BCBA: Assessmen

BCBA: Assessment 4 Phases of Intervention (A PIE) - Assessment Planning Implementation Evaluation Assessment (Functional Behavior Assessment-FBA) - A systematic method for obtaining information about the FUNCTION challenging behaviors serve for an individual. What else does an FBA do? - Allows us to make empirically-based hypotheses fro WHY behaviors occur. Methods used in FBA - Direct observations, interviews, checklists, and tests to identify targets for behavior change. How does an FBA help with intervention? - Discovers resources, assets, significant others, competing contingencies, maintenance and generalization factors, and potential reinforcers/punishers that my be included in the intervention plan. Purposes of Assessment - Identifies and defines targets for behavior change. Guides us to create effective and positive interventions. Ethics Devil Warning: Assessments - You have to choose the RIGHT BEHAVIORS for assessment, so you need to know what is SOCIALLY SIGNIFICANT and be able to prioritize behaviors. Skilled at conducting assessments. Accept as clients only those individuals or entities whose behavior problems or requested service are commensurate with your education, training, and experience. 5 Phases of Assessment - 1. Screening and General Deposition 2. Defining and quantifying problems or desired achievement criteria 3. Pinpointing target behaviors to be treated 4. Monitoring Progress 5. Following-Up Ethics Devil Warning: Pre-Assessment Considerations - Before conducting assessment, ask critical questions: Who has the Authority, Permission, Resources, Skills to complete an assessment and intervene with the behavior? Also, obtain the client's or client-surrogate's approval before implementing them. Indirect Assessment Measures - Data obtained from recollections, reconstructions, or subjective ratings of events. (interviews, checklists) Direct Assessment Measures - Provide information about a person's behavior as it occurs. BCBA: Assessment PREFERRED CHOICE over indirect measures. (Tests, direct observations) 4 Ways to Acquire Information for Assessments (COIT) - Checklists Observation Interviews Tests Checklists - Likert scales Alone or with interview rating scales Asks about antecedents and consequence of the target behaviors. PUBLISHED SCALES: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Adaptive Behavior ScaleSchool (ABS-S), Adaptive Behavior Scale-Residential and Community (ABS-RC) Observation (Direct Observation) - Direct and repeated in the natural environment Identifies potential target behaviors. Preferred method. Interviews (Structured Behavioral Interviews) - First step in identifying list of behaviors, which can be used later in direct observation. Interview (The individuals) - Ask "What", "When", "etc. questions. DO NOT ASK "WHY". Identify the primary concerns of the individual. You can give the individual questionnaires or have them record self-monitoring data. Interview (Significant others) - Sometimes one cannot interview the individual directly or one needs information from important others (e.g., parents) Interviewing significant others if a great way to assess the participation of significant others in your intervention plan. Tests (Standardized Tests) - Many published standardized tests exist. Consistent administration is key: Each time a standardized test is administered, the same questions and tasks are presented in a specified way and the same scoring criteria and procedures are used. Most standardized tests do NOT work well with FBA because results are not translated directly into target behaviors.