PBIS Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?
- To assign consequences for inappropriate behavior
- To identify the function or reason behind a student's problem behavior (Correct answer)
- To document disciplinary actions taken by staff
- To measure a student's academic achievement levels
Correct answer: To identify the function or reason behind a student's problem behavior
An FBA identifies why a behavior occurs — its function — so interventions can address the root cause rather than just the behavior itself.
Question 2: In the ABC data collection model used in FBA, what does the 'A' stand for?
- Attitude
- Assessment
- Antecedent (Correct answer)
- Action
Correct answer: Antecedent
ABC stands for Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence, and 'A' refers to the antecedent — what happens immediately before the target behavior.
Question 3: Which method of FBA involves directly observing a student in their natural classroom environment without manipulating variables?
- Functional analysis
- Indirect assessment
- Descriptive assessment (Correct answer)
- Structural analysis
Correct answer: Descriptive assessment
Descriptive assessment involves direct observation in natural settings to collect ABC data without experimentally manipulating antecedents or consequences.
Question 4: Which of the following represents the most common functions of problem behavior identified through FBA?
- Attention, escape, access to tangibles, and sensory stimulation (Correct answer)
- Aggression, noncompliance, elopement, and self-injury
- Frustration, boredom, anxiety, and impulsivity
- Academic deficits, social skills gaps, sensory processing, and trauma
Correct answer: Attention, escape, access to tangibles, and sensory stimulation
The four main behavioral functions identified in FBA are attention-seeking, escape/avoidance, access to tangibles or activities, and automatic/sensory reinforcement.
Question 5: What is an 'establishing operation' (EO) in the context of FBA?
- A school-wide rule that establishes behavioral expectations
- A condition that temporarily increases the value of a reinforcer and the behavior that produces it (Correct answer)
- A formal process for opening an FBA case file
- A consequence that strengthens future behavior
Correct answer: A condition that temporarily increases the value of a reinforcer and the behavior that produces it
An establishing operation is a motivating variable that temporarily makes a particular consequence more or less valuable, thereby influencing the likelihood of related behaviors.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a 'competing behavior pathway' diagram in the FBA process?
- To document disciplinary referrals competing for administrator attention
- To compare a student's behavior against peer norms
- To visually map the relationships between antecedents, behaviors, functions, and desired replacement behaviors (Correct answer)
- To identify which teachers compete for student compliance
Correct answer: To visually map the relationships between antecedents, behaviors, functions, and desired replacement behaviors
A competing behavior pathway visually organizes the function of problem behavior alongside desired and alternative behaviors to guide BIP development.
Question 7: When is a school required under IDEA to conduct an FBA?
- Whenever a student receives more than one office discipline referral
- When a student's behavior results in a change of placement, including suspensions of more than 10 days (Correct answer)
- Only when parents request it in writing
- Every three years during a student's triennial re-evaluation
Correct answer: When a student's behavior results in a change of placement, including suspensions of more than 10 days
IDEA mandates that an FBA be conducted when a student with a disability faces a disciplinary change of placement, such as suspensions totaling more than 10 school days.
PBIS Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) 1
What is the primary purpose of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?