Thinking About FBA

By Tim Peerenboom, SSPW School Psychology Consultant, Eva Shaw, SPED Autism and Emotional Behavioral Disability Consultant and Marge Resan, SPED IDEA Complaint and Compliance Consultant

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) is a very common term in the field of education, particularly special education. While FBA is often considered a “gold standard” process for addressing behavioral challenges that a student may face, it is also complex. When should we conduct an FBA? Who is involved in the assessment? What do we do with the results of the FBA? Answers to these questions and more can be found in the recently published Information Update Bulletin 23.01: Providing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports to Students with Disabilities and Use of Functional Behavioral Assessments. This brief article will provide a few additional tips and resources for school and district leaders to consider when implementing systems level strategies to support students who experience behavioral challenges.

It is still early in the school year, which means there is time to plan and prepare for students whose behavior may challenge us as educators. There are many cliches and catch phrases that reflect the idea that the best way to deal with undesired behaviors is to prevent them from happening in the first place. That is achieved, first and foremost, by building Strong and Healthy Relationships with students. And while systems strategies such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, and Social and Emotional Learning also can have an impact on preventing challenging behaviors from occurring, they are not likely to change student behavior unless the school staff members implementing them have the right mindsets and approach within those systems strategies.

Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect system (in fact, that is why the mindsets and approaches of the adults within the system are so important). Children by their very nature can be impulsive, struggle with executive functioning, and will make mistakes. So, there will be times when a FBA is appropriate or even necessary. In Wisconsin, an FBA is required in two specific circumstances. When a manifestation determination is conducted and the student's behavior is found to be a manifestation of the student's disability, an FBA is required, unless one had previously been conducted. An FBA is also required the second time seclusion or restraint is used on a student with an individualized education program (IEP) in the same school year unless an FBA addressing the behavior of concern has previously been conducted. 34 CFR § 300.530(f)(1)(i). Wis. Stat. § 118.305(5).

There may be other times when an FBA is not required but may be helpful to an IEP team in meeting a student’s disability-related needs. One way to think about when an FBA may be appropriate is to think about times when a student’s access to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is “threatened.” Educators and educational leaders can often see this threat coming. These are leaders who can see the early warning signs. For example, the law does not require IEP teams to wait until the second seclusion or restraint to conduct an FBA. They could act early, following the first time a student is subjected to seclusion or physical restraint. IEP teams do not have to wait until the student nears or reaches a disciplinary change of placement, they could initiate a comprehensive special education reevaluation that includes an FBA following any exclusionary disciplinary action (suspension, removal from classroom, etc.). Other warning signs may include an IEP team considering a shortened school day or considering a more restrictive placement that removes the student from their general education peers.

Waiting to conduct an FBA until one is legally required can have other detrimental impacts. The first and most obvious impact is that the student’s relationship with school and school staff may have already been damaged. The same may be true for the relationships with the student’s parent(s) or caregiver(s). Manifestation Determinations, seclusion and restraint, and disciplinary change of placements are always stressful and often contentious. Proactively addressing behaviors helps build strong relationships on the front end, and working to understand behaviors early assists school staff, students, and families to collaborate and lead to more positive outcomes for students. For additional resources for educators see Wisconsin DPI Inclusive Strategies to Address Behavioral Needs of Students with IEPs.