Developing Functional Behavior Assessment Maps for Students with Persistent Challenging Behavior: A Guiding Framework for Practitioners

The PI will develop the FBA-MAP and accompanying training manual in three phases, followed by a pilot study to examine the promise of the intervention. In Phase 1, the PI will develop an initial version of the FBA-MAP. To inform this development, practitioners (i.e., behavior specialists, special educators) will be recruited from school districts across three states to complete a survey on their perceptions of the different hypothesis testing strategies. In Phase 2, behavior specialists will help evaluate the usability of the FBA-MAP by participating in training and practice, being assessed on their accuracy and appropriateness of hypothesis testing methods, and providing feedback on strengths and weaknesses of the FBA-MAP. In Phase 3, the PI will evaluate the utility of the revised FBA-MAP in matching hypothesis testing strategies to individual student and classroom profiles and the feasibility of hypothesis-testing implementation in authentic education settings. Students with persistent challenging behavior will be recruited for participation along with a practitioner pair (i.e., one behavior specialist and one special or general education teacher who supports the student) for each student. An alternating treatments design will be used to examine student behavior and practitioner fidelity. Following refinements based on Phase 3 results, the PI will conduct a pilot study using a series of A-B-A-B single-case design studies to evaluate whether practitioners' use of the fully-developed FBA-MAP and accompanying training manual has the promise of leading to accurate assessment of behavior function for students with or at risk for disabilities with persistent challenging behavior.