Functional Analysis:
Introduction to
Completing Behavior Assessments
Instructor Name: Mick
Jackson
Phone: 509-891-7219
Office Hours: 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday - Friday
Email: mick@virtualeduc.com
Address: Virtual Education Software
PO Box 141106
Spokane, WA 99214
Technical Support:
Introduction
Welcome
to Functional Analysis: Introduction to
Completing Behavior Assessments, an interactive computer-based instruction
(CBI) course, designed to help you achieve a better understanding of Functional
Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Positive Behavior Support (PBS) strategies to
facilitate positive student behavior. The Functional
Analysis: Introduction to Completing Behavior Assessment course will
include an overview of the hierarchy of assessment procedures used to conduct
Functional Behavioral Assessments. The
course will also provide a detailed overview of functional analysis procedures
and treatment packages that can be implemented based on the results of
functional analyses. Particular emphasis will be placed on reinforcement-based
interventions and dimensions of reinforcement.
This course will be particularly useful for educators who work with
children with disabilities because their results often lead directly to
proactive intervention.
Upon
completion of this course, students will know the basics of how to conduct
functional analysis in their classrooms, develop a reinforcement-based
treatment package based on the functional analysis, evaluate the effectiveness
of the intervention using single-subject design methodology and evaluate the
long-term effects of their interventions.
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Course Materials
Title: Functional
Analysis: Introduction to Completing Behavior Assessment
Author: K.
Mark Derby, Ph.D. and Kimberly P. Weber, Ph.D.
Publisher:
Virtual Education Software, Inc.
©2002
Instructor: Mick R. Jackson MS/ED
Please
keep the CD. There is a $25 replacement
fee for CD-roms if you need to replace yours due to theft, damage,
misplacement, etc. Call 1-800-313-6744,
with your credit card information, if you need a replacement.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Academic
Integrity Statement
The structure and
format of most distance-learning courses presume a high level of personal and
academic integrity in completion and submission of coursework. Individuals
enrolled in a CBI distance-learning course are expected to adhere to the
following standards of academic conduct.
Academic Work
Academic
work submitted by the individual (such as papers, assignments, reports, tests)
shall be the student’s own work or appropriately attributed, in part or in
whole, to its correct source. Submission of commercially prepared (or group
prepared) materials as if they are one’s own work is unacceptable.
Aiding Honesty in Others
The individual will encourage honesty in
others by refraining from providing materials or information to another person
with knowledge that these materials or information will be used improperly.
Violations of these academic
standards may result in the assignment of a failing grade and subsequent loss
of credit for the course.
Level
of Application
This
course is designed to be an informational course with application in work or
work-related settings. The assessment and intervention strategies were designed
for persons with severe behavior from infancy to adulthood. Persons wishing to provide intensive
assessment and intervention with persons who have severe behavior should enroll
in additional coursework.
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Course
Objectives
·
Students will define general classes of
reinforcement that can potentially maintain aberrant behavior
·
Students will understand how
environmental variables maintaining aberrant behavior can be assessed within a
single-subject, experimental design
·
Students will understand the hierarchy of
FBA assessment procedures
·
Students will identify the difference
between structural and functional analyses of behavior
·
Students will understand
reinforcement-based interventions that are matched to the results of the
functional/structural analysis
·
Students will have a basic knowledge of
positive behavioral interventions
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Course Description
The
course Functional Analysis: Introduction
to Completing Behavior Assessment has
been divided into four chapters that will introduce you to the underlying
principles of Functional Behavioral Assessment. Our first chapter will introduce you to the
types of environmental variables that typically maintain problem behavior. Specifically, we will discuss positive,
negative, and automatic reinforcement.
In addition, we will briefly explain why behaviors maintained by these
environmental variables are so resistant to the treatments we attempt to
apply. In Chapter 2, we will discuss a
hierarchy of assessment procedures used to conduct a Functional Behavioral
Assessment. In addition, we will outline
some rules regarding which procedure should be used. In Chapter 3, two distinct types of
experimental assessments will be discussed.
Specifically, antecedent and consequence assessments will be
outlined. Chapter 4 will cover treatment
effectiveness and ways to promote generalized behavior.
Student
Expectations
As a student you will be expected to:
·
Complete all information chapters covering Functional
Analysis: Introduction to Completing Behavior Assessment, showing a
competent understanding of the material presented in each chapter.
·
Complete all examinations, showing a
competent understanding of the material presented.
·
Complete a review of any chapter on which
your examination score was below 70%.
·
Retake any chapter examination, after
completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a
minimum of 70% (maximum of three
attempts).
·
Complete all course journal article and
essay writing assignments with the minimum word count shown for each writing
assignment.
