Behaviors and corresponding functions addressed via functional assessment.
Across 173 studies, attention and escape still head the list of functions for SIB and aggression.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors read 173 papers that used functional assessment. They wrote down every behavior that was tested and every function that was found.
They wanted to see which behaviors are checked most often and which reinforcers usually show up.
What they found
Self-injury and aggression were the top two behaviors people studied. Attention and escape were the functions listed most often.
The review does not say if one function beats the others; it only counts how many times each one was named.
How this fits with other research
Weber et al. (2024) looked at a fresh clinic sample and still saw the same pattern: escape and attention come up first.
Coffey et al. (2021) and Sawyer et al. (2014) moved past counting and showed full FBA-to-treatment packages that work, proving the functions are worth finding.
Pettingell et al. (2022) stretched the idea further by using FBA on sleep problems, a topography the 2011 set barely touched.
Why it matters
When you start an FBA, expect to test escape and attention first for SIB or aggression. If results are muddy, keep probing—later work shows extra conditions or longer sessions often clear things up. Use the same logic for new topographies like sleep or food refusal.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
One-hundred seventy-three studies that employed functional assessment were evaluated with respect to types of challenging behaviors studied and the functions identified that maintained those behaviors. For most studies, two to three behaviors were targeted. Of the 38 different challenging behaviors identified, self-injurious behavior (SIB) and aggression were by far the most studied. Other commonly studied behaviors were tantrums, stereotypies, property destruction, bizarre/inappropriate speech/vocalizations, and disruptive behaviors. The most commonly identified functions for both SIB and aggressions were attention and escape/demands. The implications of these and other data complied on target behaviors and maintaining variables are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.12.011