Functional Behavioral Assessment Report for Johnny Graham
Using one of the following referral case studies, develop and outline a comprehensive Functional Behavioral Assessment Report. The specific objective of your Functional Behavioral Assessment Report is to demonstrate synthesis of the course material related to FBA’s as they have been presented in the course. The FBA Report should be specifically related to only one of the following case scenarios.
Choose ONE of the following case scenarios for your Assignment:
A third-grade student in a public elementary school has been referred for behavior problems continuously for the past three months. This student is demonstrating consistently disruptive behaviors in this classroom and in other settings within the school (lunch, recess, specials, etc.). Disruptive behaviors have been termed “aggressive” and “non-compliant” by school staff.
Johnny is a six-year-old child with autism. His communication skills are significantly deficient, and he demonstrates a wide variety of problem behaviors. Most concerning is the tendency for him to demonstrate self-injurious behavior that has recently increased in frequency and intensity. An emergency room visit was necessitated by a recent incident of this behavior. Some of Johnny's more intense characteristics related to autism spectrum disorders include repetitive and ritualistic behavior patterns and an apparent need to collect and acquire a variety of specific tangible items, such as Hot Wheels cars and Legos. Johnny is generally only “well behaved” when access to these items is free and frequent.
Assignment Expectations
Utilize the Unit 9 Assignment Template as a model for your report.
At a minimum, your FBA Report must include discussion of the required components as reviewed at the beginning of Chapter 13.
For each of those components, you should include specific details as they relate to the referral scenario you are addressing. Details would include descriptions of the assessment tools, forms, and procedures that would have been implemented.
It is not necessary to report actual scores or responses of completed assessment forms and tools, but you should include some detailed information that could have been gained by utilizing such tools and procedures within the context of the case scenario you are working on. DO NOT simply list items.
It is not necessary, nor appropriate, to include ALL of the assessment tools, forms, and procedures reviewed in the course. Be judicious in your choices and make good clinical decisions on what assessment procedures you are including.
Develop hypotheses related to the function of the target behavior based on fictional specifics of the tools and procedures you have described in your report.
All tools, forms, and procedures reviewed in Units 1–9 should be considered when developing the components to be included in your FBA Report, but, as stated above, it is not necessary to include all of them.
It is expected that you will need to demonstrate “creativity” and/or “dramatic license” when outlining the steps of the Functional Behavioral Assessment.
Functional Behavioral Assessment Report for Johnny Graham
Student Name
Department of Psychology, Purdue University Global
PS410 – Screening and Assessment
Instructor Name
Date
Functional Behavioral Assessment Report for Johnny Graham
Identifying Information
Name of Client: Johnny Graham
Date of Birth: July 3rd, 2016
Age: 7 Years
Gender: Male
Parents' Name: Annabel and Billy Graham
School: Bellevue Middle School
Residence: Gallifrey, CA.
Date of Report: March 12th, 2023
Reasons for Referral
Johnny Graham (JG) was referred for a functional behavioral assessment by Bellevue Middle School chief medical officer Dr. Stones at the behest of JG's parents. In his report, Dr. Stones stated that teachers and parents visited him to discuss JG's problematic behavior resulting from his diagnosed autism. According to the report, JG's communication skills are significantly deficient, leading to a demonstration of a wide variety of interfering behaviors. The most concerning and repetitive behavior demonstrated by JG is his tendency for injurious impulses. The problem with this behavior is that, in recent days, the frequency and intensity have increased. For instance, there are times when JG headbutts the wall repeatedly. At first, it starts as a play where the force is not alerting. However, there are times when the force he uses causes alarm among his peers and the teachers. The most recent incident caused Johnny to pass out (ruled as a concussion) with a bleeding cut on the forehead, which led to an emergency room visit. Other more intense characteristics of JG's behavior include repetitive and ritualistic patterns marked by an apparent and irresistible need to call specific tangible items like Legos and Hot Wheels. When denied these items or he can't find them, JG becomes frustrated, leading to the headbutts described. It seems JG is generally 'well behaved' when there is free and frequent access to these items. His parents expressed concern that these behaviors have intensified in the last three months. They are afraid to leave him alone because of his unpredictability. More concerning is that he can change abruptly from being playful or attentive to anger, leading him to headbutt the wall. Furthermore, his working parents are afraid to leave him in a daycare or with a babysitter because they may not understand him and provide him with the attention he deserves.
