Addressing Student Problem Behavior: An IEP Team's Introduction to Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans.

This paper provides guidelines for conducting a functional behavioral assessment and developing positive behavior intervention plans with students who have behavior disorders or other disabilities in the context of requirements of the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). After an introduction, rights and requirements under IDEA are specified, as are the roles and responsibilities of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team members. Next, the value of a functional assessment of behavior is presented, including examples to illustrate underlying causes for "acting out" behavior. Techniques for conducting the functional behavioral assessment are then presented and include identifying the problem behavior, indirect assessment using an informant, data analysis, and development of an hypothesis statement. The following section offers ideas for IEP teams to consider when developing behavior intervention plans. These include the formation of specific goals and objectives and specification of activities to accomplish the goals and objectives for addressing skill deficits, performance deficits, and both skill and performance deficits. The final two sections consider ways to modify the learning environment and to evaluate the behavior intervention plan. Attached are a list of organizational resources and sample forms for conducting and analyzing a behavioral assessment. (Contains 40 references.) (DB)