When a child hits, bolts, screams or drops to the floor, adults often ask "How do we make it stop?" A functional behavior assessment (FBA) asks a different question first: "What is this behavior doing for the child?" Once you know that, you can teach a safer way to get the same need met. This page explains how an FBA works, how it shows up in a clinic ABA plan and in a Florida school evaluation, and what you, as the parent, bring to it.
What is a functional behavior assessment?
An FBA is a structured way to find the purpose, or function, of a behavior. The National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice defines it as "a systematic way of determining the underlying function or purpose of a behavior so that an effective intervention plan can be developed," and lists it among 28 evidence-based practices for autistic children and youth.
The idea is simple: behavior that keeps happening is usually working for the child in some way. Most behaviors serve one or more of four broad functions:
- Attention: the behavior gets a reaction from an adult or another child.
- Escape or avoidance: the behavior ends or delays something hard, boring, loud or uncomfortable.
- Access: the behavior gets an item, food or activity.
- Sensory or automatic: the behavior feels good, or reduces discomfort, on its own.
Two children can do the same thing for opposite reasons. One child may throw a worksheet to get out of writing; another may throw it because the teacher always comes over when they do. The same response (say, sending the child to a quiet corner) would help one and make the other worse. That is why the function matters more than the form.
How is an FBA done?
Step 1: Define the behavior clearly
"Aggressive" is too vague to measure. "Hits with an open hand on another person's arm or back" is clear enough that two people watching would agree on whether it happened.
Step 2: Gather information
- Interviews and questionnaires with parents, teachers and, when possible, the child.
- Record review: medical history, school reports, any earlier plans.
- Direct observation, usually with ABC data: the Antecedent (what happened just before), the Behavior, and the Consequence (what happened right after).
Step 3: Look for patterns
The analyst looks at when and where the behavior happens most and least: time of day, setting, people present, type of task, and what usually follows.
Step 4 (sometimes): Test the hypothesis
In some cases a BCBA runs a functional analysis, a more controlled test that briefly sets up different conditions to see which one keeps the behavior going. Florida's insurance law names "functional analysis of the relations between environment and behavior" in its definition of ABA (Fla. Stat. 627.6686(2)(a)). It requires training and careful safety planning, so not every FBA includes one.
Step 5: Write up the hypothesis
The result is a statement like: "When Maya is asked to stop a preferred activity, she drops to the floor and screams, and this usually leads to extra time with the activity. The behavior likely serves to keep access to the activity." That statement becomes the base of the behavior plan.
Where will I see an FBA: in clinic ABA or at school?
Both, and they are not the same document.
| Clinic or home ABA | Florida public school | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does it | A BCBA from your ABA provider | District staff, often a school psychologist or behavior specialist |
| Why | Part of the initial assessment and treatment plan your insurer reviews | Part of an ESE evaluation, or after certain discipline decisions |
| Rule behind it | Plan medical policy and BACB standards | Rule 6A-6.03023(3)(f) and Rule 6A-6.03312; federal IDEA rules (34 CFR 300.530) |
| Leads to | Behavior goals in the ABA treatment plan | A behavior intervention plan and IEP goals |
The school side in Florida
When a Florida school district evaluates a student for autism spectrum disorder eligibility, the evaluation must include several parts, and Rule 6A-6.03023(3)(f) adds: "If behavioral concerns are present, a functional behavioral assessment is conducted to inform behavioral interventions on the student's individual educational plan."
Discipline can also trigger one. Under Rule 6A-6.03312 and federal regulation 34 CFR 300.530, if a student with a disability faces a change of placement (generally a removal of more than 10 school days in a row, or a pattern of removals adding up to more than 10), the team must hold a manifestation determination within 10 school days. If the behavior is found to be a manifestation of the disability, the IEP team must conduct an FBA (unless one was already done) and implement a behavioral intervention plan, or review and modify the existing plan. Students removed for more than 10 days also receive, as appropriate, an FBA and behavior intervention services designed so the behavior does not recur.
Separately, federal rules say that when a child's behavior "impedes the child's learning or that of others," the IEP team must consider positive behavioral interventions and supports (34 CFR 300.324). You can ask for an FBA at an IEP meeting at any time. Put the request in writing and keep a copy. If you disagree with a district evaluation, Florida's procedural safeguards rule (6A-6.03311) allows you to ask for an independent educational evaluation; ask the district, or a Florida special education attorney, how that applies to an FBA in your situation.
A private BCBA can share their FBA with the school, and under Fla. Stat. 1003.572 the provider you hire may observe and collaborate in your child's school with the teacher's and principal's consent to time and place. Coordinating the two plans helps avoid conflicting approaches; see ABA-informed IEP behavior goals.
What do parents contribute to an FBA?
You are the person who has seen the behavior across years, places and moods. Useful things to bring:
- A short behavior log for one to two weeks: date, time, where, what happened just before, what the behavior looked like, how long, and what happened after.
- Notes on sleep, illness, hunger, medication changes and big life events. Pain or poor sleep can drive behavior, and the BCBA should know.
- What you have already tried and what happened.
- What your child loves. These become the motivators in the plan.
- Videos, if you can take them safely. A 30-second clip can show what a description cannot.
Be honest about what happens at home after a behavior, even if it is "I give him the tablet so we can get through dinner." That is not a failure; it is exactly the information that makes the plan work.
What happens after the FBA?
The FBA leads to a behavior intervention plan that usually has three parts: preventing the behavior by changing what comes before it, teaching a replacement skill that meets the same need, and changing how adults respond. Read what a behavior intervention plan is and who writes it for the next step.
At Hope Center, BCBAs complete the assessment that leads to your child's treatment plan. The initial assessment takes 2 to 4 hours over one or two sessions, at home or at the center, and the written plan can take up to two weeks. Our staff can join IEP meetings where the school allows, to help the clinic and school plans line up. Learn more on our assessments page, or contact us at 561-337-8865 for a free consultation and benefits check.