OPAL (5 Feb 2023) Functional Behaviour Assessment

An OPAL course: SEN:se Online PD Unit 4.1

I wonder: What is "Functional" behaviour? What does it mean, and what has it got do with managing situations arises in the classroom?

Indeed, it's my understanding of the word "Functional".

After attending the online module,

I understand: 

The word "functional" seems to inform what is the "function' of the behaviour we see 

i.e. what the children intends to achieve through demonstrating a certain behaviour

Based on this - what the module intends to achieve: 

Helping us, the adult learner to understand what's was the intent behind the behaviour

e.g. what the child hopes to that, through demonstrating this behaviour, it will make the adult to respond in a certain manner to meet his/ her need. [wow! sounds like using behaviour to manipulate responses to meet one's needs 😱]

Through understanding this not-so-simple psychic behind, we are better prepared to manage this (and prob not fall into the "trap" to make things worse. It also means, it helps us better understand why the child behaves in a certain manner and better address his/ her needs, and hopefully helping him/ her to overcome his/ her fear, anxiety, discomfort, etc.. that could possibly hinder them from moving on. 

It's NOT so much of 知己知陂; but to enable use to 对症下药💉 

The 4 steps are systematic and logical:

Step 1: Systematically identify and understand the behaviour of the student

• The observable behaviour, which we need to be able to describe clearly. Indeed, it's a skill, which we normally 'summarise' rather than to make it descriptive, which is is necessary to be helpful for diagnosis.

Step 2: Collect and Analyse Info of the Behaviour

• This helps us to understand the cause, which includes what happens before, during and after - being observant not just on the 'subject' (child), but also its environment, and the people around (and what they do)
• What could be the triggers - which is very helpful to pre-empt and prevent the undesirable behaviour

• ANTECEDENT (a thing that existed before or logically precedes another): Environment, Triggers
• BEHAVIOUR: Intensity, Duration, Frequency
• CONSEQUENCE: Responses from child and others

Step 3: Identify reasons of the behaviour

• Indeed, this is where the blackbox "mystery" unveils - to diagnose the cause in order to be able to 对症下药 - identify and prescribe the most suitable strategy to manage or change the behaviour

• SENSORY NEEDS: What makes one feels/ looks/ sounds/ smells/ tastes good?
• e.g. when walking around helps to dispel pent up energy; rocking chair
• ESCAPE: To stop an undesirable behaviour or interaction that the child does not like to be engaged in (from child's perspective)
• e.g. Being rude to the teachers so that he would be sent out of class and need not attend to a task
• ATTENTION: Hence, the behaviour that the child exhibits to create/ elicit a positive or negative reaction from others (e.g. Teachers, Peers) 
• e.g. clowning around, repeatedly asking question 
• TANGIBLE: To provide access to a desired item/ activity, teh child will do something to create a response
• e.g. Throwing tantrums, time on the mobile phone, crying to get a toy

Step 4: Apply appropriate strategy to correct problem behaviour

Targeted strategies were suggested for each general type of reasons... though not exhaustive:

• SENSORY NEEDS: 
• Replace a behaviour with a more appropriate skills
• Scaffolds seems to be one way to help the child to gradually get phased into action, more importantly, I think it is to let him/ her know that it is manageable and there is really a way to achieve it. 
• ESCAPE: 
• Teach child to ask for a break, if needed
• Offer choices within the work goal
• I also like the reminder that it should not be removing the task totally, which means compromising the learning objective (from the teacher's perspective). Hence, it should not be a win-lose kind of situation.
• ATTENTION: 
• Teach appropriate replacement behaviour or skill (e.g. raise hand, ask for help)
• [IMPORTANT] Ignore inappropriate behaviour; give attention fo appropriate behaviour
• Praise others for demonstrating the appropriate behaviour (proximal praise)
• Quite like this... is not to reject a behaviour directly, but to re-direct attention so that child learns "how" to get the attention he desires in an appropriate way by looking at how others achieve the same intent.
• TANGIBLE:
• Teach communication skills (e..g requesting)
• Teach waiting
• Token economies - e.g. Group point, star chart - something that the child sees himself making progress

On the whole, the module puts together what we know (but sometimes forget to practise) very succinctly. 

• Some strategies (or to-dos) seem generic, but when packed together, they make sense to provide support in a more targeted manner.
• It reminds me of some things that I can do with some of the kids in the class. 
• On the other hand, just thinking aloud:
• It seems more feasible to be applied to students new to the environment (at the start of the year) rather than half way through the year, though possible, but probably requires more effort to undo/ address certain perception that the child might have already created (mindset).