Behaviour Assessment

What is behaviour analysis?

Behaviour analysis is the scientific study of behaviour. It focuses on understanding why people behave the way they do, how behaviour can be changed, and how certain behaviours can be prevented. By utilising the principles of learning theory, behaviour analysts can improve the quality of life for individuals and families.

Why would a Functional Behavioural Assessment (FBA) be helpful for my child?
(And by the way, what is it?!)

Functional assessments are used to support both children and adults to understand why people behave the way they do and what meaning the challenging behaviours hold for the individual. With this understanding appropriate, individualised strategies of support can be identified, to reduce the challenges presented by the person and also enable them to learn alternative, appropriate ways to meet their needs.

Functional assessments need to be carried out by qualified behaviour experts and involves a process of information gathering, observation in the challenging situations and discussion with you.

Once we have all the information, we review it and feedback to you and others as needed. Functional assessments can be used in a wide variety of situations to help children and adults make positive changes in their lives.

We schedule in training and support sessions to help you and others work with the challenging behaviours.

Stages of a functional assessment

Stage 1 - Information gathering

The Behavioural Analyst meets for Initial assessment interviews with the client (if appropriate) and with those who know them best. We look at, amongst other things:

  • Life history
  • History of behaviours of concern
  • Details of behaviours of concern
  • Families’ views/understanding of behaviours
  • Previous interventions for behaviours of concern
  • Values of person/what they hope to achieve
  • Priorities of behaviour change
  • The person’s interests and motivations/preference assessments
  • What a typical day/week looks like

From this information, a schedule of the behaviour(s) to be investigated is drawn up and analysed.

Stage 2 - Observation

The Behavioural Analyst and Clinical Practitioner visit and observe the target behaviours wherever they are, at home or at school in the classroom for example.

Stage 3 - Review and Preparation of Report

Stage 4 - Feedback of results

Stage 5 - Training and Follow up sessions - depending on need and complexity.

Recommendations focus on different areas, for example:

  • Ecological changes: This includes changes to be made to the environment in order to decrease the likelihood of the child communicating his needs through behaviours that challenge. These recommendations should be in place all day every day to reduce the likelihood of behaviours that challenge being observed.
  • Positive programming: This includes recommendations to teach general skills, teaching new skills to meet his needs through functionally equivalent and related behaviours. Meaning that he will be taught new skills other than the identified challenging behaviours to communicate his wants and needs.
  • Focused support: This includes recommendations to parents about how they can best support him or her when they shows early warning signs of challenging behaviours. The goal at this point is to reduce the likelihood of the behaviours being presented.
  • Situational management: This includes recommendations to parents/carers about how to respond should challenging behaviour occur, despite best efforts to avoid it and the full implementation of the other recommendations identified.

Please note: For very severe challenging behaviour, where other intervention has not been successful, we would use the full Behaviour Assessment Guide designed by Thomas Willis, Gary LaVigna and Anne Donnellan. This is extremely comprehensive. The above steps however include a condensed version of this that are appropriate for less complex referrals whilst still being effective in identifying the function of the behaviours of concern and identifying appropriate and successful recommended support plans.

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