Project Activities
Research plan
The PI developed and refined the decision tool (FBA Map) and accompanying training materials across a series of development and pilot studies. To inform the initial version of the decision tool, practitioners (i.e., behavior specialists, special educators) were recruited from school districts across the state of Tennessee to complete a survey on their perceptions of different hypothesis testing strategies. Next, the PI sought feedback on the decision tool draft from expert advisors and conducted a series of focus groups with behavior specialists and technical assistance providers who support district and school personnel with FBA and intensive intervention. A revised version of the decision tool was then tested in the field. Students with severe and persistent challenging behavior were recruited for participation along with a practitioner pair (i.e., one behavior specialist and one special or general educator who supported the student). The purpose of this stage of the project was to evaluate the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of the decision tool and resulting individualized assessment process. Another purpose was to determine whether the selected hypothesis testing strategy produced conclusive results that would inform next steps for intervention. The final stage of the project was a pilot study in which interventions informed by assessment outcomes were systematically evaluated via experimental single case designs. The purpose of the pilot study was to evaluate whether practitioners' use of the fully developed decision tool showed promise for producing interpretable outcomes that could be further validated by results of function-based interventions.
Career plan
Through a career development plan, the PI established connections with national leaders in the study of emotional/behavioral disorders and multi-tiered systems of support and acquired advanced methodological training in areas relating to her program of research (e.g., nonparametric statistics, qualitative methods). These goals were accomplished by engaging in regular meetings with project mentors, seeking feedback from expert advisors on the program of research, participating in professional workshops, and auditing advanced methodological coursework.
Key outcomes
The main findings of this project, as reported by the principal investigator, are as follows:
- Results of the survey with school practitioners who participated in the FBA process showed that practitioners perceived three hypothesis testing strategies (functional analysis, antecedent analysis, choice analysis) to have utility; however, ratings of acceptability and feasibility favored the choice (concurrent operants) analysis over the functional and antecedent analysis (Lloyd et al., 2021).
- In piloting FBA Map with a series of practitioner teams, findings indicated that functional analysis was the most commonly indicated strategy (indicated for 8 of 12 teams). Results also indicated that FBA Map supported the selection and individualization of assessments that (a) prioritized safety and efficiency, (b) successfully confirmed one or more hypothesis on the first or second attempt, and (c) were perceived to be socially valid by practitioners directly involved in assessment planning and implementation (Lloyd et al., 2024).
- While most of the social validity data indicated positive views of FBA Map, results also revealed that a subset of participating practitioners did not feel equipped to complete a similar assessment process without the supports provided by the research team, indicating important next steps for training and technical assistance work in this area (Lloyd et al., 2024).
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Select publications:
Lloyd, B. P., Randall, K. R., Weaver, E. S., Staubitz, J. L., & Parikh, N. (2020). An Initial Evaluation of a Concurrent Operant Analysis Framework to Identify Reinforcers for Work Completion. Behavioral Disorders, 45(2): 85–102. doi:10.1177/0198742919837647
Lloyd, B. P., Torelli, J. N., & Pollack, M. S. (2021). Practitioner Perspectives on Hypothesis Testing Strategies in the Context of Functional Behavior Assessment. Journal of Behavioral Education, 30(3): 417–443. doi:10.1007/s10864-020-09384-4
Lloyd, B. P., Torelli, J. N., Pollack, M. S., Weaver, E. S. (2024). Piloting a Decision Tool to Guide Individualized Hypothesis Testing for Students with Severe and Complex Challenging Behavior. Journal of Behavioral Education, 33(1), 208-232.
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