What is a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?

Sometimes it is helpful to do a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) of the child to determine why he or she is acting in a certain way, and then trying to improve the behavior. The rationale is that everyone behaves in order to either get something they want or get away from something they don't want. An example may be that a child does not perform well in reading, so he wants to avoid reading time. His behavior is that he is suddenly "tired" during reading time. If he is allowed to sleep, his behavior is rewarded. He will develop a negative coping skill and eventually fall farther and farther behind. A FBA would identify a few trouble spots and potential reasons for the behavior, potential rewards the child might currently be receiving for doing the behavior, and suggested alternatives.  more