Before your child begins ABA therapy services at Behavior Frontiers, their Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) will complete a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA). If you're wondering what that is and why it’s important, you're in the right place.

Before we can help your child build new skills, we need to understand why certain behaviors are happening. An FBA acts as the foundation for understanding your child’s behavior and as a springboard for creating a more detailed and tailored behavior intervention plan.

In other words, it’s the starting point that gives us (and you) a clear picture of what's driving your child's behavior and how we can help them communicate better and navigate their world with more confidence.

Let's walk through what an FBA is, how it works, and why it's such an important first step in your child's journey.

First Off, What Are Functions of Behavior?

All behavior tells a story. And in order to understand FBAs, we need to understand functions of behavior (basically, why that behavior happens).

1. Escape or Avoidance

Escape or avoidant behaviors happen to escape or avoid an unwanted activity, situation, interaction, or stimulus.

Example: Let’s say every time you go shopping at the grocery store, your child screams to the point where you have to leave. From this, we can begin to hypothesize that your child is screaming to escape something they don’t like about the grocery store.

2. Attention

Attention-seeking behaviors are behaviors that happen in order to get attention from another person.

Example: Let’s say that whenever you’re talking on the phone or busy with a task, your child throws toys or knocks things off the table. This is a way for them to gain your attention, and therefore an attention-seeking behavior.

3. Access to Tangibles

This means a certain behavior happens in order to receive a specific item or activity.

Example: Let’s say your child throws himself onto the floor at the movie theater to get popcorn. He wants the popcorn, so he is performing a behavior that he believes will allow him to have popcorn.

4. Automatic Reinforcement

Automatic reinforcement means a behavior happens to provide a pleasing feeling or remove a non-pleasing feeling immediately.

Example: If a child scratches a bug bite, that behavior is automatically reinforced because scratching makes the bug bite less itchy.

What is a Functional Behavior Assessment?

A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a careful, data-driven process of observing and understanding behavior. During this assessment, we ask important questions like:

What's happening before the behavior?
What does the behavior look like?
What happens after?
What is the child trying to communicate or achieve?

Every behavior communicates an important message. An FBA helps us decode that message so we can give your child better tools to express their needs effectively.

An FBA Identifies the Root Cause

Think of an iceberg. Above the water, you can only see part of it. Surface behaviors like eloping, hitting, or having a tantrum are just the tip of it. Underneath, there is so much to understand, and it’s where the real answers are.

Functional behavior assessments go below the surface to understand behavior.

An FBA goes below the surface to gather useful, measurable information about behaviors. Yes, we're asking what is happening, but we’re also asking why. And once we can pinpoint the function of a behavior, it makes it so much easier to create a plan going forward.

Research consistently showcases the effectiveness of FBAs. When we understand the "why," we can teach replacement skills that serve the same purpose but work better for your child.

Three Types of FBAs

Every child is different, and so is every FBA. Your child's BCBA will thoughtfully choose the right approach - or combination of approaches - based on what will give us the clearest picture of your child’s behaviors and needs.

There are three main types of FBAs:

1. Indirect Assessment

This type involves gathering information without directly observing the behavior. It typically includes interviews with parents, teachers, and caregivers. These are people who know your child best and see patterns across different settings.

Indirect assessments are often a good starting point. They help us understand what behaviors are happening, when they tend to occur, and what you've noticed about triggers or patterns.

2. Direct Descriptive Assessment

This type allows the BCBA to observe and record what happens in real time. They're watching your child in their natural environment (at home, at the center, or in the community) and documenting what happens before, during, and after the behavior.

This is where the ABC model (antecedent, behavior, consequence) comes into play. Direct observation gives us concrete data to analyze and identify patterns.

3. Functional Analysis

This is the most time-intensive type of FBA. It involves manipulating variables in a controlled setting to test hypotheses about why a behavior is happening. For example, if we think a behavior is happening to escape a task, we might systematically present and remove tasks to see if the behavior changes.

Functional analysis provides the most precise data, but it's not always necessary. Your BCBA will determine which approach (or combination of approaches) is best for your child.

The ABC Model: The Foundation of Any FBA

No matter which type of assessment (or mix of assessments) is used, the ABC model is the heart of any FBA. It's a simple but powerful framework for understanding behavior:

A – Antecedent: What happens before the behavior? What's the setup? Is there a demand, a transition, a loud noise, or something else that seems to trigger the behavior?

B – Behavior: What does the child do? We describe it in clear, observable, and measurable terms.

C – Consequence: What happens after the behavior? Does the child get something they want? Do they avoid something they don't want? What's the payoff?

The ABC model is the foundation of any functional behavior assessment.

By looking at these three pieces together, patterns begin to emerge. And once we see the pattern, we can understand the function (the reason the behavior is happening).

For example:

Antecedent: It’s time for a child to enter the lunch room.
Behavior: The child runs away from the lunch room to a different location.
Consequence: A teacher or aide goes to find the child and eats lunch in a separate room with them.

From this pattern, we might hypothesize that the behavior is happening to escape the undesired sensory experience of the lunch room. And once we understand that, we can help the child find an alternate way to ask for a break or express that they need help.

FBAs Lead to Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs)

A Functional Behavior Assessment is the first building block of a Behavior Intervention Plan, or BIP. The FBA tells us why a behavior is happening. The BIP tells us what we're going to do about it.

Think of it this way: The FBA is the map that shows us where we are. The BIP is the roadmap that shows us where we're going and how we'll get there.

A BIP is a formal, personalized document that outlines:

The behavior we're addressing
Why it's happening (based on the FBA)
Proactive strategies to prevent the behavior
Replacement skills to teach
How we'll respond when the behavior occurs
How we'll track progress

All functional behavior assessments lead to BIPs (behavior intervention plans).

Without an FBA, a BIP wouldn’t be effective. But with the data and insights from an FBA, we can create a plan that's tailored to your child's unique needs and built on a solid understanding of what's driving their behavior.

Looking to Start ABA? The FBA Is the First Step

If you're considering ABA therapy for your child, the Functional Behavior Assessment is where the journey begins. It's the foundation that allows us to create a personalized plan designed around your child's unique needs, strengths, and challenges.

At Behavior Frontiers, every FBA is conducted by a licensed BCBA with expertise in behavior analysis. We take the time to gather data, observe patterns, and collaborate with families to create a plan that truly fits your child. And because we track progress in real time through our proprietary PrioraCare™ platform, we can adjust quickly as your child grows and learns.

Ready to take the first step? Reach out to us to get started! After a brief intake, you'll be connected with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) to begin your child's Functional Behavior Assessment and build a growth plan.

A Parent’s Guide to Functional Behavior Assessments