·
Complete a course evaluation form at the
end of the course.
Chapter Topics
Chapter 1: Introduction to SORC and Reinforcement
A
brief overview of functional behavioral assessment is provided, along with
basic behavioral principles that maintain behavior.
Chapter
2: Behavioral Assessment Procedures
This chapter will
discuss the differences between indirect and direct assessment procedures and
will outline rules regarding which procedures should be used.
Chapter
3: Cognitive Strategies for Changing
Beliefs
In
this chapter, consequence and antecedent assessments will be discussed.
Chapter 4: Stress Management Treatments and Strategies
This
chapter will cover how treatments are matched to the results obtained when a
functional behavioral assessment is completed. Procedures used to maintain
treatment effects across time and settings are also discussed.
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Examinations
At
the end of each course chapter, you will be expected to complete an examination
designed to assess your knowledge. You may take these exams a total of three
times. The software will save the last score, not the
highest score.
After your third attempt, each examination will lock and not allow further
access. Your final grade for this course will be determined by calculating an
average score of all exams. This score will be printed on your final
certificate. As this is a self-paced computerized instruction program, you may
review course information as often as necessary. You will not be able to exit
any examinations until you have answered all questions. If you try to exit the
exam before you complete all questions, your information will be lost. You are
expected to complete the entire exam in one sitting.
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Writing Assignments
This course has two required writing components.
To
save your essays:
Macintosh: When you select the question or article you wish
to write on, simple text or text edit will automatically be launched. When you
are finished, simply click on FILE>SAVE. Do not select SAVE AS. You do not need to give the document a name
before saving. When you are done, select FILE>QUIT. You must quit before you write another essay.
Windows: When you select the question or article, notepad
will automatically launch. When you are finished, click on FILE>SAVE. Do not select SAVE AS. You do not need
to give the document a name before saving.
1)
Essay
Requirement: Critical Thinking Questions
There is a critical thinking question for each chapter.
You will do research on the question and write a brief essay upon relating it
to the course content (and your personal experiences when possible). To view the questions, click on ESSAY REQ,
then on CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS. You
will see the questions, one for each chapter. Click on the question you would
like to work on; this will bring up a screen where you can enter your
essay. You must write a minimum of 500
words per essay.
2) Essay Requirement: Journal Articles
This task requires you to write
a review of three journal articles of your choice on a topic related to this
course. After entering the Key Words (click on the Key Words button) into a
search engine of your choice (Google, Dogpile, Yahoo, etc.), choose three
relevant articles and write a 200-word review of each. You may also access the
ERIC system and choose a related topic from a journal listed in that system.
Write a critical summary of the information given in each article, explaining
how the information relates to, supports, or refutes information given in this
course. Conclude your paper with your thoughts and impressions. (200 words per
journal article minimum) Be sure to provide the journal name, volume, date, and
any other critical information to allow the instructor to access and review
that article.
To write your essays, click
on ESSAY REQ. In the dialog box below that, click on JOURNAL ARTICLE
ASSIGNMENT; this will expand the folder, which contains links to the screens
where you can write your reviews. When
you are ready to stop, click on FILE>SAVE.
You may go back at any point to edit your essays. For more information on the features of this
assignment, please consult the HELP menu.
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Author
Description
The
Functional Analysis: Introduction to Completing Behavior Assessment course
has been written by professionals with educational backgrounds in the areas of
psychology, behavioral principles, and behavior analysis. K. Mark Derby and
Kimberly P. Weber are currently faculty members in the Department of Special
Education at Gonzaga University and have published numerous articles and/or
book chapters on the topic.
Instructor
Description
Mick Jackson, the Instructor of Record,
is a Behavioral Intervention Specialist with a Master's Degree in Special
Education and Behavioral Theory. He has
15 years of combined experience in self-contained special education classrooms,
resource rooms and a hospital day treatment setting.
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Contacting
the Instructor
You may contact the instructor by emailing
mick@virtualeduc.com or by calling (509) 891-7219 Monday through Friday. When
calling during office hours messages will be answered within 24 hours. Phone
conferences will be limited to ten minutes per student, per day, given that
this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not contact the
instructor about technical problems, course glitches, or other issues that
involve the operation of the course.
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Technical Questions
If you have questions or problems related to the
operation of this course CD, please try everything twice. If the problem
persists please check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at
www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help section on your course disk.
If you need personal assistance then email
Minimum Requirements
Macintosh Operating Systems
Mac
OS 9.x or OS 10.x, 256MB of RAM and 5MB of free hard disk space, 15" or
larger color monitor with a minimum resolution of 800x600, CD
driver 4x minimum speed and a printer connected to your computer.
