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Does your child get into trouble in class? Are trips to the principal’s office common but unproductive? If so, you might be curious about new ways to address your child’s behavior. It may be time to ask the school to conduct a functional assessment, also known as a functional behavior assessment (FBA).What a Functional Assessment A functional assessment is an approach to figuring out why your child acts a certain way. It uses a variety of techniques to understand what’s behind inappropriate behaviors. This includes looking at non-academic factors that might be contributing to your child’s frustration with learning.Knowing what’s behind inappropriate behavior can help you and the school find ways to change the behavior. The basic idea behind this approach is that your child’s behavior serves a purpose. Whether he’s aware of it or not, your child acts a certain way to get to a desired outcome or goal.For example, perhaps your child has a hard time showing his work on math problems. In math class, he gets angry, crumples up the paper and is disruptive. He’s sent to the principal’s office.The behavior isn’t appropriate, but it served its purpose. Your child managed to avoid doing the work that was frustrating him. He may not know that was his goal, but he found a way to deal with the math that was causing him stress.A key part of a functional assessment is figuring out what triggers certain behaviors in your child at home, in school and with friends. Sometimes parents and teachers assume they know what’s causing a child’s behavior because they’ve seen other children do similar things. But it’s important to remember that the causes for the same behavior can vary widely among children.The Functional Assessment TeamAssessment is a team effort. Each team member sees your child from a different perspective. Everyone works together to figure out what’s going on with your child’s behavior.The assessment team varies from school to school. It typically includes a person with specialized training, such as a school psychologist or behavior specialist. That professional helps to gather information. She interviews people who know and work with your child. She will also speak with your child and do some screenings or assessments.A functional assessment team might also include:General education teachersSpecial education teachersProfessionals who work with your child (counselors and speech therapists, for example)School administratorsParents and caregiversYour childDuring a functional assessment, the team gathers information and uses it to create a plan to help your child behave in more appropriate ways. Here are the steps the team takes.Where is this behavior happening?Where is it not happening?How often is the behavior occurring?Who is around when it occurs?What tends to happen right before and right after the behavior?What is a more acceptable behavior that can be used as a replacement?LikeCommentShare