FUNCTION BASED ASSESSMENT & BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION

Jeremiah Clark EDUC 4540 Dr. Melina Alexander

Subject Information
Alondra is a 7th grade student
She reads at a 6th grade level She is on an IEP for a specific learning disability The primary language spoken at home is Spanish. She is very social and funny

Target Behavior
Alondra will enter the classroom ready to learn. Looks Like/Sounds Like: The student will enter the class with no verbal or other disruptive expression such as slamming materials onto the desk, yelling, or conversing with other students. They will go directly to their assigned seat without going to front of the room or hanging at the back of the room. They will be seated before the bell rings. They will begin the bell ringer activity as written on the board without speaking, raising their hand, or other signaling behaviors such as pencil tapping or other mouth noises. When the student completes the task they will wait for further instruction without speaking, raising their hand, or other signaling behaviors such as pencil tapping or other mouth noises.

Assessments Conducted
Direct Observation Momentary Time Sampling
During the first 6 minutes of class, each minute a tally will be marked if

one of the behaviors is occurring (verbalizing, out of seat, off task).

ABC Analysis

Indirect Observation The special education director interviewed Mr. Clark to determine what possible functions of the behavior might be.

Hypothesis
Function of the behavior
Primarily to gain peer attention Secondarily to avoid the task The student does not appear to be motivated by teacher approval

and tangibles (candy) have not maintained the on-task behavior.

Function-based Intervention

Alondras behavior has inhibited her progress in

increasing her reading speed. By decreasing the unwanted behaviors she will be more successful in increasing her reading skills which will help boost her performance in other classes.

Research Design & Condition of the Study

A-B Design Single Baseline The educational setting is a highly structured middle

school. The intervention will be implemented in a small group focusing on reading for students whose reading speed is below grade level.

Intervention Procedures
The other students in the class will be trained to avoid

providing the wanted attention to the subject student. When the desired behavior is observed:
The student will be given positive praise. The student will be given tangible rewards (edibles).

For 6 minutes of on task behavior at the beginning of class, the

student will receive 5 minutes of free time at the end of class.

When the unwanted behavior is observed: The student will be given 2 reminders On the 3rd instance of the behavior the student will be asked to leave the class.

Results
Base Line

Intervention

Although the behavior still occurs, it has decreased. The intervention will be continued and evaluated based on future data. Average Average Line Line

Discussion
Without the other students help this intervention would have been

more difficult. Have you encountered an attention seeking behavior where the peers were also part of the problem?
Alondras challenge was self-control. Her peers modeling some self-

control may have helped her. What do you think?

During the intervention Alondra expressed that she wanted to avoid

reading because it was difficult and talking to her friends was more fun. If I had interviewed her before the intervention, this would have been helpful. We have given her some 1 on 1 reading support and she has found some success which has caused her to be more motivated to work in class. This showed me how important it is to identify the true function of the behavior. Would you have approached this target behavior similarly or differently?