Behavior Assessment
Functions of assessment
Assessment identifies target behaviors, their function, and the variables maintaining them. Methods include indirect measures (interviews, rating scales, ABC checklists), direct descriptive measures (narrative recording, ABC observation), and functional analysis (systematic manipulation of antecedents and consequences). Indirect methods are efficient but rely on memory and inference; functional analysis is most rigorous but requires control and resources.
Functional analysis conditions
Standard conditions include alone/ignore, attention, demand/escape, tangible, and play/control. A functional analysis demonstrates causal relations; a descriptive assessment only suggests correlations. Trial-based and brief functional analyses are practical variants. A frequent trap is treating a descriptive correlation as proof of function.
Preference and reinforcer assessment
Preference assessments (paired stimulus, multiple stimulus without replacement, free operant) identify potential reinforcers; reinforcer assessments confirm that a stimulus actually functions as reinforcement. High preference does not guarantee reinforcement.
Rule of thumb
Ask what the behavior produces: attention, escape, access to tangibles, or automatic reinforcement. Then confirm with direct data rather than assumption.
Worked example
A student's disruption occurs mostly during difficult worksheets and stops when work is removed. Descriptive data suggest escape; a brief functional analysis with a demand condition versus play condition confirms it, justifying a demand-fading and communication intervention rather than attention-based strategies.