Trial-Based Functional Analysis to Understand Children’s Behaviors

Trial-Based Functional Analysis to Understand Children’s Behaviors

Author Dr. Jose Martinez

Charlie is a 4-year old preschooler who enjoys playing with his friends at school. Charlie’s teacher reports that he has difficulties participating in teacher-directed large-group and small-group activities. Specifically, Charlie engages in challenging behaviors including throwing himself to the ground and leaving the group during teacher-directed activities. Charlie’s teacher thinks that he engages in challenging behaviors to escape instructional activities. The behavioral specialist, however, observes Charlie several times and suggests that he uses challenging behaviors both to escape instructional activities and to gain adults’ attention. Understanding what Charlie is communicating by engaging in challenging behaviors is the first step in developing a behavioral intervention plan that meets his needs. Therefore, the teacher and behavioral specialist look for ways in which they can learn more about Charlie’s behaviors. Another behavioral specialist in the school suggests conducting a trial-based functional analysis.

Persistent challenging behaviors in early childhood can interfere and disrupt children’s engagement in social and academic activities within their homes, schools, and communities (Brauner & Stephens, 2006; Division for Early Childhood [DEC], 2017). To address this concern, DEC recommends that early childhood practitioners use functional behavior assessments (FBAs) to understand what children communicate via challenging behaviors (DEC Recommended Practice [RP] INS9; DEC, 2014; Dunlap & Fox, 2011; Wood et al., 2013). FBAs allow practitioners to identify the antecedent environmental events (i.e., events that immediately precede behaviors) that trigger challenging behaviors and the consequent environmental events (i.e., events that immediately follow behaviors) that maintain those behaviors.

By using FBAs, early childhood practitioners can understand the communicative intent of challenging behaviors and thus, can identify the behavioral function(s) of challenging behaviors (i.e., DEC RP INS9; DEC, 2014; Dunlap & Fox, 2011). Children typically engage in challenging behaviors to obtain or avoid something in their
environment. The “something” can be social consequences provided by someone who interacts with them (e.g., attention, toys, food) or non-social consequences that are directly produced by the behaviors (e.g., hitting temple to remove headache). The most common functions of challenging behaviors