Functional Assessment of Behavioral Disturbances Related to Diagnostic Features of ASD

“Functional Assessment refers to a variety of data collection, analysis and interpretive procedures that vary widely with regard to the procedural detail but share the same goal of producing a hypothesis about what evokes and reinforces occurrences of problem behavior.”

Iser DeLeon, PhD, BCBA 

Abstract

At the heart of what we do as behavior analysts is prediction and control of behavior. Determining the function of behavior is the first step toward prediction and control. Functional Assessment is the means behavior analysts use to determine the function of behavior. In his Continuing Education course, Iser DeLeon provides an in-depth look at Functional Assessment. He clearly defines the process and the procedure while providing tools and personal experiences as a guide along the way. On one level, you have interviews and on another you have direct observation. Within direct observation, you can do descriptive assessment, functional analysis or a hybrid called a structured descriptive assessment. These assessments can be used creatively to provide informative results on a wide range of behavioral concerns across populations. The interactions between core diagnostic features of ASD and the environment can inform treatment and outcomes. Those interactions as it turns out, are studied in much the same way behavior analysts study the function of other problem behavior. Dr. DeLeon shows us what we can do better to be better clinicians for our clients.

Learning Objectives

What you’ll learn in the course and be able to do afterward

1. Briefly review functional assessment methodologies.
2. Compare outcomes of aggregate results of functional assessment experiments involving persons with and without ASD.
3. Review studies in which core diagnostic features of ASD were the focus of investigation.
4. Understand how core diagnostic features of ASD can interact with aspects of the environment to give rise to severe problem behavior.
5. Learn additional ways in which these interactions may occur that have not fully been considered in the treatment literature.
6. Discuss the use of a lenient criterion (20 km/hr over the speed limit) versus the use of a stringent criterion (10 km/hr over the speed limit) and the effects on drivers speeding.

Partnership

This course is delivered through Florida Tech. Clicking "Enroll Now" will take you to Florida Tech’s website where you can Add to Cart, Checkout, and complete the course. Come back to our website for podcasts, blogs, courses, and content.