1. Identify the problem behavior. Before a functional behavioral assessment can be implemented, it is necessary to pinpoint the behavior causing the academic or behavioral problems a student is experiencing and:
Define it in measurable (observable) and/or concrete terms that are easy to communicate and simple to measure and record.
If the descriptions of behaviors are vague (e.g., poor attitude), it is difficult to determine appropriate interventions.
Examples of concrete descriptions of problem behaviors are:
| Problem Behavior | Concrete/Measurable Description |
| Trish is aggressive. | Trish hits other students during recess when she does not get her way. |
| Carlos is disruptive. | Carlos makes irrelevant and inappropriate comments (such as “This is stupid,” “This is boring,” “Kill me now,” “I have chicken in my pants”) during class discussion. |
| Jan is hyperactive. | Jan leaves her assigned area without permission. Jan completes only small portions of her independent work, where she is required to successfully complete 10 single digit addition problems without regrouping. Jan blurts out answers without raising her hand. |
It may be necessary for special and general educators to carefully and objectively:
Once the problem behavior has been defined concretely, these educators can begin to devise a plan for conducting their functional behavioral assessment to determine the purpose and function of the behavior.
2. Identify the setting or context in which the student(s) will be assessed. It is advisable to observe the target behavior in three contexts at least. Thus, the student(s) should be observed in the context in which the behavior was noted as troublesome (e.g. in reading instruction), a similar context (e.g. in math instruction), and a dissimilar context (e.g. during P.E. or recess).
3. Identify the length of time the student(s) is going to be assessed. The length of time the student is going to be observed needs to be determined. It is advisable to base the length of time you are going to observe the student on the length of your instructional period or blocks of time within an instructional period. In general, the length of time a student is observed cannot exceed the time when the student(s) arrives at and departs from school;
4. Identify procedures you are going to use in recording the observed behavior. Depending on the specific kind of behaviors to be observed, it is advisable for special and general educators to determine whether to use procedures such as:
Anecdotal recording – Write everything you see within a given time;
Event recording – Record frequency of target behavior – count number of times behavior occurs;
Duration recording – Record the length of time a behavior lasts; or
Latency recording – Record the amount of time that elapses from the presentation of a stimulus until the response occurs
in determining procedures to be used in recording the observed behavior.
5. Identify the amount of time you want to spend sampling the student’s behavior. Depending on your overall classroom responsibilities, it is advisable to determine whether to use procedures such as:
Whole interval recording: Divide the time you want to spend sampling the student’s behavior into intervals (e.g. five minute intervals) and score the behavior as having occurred only when it occurs throughout the entire interval;
Partial interval recording: Divide the time you want to spend sampling the student’s behavior into intervals (e.g. five minute intervals) and score the behavior as having occurred when it occurs during any part of the interval; and/or
Momentary time sampling: Divide the time you want to spend sampling the student’s behavior into intervals (e.g. five minute intervals) and score the behavior as having occurred only if it occurs at the last moment of the interval
in determining the amount of time you want to spend sampling the student’s behavior.
6. Implement your assessment. Do this by observing the student (in his/her natural environment) and interviewing other individuals who know the student well, ensuring you look out for:
Antecedent events that precede the problem behavior;
Reaction problem behavior evokes in others or teachers – what happened during the time child was engaging in behavior?
Consequences that immediately followed the problem behavior; and
Health, medical, and personal factors that may be contributing to the problem.