Functional Assessments

Functional assessments are efficient if the test and control condition include the
dependent variable, confounding variables, and the treatment or independent variable (Iwata &
Dozier, 2008). A confounding variable that would be responsible for the maintenance of
behavior targeted for reduction would be a child’s past experiences. For instance, a child with the
oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) could be aggressive because he was abused and neglected
as a child. The parental neglect and abuse, in this case, would be the confounding variable that
will affect the successful reduction of a targeted behavior and possible maintenance of the
desired behavior.
I would design test and control conditions and target a challenging behavior, each at a
time. I would start with violence. Each day the child spends with peers without engaging in
violent behavior, they receive a reward. The reward will act as a positive reinforcement to
encourage desirable behavior and suppress the undesirable one. Controlling the problem
behavior is key in functional assessment (Hanley, 2012). Thus, I would control the different
variables to ensure that the problem behavior is reduced. I would interact with the child to get the
reason behind their defiance. The aim will be to ensure that the defiance is not associated with
other factors in the immediate environment, and the confounding variable could thus be
responsible for the child’s aggression.
One of the challenges that I would encounter is that the child has already gone through
the abuse. It is an act that is in their past and thus no possibility to measure. Even if I eliminate
the possibility of other factors in the immediate environment to cause the behavior, it is still not
easy to identify with certainty that the child’s behavior is associated with their past encounters. I
would overcome this barrier by observing and controlling the variables for a prolonged period of

time. Another barrier that I am likely to encounter is that the child may not provide any
substantial information to help in identifying a connection between their past experiences and
current behavior. I would overcome this barrier by analyzing the child’s history and talking to
parents to understand the changes in behavior.

References

Hanley, G. P. (2012). Functional assessment of problem behavior: Dispelling myths, overcoming
implementation obstacles, and developing new lore. Behavior Analysis in Practice,
5, 54–72.
Iwata, B. A., & Dozier, C. L. (2008). Clinical application of functional analysis methodology.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 1 (1), 3–9.