FBA

A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a structured process for understanding why a student engages in a specific challenging behavior. It combines interviews, direct observation, data collection (often in A-B-C format: Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence), and record review to generate a hypothesis about the function the behavior is serving.

Common functions are escape (the student avoids a task or setting), attention (the student gets adult or peer attention), access (the student gets a desired item or activity), and sensory (the behavior itself is reinforcing). A well-written FBA states a testable hypothesis: "When X happens, student does Y in order to Z."

FBAs are often required before a BIP is written, and they are required by IDEA in certain disciplinary situations — for example, when a student with a disability is being considered for a change of placement due to behavior.