Windows Operating Systems
Windows 2000, XP Home, Professional or newer, 256MB of RAM and 5MB of
free hard disk space; 15" or larger color monitor with a minimum
resolution of 800x600, CD driver 4x minimum speed and a printer connected
to your computer.
Please
contact VESi if you have any questions about the compatibility of these
systems.
Refer to the addendum included with your
software package regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion Information,
Items to be Submitted, and where to send your completed information.
Bibliography
(Suggested Readings)
Cooper, L. J., &
Harding, J. (1993). Extending functional
analysis procedures to outpatient and classroom settings for children with mild
disabilities. In J. Reichle & D. P.
Wacker (Eds.), Communicative alternatives
to challenging behavior: Integrating functional assessment and intervention
strategies. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Cooper, L. J., Wacker, D.
P., Thursby, D., Plagmann, L. A., Harding, J.
Millard, T., & Derby, M.
(1992, Winter). A functional analysis of the role of task preferences,
task demands, and adult attention on child behavior: Application to an
outpatient and classroom setting. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25(4),
823-840.
Derby, K. M., Wacker, D. P.,
Sasso, G., Steege, M., Cigrand, C., & Asmus, J. (1992). The use of brief functional analysis
within an outpatient clinic: A summary of 79 cases. Journal
of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 713-721.
Durand, V. M., & Carr,
E. G. (1992). An analysis of maintenance following functional communication
training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 777-794.
Durand, V. M., & Carr,
E. G. (1991). Functional communication
training to reduce challenging behavior: Maintenance and application in new
settings. Journal of Applied Behavior
Analysis, 24, 251-264.
Gable, Robert A., Quinn,
Mary Magee, Rutherford, Robert B., Jr., Howell, Kenneth W., & Hoffman,
Catherine C. (1999). Addressing student
problem behavior-Part II: Conducting a functional behavioral assessment (3rd
ed.). Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice. Available from
http://cecp.air.org/fba/problembehavior2/main2.htm. (ERIC Identifier: ED430363)
Iwata, B.A., Bailey, J.S.,
Neef, N.A., Wacker, D.P., Repp, A.C., & Shook, G. L. (Eds.). Behavior
analysis in developmental disabilities (3rd
ed.): 1968-1995. Lawrence, KS:
Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.
Iwata, B. A., Dorsey, M. F.,
Slifer, K. J., Bauman, K. E., & Richman, G. S. (1994). Toward a functional
analysis of self-injury. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27,
197-209. (Reprinted from Analysis and
Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 2, 3-20, 1982.)
Jolivette, Kristine, Barton-Arwood,
Sally, & Scott, Terrance M. (2000).
Functional behavioral assessment as a collaborative process among
professionals. Education and Treatment of
Children, 23(3), 298-313.
Koegel, L. K., Koegel, R.
L., & Dunlap, G. (Eds.). (1996). Positive
behavioral support: Including people with difficult behavior in the community. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes, Inc.
Kratochwill, Thomas R., Elliott,
Stephen N., Loitz, Pamela Ann, Sladeczek, Ingred, & Carlson, John. (1999).
An experimental analysis of teacher/parent mediated interventions for
preschoolers with behavioral problems. (ERIC Identifier: ED432877)
Lalli,
J. S., Browder, D. M., Mace, F. C., & Brown, K. D. (1993). Teacher use of descriptive analysis data to
implement treatments to decrease student's problem behaviors. Journal
of Applied Behavior Analysis, 26, 227-238.
Nelson, J. Ron, Roberts,
Maura L., & Smith, Deborah J. (1998). Conducting
functional behavioral assessments: A practical guide. Longmont, CO: Sopris
West. (ERIC Identifier: ED431248)
Nichols, Polly. (2000). The
role of cognition and affect in a functional behavioral analysis. Exceptional Children, 66(3), 393-402.
Reschly,
Daniel J., Tilly, W. David, III, & Grimes, Jeffrey P. (Eds.). (1999). Special education in transition: Functional
assessment and noncategorical programming. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.
Taylor, Ronald L. (2000). Assessment of exceptional students: Educational
and psychological procedures (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. (ERIC Identifier:
ED436064)
Tonneau, F. (2005). Antirealist arguments in behavior analysis. Behavior
and Philosophy 33, 41-54.
Tonneau, F. (2005). Behavior analysis, common sense, and logic: Reply
to Barnes-Holmes. Behavior and Philosophy, 33, 81-84.
Weigle, Karen L.,
& Scotti, Joseph R. (2000). Effects
of functional analysis information on ratings of intervention effectiveness and
acceptability. Journal of the Association
for Persons with Severe Handicaps (JASH), 25(4), 217-228.