A survey of functional behavior assessment methods used by behavior analysts in practice.
Most BCBAs rarely run functional analyses despite being trained to do so—rely on descriptive assessments instead.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Schaaf et al. (2015) emailed a short survey to certified behavior analysts.
They asked which tools the BCBAs actually use to find why problem behavior happens.
The reply list showed descriptive check-ups and parent-teacher forms, not full functional analyses.
What they found
Most BCBAs learned how to run an experimental functional analysis in class.
In real clinics and schools they skip it.
They pick quicker, non-experimental tools instead.
How this fits with other research
Goodwin et al. (2012) and Reid et al. (1999) show the QABF parent form is the best-studied shortcut.
C et al. found that same form tops the real-world list, so the field already voted with its feet.
Lancioni et al. (2008) give a reason for the dodge: when BCBAs do graph FA data, different people see different trends.
Low agreement scares clinicians, so they stay with the simpler QABF and MAS even though Chiviacowsky et al. (2013) warn those scales can miss the real function.
Why it matters
You were taught the FA is the gold standard, yet this survey shows most peers sidestep it.
If time, staffing, or scary graphs block you, borrow a page from the majority and start with a brief QABF or ABC narrative.
Collect a few days of data, then run a short, single-function test only if results stay muddy.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Start your next case with a five-minute QABF, then decide if you need a full FA.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
To gather information about the functional behavior assessment (FBA) methods behavior analysts use in practice, we sent a web-based survey to 12,431 behavior analysts certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Ultimately, 724 surveys were returned, with the results suggesting that most respondents regularly use FBA methods, especially descriptive assessments. Moreover, the data suggest that the majority of students are being formally taught about the various FBA methods and that educators are emphasizing the range of FBA methods in their teaching. However, less than half of the respondents reported using functional analyses in practice, although many considered descriptive assessments and functional analyses to be the most useful FBA methods. Most respondents reported using informant and descriptive assessments more frequently than functional analyses, and a majority of respondents indicated that they "never" or "almost never" used functional analyses to identify the function of behavior.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2015 · doi:10.1002/jaba.256