Relevant Background Information
Generally, JG is a dull 7-year-old who likes to be left alone. He likes building with LEGO Bricks, jumping on the trampoline, playing games on his parents' phones or iPad, and just watching. The things he likes watching, based on observation by his parents and teachers, include crawling insects, birds, and people's lips when talking. As the last born in a family of four siblings, JG can be involved in conversations though he shows a short attention span when listening. When he demands items or activities, he uses forceful and sometimes obtuse language that suggests he is not polite. According to Annabelle, the mother, JG hardly asks for help and often throws tantrums if help is offered or if an adult interferes with his private space. Further, Annabelle reported that she did not have difficulties during her pregnancy, and there was no complication at birth except that it took a while for JG to cry. JG also met his early development goals, including sitting, crawling, and walking just at the right time, like the rest of his siblings. Other areas like language and motor skills also developed according to the development goals of a healthy child.
Annebelle reported that the onset of JG's problematic behavior became apparent at the age of five. At the time, JG seemed not to have polite words in his vocabulary; he did not ask for things but demanded them. He never apologized when he crossed with his siblings, and even his parents asked him to. More interestingly, JG hardly cried whenever he was reprimanded or when he was in any trouble. He preferred to stay or play alone in the playfield and would not respond if others tried to engage him. This led to him not having friends, which was clear during his birthdays when it was difficult for his parents to convince his peers or neighbors to come. With time, his temper tantrums intensified, especially when he was denied something he demanded. Sometimes, he could knock things out of his way or throw things at the wall if they were in his tiny hands. When there was nothing to knock or throw, he could repeatedly face the wall and headbutt it as he continued to demand.
When Anabelle and Billy visited the pediatrician for the first time, they were advised that JG's behavior should be expected, considering he was already diagnosed with autism. They were advised to remain vigilant with the behavior and ensure his surroundings were safe. However, keeping his environment safe implied moving away things he could through or knock over whenever he had a temper. But this move seemed to encourage another behavior in which he started collecting specific tangible items. When the parents revisited the pediatrician, they were advised to seek the help of a behavioral analyst so that they could come up with better strategies to help JG. The pediatrician's goal was to see if the behavioral analyst could help the parents control JG's behavior before performing other evaluations and placing the boy on pharmacological prescriptions.
Based on discussions with JG's parents, it was determined that several assessments would be conducted to best profile the function of the boy's behavior. In essence, the behavioral analyst would deploy various strategies to gather relevant information that would shape this profile. The shaping of the behavioral profile is key because it would inform how the parents and teachers would best approach JG's problem and ensure that he remains active in an inclusive environment such as the classroom and the playfield. More importantly, this profile could help prevent JG from hurting himself.
Description of Evaluation Procedures
Indirect Functional Behavioral Assessment
Indirect functional behavior assessments refer to procedures used to gather data and information on antecedents and consequences by applying indirect data collection methods like interviews, screening of current reports or forms, and reviewing existing records (Steege, Pratt, Wickerd, Guare, & Watson, 2019). Indirect assessment tools are important because the outcomes inform the best approaches to direct assessment methods. Information gathered from these tools is also important because it lays the ground for developing hypotheses on the function of behavior. In the case of JG, interviews, review of records, and the Functional Behavior Assessment Screening Form (FBASF) are the three indirect tools used for assessment.
Interviews
The first set of interviews involved three of JG's teachers; the class teacher, the math teacher, and the PE teacher, and was conducted on April 6th, 2023. The three provided information on JG's current and historical behavior, including specific examples of behavior. The teachers described JG as a pleasant and happy boy whenever he is in a good mood. However, whenever irritated, he demanded things with rather direct and obtuse, almost borderline rude language. He could erupt into tantrums unpredictably; his go-to behavior was to headbutt a wall. As reported by teachers, this behavior occurred almost daily or three times a week on average. According to his PE teacher, JG does not like playing with other students. The class teacher reported that he gets easily irritated in activities like group work, and the math teacher, even though he reported that JG was excellent in math, the boy distasted discussions or answering questions in class. Sometimes during class, JG could wander off playing with his collection of LEGO bricks. Taking away the bricks often resulted in the boy headbutting the wall.
JG's parents reiterated the teachers' observation of the boy's behavior when he is not irritated. However, their concern heightened when, after taking out loose objects from his room, he began collecting specific items like LEGO bricks as a replacement. He would be even more irritated with intensified tantrums whenever the parents attempted to take these away. Because of his obtuse language, his siblings struggle to bond with him. There are days, particularly weekends, when he hardly talks to someone except when he needs something. When the family is having a conversation over dinner, JG prefers to look at people's lips and walk away when he gets tired or bored.
Review of Records
According to school records, Dr. Stones received evaluations in 2022 to determine whether JG could qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). A school counselor and speech-language pathologist...