Functional Behavioral Assessment (Secondary): Identifying the Reasons for Student Behavior

Transcript: Challenge

Functional Behavioral Assessment (Secondary): Identifying the Reasons for Student Behavior

Tasha is a quiet tenth grader who primarily keeps to herself, except in band class where she is the first-chair violinist. Recently, her grades have started declining because she doesn’t turn in assignments or participate in class. Tasha’s history teacher describes her as defiant but never rude or physical. She just consistently finds ways to avoid doing classwork. Tasha’s English teacher agrees that she is regularly off task, taking an unusually long time to get out materials or pretending to work on her laptop while playing games. Sometimes she will put her head down and scroll on her phone, which she tries to hide under her desk. During group activities, Tasha frequently appears disengaged and her peers tend to do most or all of the work. Interestingly, Tasha’s math teacher notes that although she is quiet and not particularly engaged, Tasha completes her assignments and is doing well. Tasha’s history and English teachers share that they have tried using redirection and prompts, but Tasha simply nods or says things like “I know, I’m about to start” without initiating the task. Multiple redirections cause her behavior to escalate. She goes from playing with materials to putting her head down to shouting “I just need a break!” and storming out of the classroom. This has been happening more often lately and creates a safety concern when they don’t know her whereabouts. Tasha’s teachers are at their wits’ end and indicate she is likely to fail English, history, and chemistry because she is not doing any of the assignments.

Seventh-grade Isaiah is a social butterfly who has many friends and enjoys reading fiction and writing his own stories. Isaiah has an intellectual disability and spends part of his day in a classroom for students with disabilities, where he receives intensive reading and math interventions. He attends general education science and social studies classes with the support of a paraeducator and goes to art, PE, and lunch with his seventh-grade peers. Although Isaiah generally enjoys school and is motivated to work hard, his general education teachers report that he can be physically aggressive—especially when he has to stop a preferred activity like writing, drawing, or working on the computer. On several occasions, he has slammed his hands on his desk repeatedly, pushed materials off a table, and kicked at walls or chairs. Isaiah’s special education teacher and paraeducator have worked with him on coping strategies, including deep breathing exercises and counting to 10, but Isaiah does not consistently apply these in the moment. His paraeducator often recognizes signs that Isaiah is becoming distressed, such as fidgeting or balling up his fists, and will offer Isaiah the opportunity to take a short break. Unfortunately, Isaiah rarely takes this suggestion. His teachers typically try to ignore the behavior and continue to work with the rest of the class. Although the paraeducator can usually help Isaiah get back on task, it tends to take time and causes him to miss important instruction. Isaiah’s general education teachers are struggling with the disruptions to the learning environment caused by his behavior. His IEP team is also concerned about Isaiah’s dependency on the paraeducator as he gets older.

Here’s your challenge:

Why do students engage in certain behaviors?

How can educators determine why students are engaging in these behaviors?