Functional Assessment: Strategies to Prevent and Remediate Challenging Behavior in School Settings

We have conducted workshops, university courses, and in-service training in functional assessment for more than 15 years. We also have extensive experience conducting functional assessment in a variety of settings, across a variety of ages of students, and with students with and without disabilities. We wrote this book because we needed a practical and easily understood model of functional assessment that dealt specifically with school-aged populations and settings. When we conducted workshops and taught courses in functional assessment, students and participants often asked if there was something published that they could give to other educators, parents, or administrators or that they could read as they tried to apply functional assessment. This book is a result of their requests. This book turns theory and research into practical applications in school settings and situations. We present a comprehensive and positive approach to the prevention and remediation of challenging behavior using functional assessment. The book is written for special and regular educators and consultants who work in school settings. This book is divided into four sections that take the reader through the process of conducting functional assessment and implementing interventions based on the function of behavior: Part One (Chapters I to 3) provides an introduction to challenging behavior and functional assessment. It presents the rationale for addressing challenging behavior, common misconceptions about the causes of challenging behavior, and it provides a rationale for using functional assessment and describes the assumptions and goals of functional assessment. Part Two (Chapters 4 and 5) describes the process of conducting functional assessment in school settings and identifying the function of behavior. Part Three (Chapters 6 to 11) presents suggestions and tips for selecting and implementing function-based interventions. It also presents specific intervention strategies by behavior function: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and sensory regulation/sensory stimulation increase and decrease. Finally, it provides suggestions for implementing strategies to prevent the development of challenging behavior. Part Four (Chapters 12 and 13) provides guidelines for program implementation and consultation. It discusses common problems encountered in conducting functional assessment and in providing consultation to educators. It then provides strategies to prevent and remediate those problems. Part Four also includes problem-solving case studies. These case studies allow the reader to practice functional assessment and to develop intervention plans to address challenging behavior. This book contains numerous examples of functional assessment as it is employed in school settings. Examples cover all ages of students (preschool through high school), both regular and self-contained special education settings as well as other school and home settings, a variety of challenging behaviors, and students with and without disabilities. The examples also include a variety of team members who conduct the assessment and implement intervention strategies.Carol M. Dahlquist is the author of 'Functional Assessment: Strategies to Prevent and Remediate Challenging Behavior in School Settings', published 2001 under ISBN 9780130156754 and ISBN 0130156752.