ABSTRACT
To date, only a limited number of studies have focused on functional assessment with typically developing populations. The most commonly reported method of functional assessment with this population seems to be descriptive assessment; however, the methods used in the descriptive assessment often are unclear. This is unfortunate as researchers and practitioners often are left with little guidance as to how to conduct a functional assessment with typically developing children. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the structured descriptive assessment (SDA) might be used with typically developing children. Four children with problem behavior participated in the study, and hypotheses about functional relations were developed for all children. Furthermore, efficacious interventions were developed and implemented for 2 children based on the results of the SDA.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/therapy , Child of Impaired Parents/psychology , Personality Assessment , Aggression/psychology , Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders/psychology , Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders/therapy , Bipolar Disorder/diagnosis , Bipolar Disorder/psychology , Bipolar Disorder/therapy , Child , Child Abuse/psychology , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child Day Care Centers , Child, Preschool , Comorbidity , Female , Humans , Male , Parent-Child Relations , Professional-Patient Relations , Risk Factors , Self-Injurious Behavior/diagnosis , Self-Injurious Behavior/psychology , Self-Injurious Behavior/therapy , SocializationABSTRACT
The analog functional analysis involves the manipulation of pre-determined antecedent and consequent events and typically is conducted by trained experimenters. Inclusion of idiosyncratic variables in the analog functional analysis may affect responding. Inclusion of caregivers is one potential antecedent that may affect problem behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of including caregivers in the analog. Four individuals with developmental disabilities and their caregivers served as participants. For 3 of 4 participants, different patterns of responding were observed when caregivers versus experimenters conducted the functional analysis.
