Functional Assessment and Program Development for Problem Behavior: A Practical Handbook

Readers gain an understanding of the link between gathering assessment information and developing comprehensive support programs.

Many handy forms provide examples of assessment strategies that are useful in a variety of community, residential, vocational, and educational settings. For instance, a Functional Assessment Observation Form helps guide the assessment process, using a data-collection approach that provides information about the behaviors that have occurred, the situations and persons involved, how persons responded to the behaviors, and more. Examples show the assessment form filled out based on cases in the book. Copies of blank forms are provided in the text and on the website.

Interview formats are provided for gathering information from relevant persons about the behaviors of concern, the things that predict when and where the behaviors do and do not happen, the consequences or outcomes that may be maintaining their occurrence, and more. There's also a form that can be used for collecting interview information directly from students and clients.

The book presents a format for summarizing assessment information and choosing programming strategies based on that information. It also offers an outline format for identifying the full range of strategies that should be considered for inclusion in an intervention program.