Functional behavior assessment (FBA) in school settings operates at the intersection of applied behavior analysis and federal education law, creating a unique practice context that many behavior analysts find challenging to navigate. When Board Certified Behavior Analysts work within public school systems, they must reconcile their training in behavior-analytic methodology with the specific procedural and legal requirements established by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
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Join Free →When applied behavior analysis (ABA) services are delivered as part of an Individualized Education Program (IEP), practitioners must comply with federal mandates established by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It is important to recognize that these mandates, particularly those related to functional behavior assessment (FBA), may be the basis for school Board-Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA) positions. This is because IDEA mandates the use of FBA when students engage in problem behavior at a level and rate that may necessitate a change in setting or result in suspension/expulsion. When conducting FBA in school settings, BCBAs sometimes encounter setting- and stakeholder-barriers to commonly accepted best-practice procedures for functional behavior assessment. This talk will provide an overview of historical and current federal mandates that affect ABA service delivery in publicly-funded elementary and secondary education settings in the United States, ethical considerations for service delivery in these settings, and recommendations for providing effective, ethical, comprehensive, and compliant behavior assessment in schools.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1.5 | Ethics |
| COA | 0 | — |
Maeve Donnelly is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at Northeastern University.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.