Posted: February 10th, 2015

Interpreting and Translating FBA Information.

Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements

This is a Masters of Special Education course. It focuses on effective practices and methods used to support, manage, teach, and otherwise facilitate positive outcomes for children and youth with behavior, social, and emotional problems. Course goals are educator-oriented knowledge and skills required to address the prevention and intervention needs of students with a broad range of behavioral, social, and emotional disorders and disabilities. SPED 843 also addresses knowledge and skills needed to collaborate with mental health professionals, parents and families, and other stakeholders. Classwork focuses on literature, research-based intervention approaches, and casework illustrates specific approaches and programs.

Assignment on Interpreting and Translating FBA Information.

Instructions:
Read the case study information below and use it to complete the questions that follow.

– Sarah is a 10-year-old girl in fourth grade. Her parents are divorced and she has two siblings: A brother who is 16 and a younger sister who is 8.

– Sarah has been evaluated and determined to have a mild learning disability. She has dyslexia and is currently passing reading and writing with 70% accuracy. She has the support of a para-educator for two hours each day during reading and writing.

– She was also evaluated at the local hospital and found to have obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, and ADHD. She is prescribed medication to combat these; she also sees a therapist who specializes in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) twice a month.

– Sarah really likes art and music. She is in her school’s choir and plans to join the marching band when she is in middle school. She also likes math and science. She really likes watching Bill Nye the Science Guy and often watches the same episode multiple times.

– She is very outgoing, although she is beginning to get more and more ostracized by her peers for her behaviors.

– Sarah is obsessed with the trumpet and often pretends to play one during transitions. She is also obsessed with Bill Nye the Science Guy and Neil Degrasse Tyson. She often repeats a phrase that she has heard one of them say over and over.

– Ms. Mahal, Sarah’s teacher, is most concerned about Sarah’s tendency to blurt out an answer in class. She doesn’t wait to be called upon and doesn’t raise her hand. Many times what she blurts out isn’t related to the content Ms. Mahal is teaching.

– After interviewing Ms. Mahal, you find out more about the target behavior, blurting. Ms. Mahal describes the behavior as talking out of turn without being called upon. She says that this is a frequent occurrence in her class and it is distracting for other students.

– Ms. Mahal notes that Sarah’s parents divorced last year and she thinks that some of the blurting behavior might be due to stress from home.

– The problem behavior questionnaire and the motivational assessment scales were recently completed. Scores are high in attention from peers and adults, as well as for escape. Tangible was the next highest score.

Sarah’s Scatter Plot and ABC Chart Data (I will upload it)

Based on the data provided:

1.) Identify and operationalize a target behavior.

2.) Give a brief synopsis of possible motivational factors that may be causing or contributing to Sarah’s problem behaviors.

3.) Give a brief synopsis of the antecedent factors that may be causing or contributing to Sarah’s problem behaviors.

4.) Related to the above information and data, formulate one or more possible hypotheses for explaining Sarah’s problem behaviors.

5.) Briefly describe a plan for testing for one of the hypotheses you identified.

6.) Based on the above, briefly describe a possible intervention program for Sarah.

Guidelines:

– Your assignment should be between two to three pages in length.

– Please only use the article ‘The Future of Functional Behavioral Assessment in School Settings’ I uploaded for you’re use as the only Sources/References.