn't bring my own story into it. I bought my own curiosity to it, but not my story.

And then you can see that things have become particularly clear.

So

give this a shot.

Functional analysis is not necessarily complicated,

but as you always probably better to have two heats.

And remember, I'm around.

If you want to come and find me or email me and

I'll come and see you if you want some help with this,

I'd love to go through it with you because it's quite exciting

when you do actually understand what the function is behind that behavior.

Cool.

Good luck.

Hey,

FBA (Functional Behaviour Assessment)

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