Functional behavioral assessment in the schools: The gap between legal mandates and best practices

The amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 mandated the use of functional behavioral assessments (FBA) to address the behavioral difficulties of students with disabilities in the school setting. However, the legislation failed to define the specific procedures to be included in the FBA. Thus, school districts were forced to establish FBA procedures, prepare personnel, and implement practices out of legal necessity with very little guidance. The primary purposes of the current study were to: (1) provide a descriptive assessment of current FBA practices in public schools, (2) evaluate the discrepancy between the legal mandates and best practices in the implementation of FBA, (3) investigate issues related to social validity and treatment integrity, and (4) identify obstacles to the FBA process. The sample included 115 members of school multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) charged with completing FBAs. Participants completed a 31-item electronic mail (E-mail) survey assessing demographics, FBA procedures, training, MDT functioning, social validity, treatment integrity, and obstacles to the FBA process. Survey responses were compared against two evaluation templates to determine a school's level of compliance with the legal and best practices requirements of FBA. A Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) procedure was also used to evaluate and quantify compliance levels with recommendations for the best practice of FBA. While findings suggest that FBA processes and procedures enjoy a high degree of social validity and perceived treatment integrity among MDT members, descriptive analyses revealed that schools are struggling to comply with the requirements for FBA as defined in both IDEA 1997 and best practices. Results suggest that the lack of compliance is largely attributable to ambiguities in the definition of FBA as outlined in IDEA; deficits in the skills and knowledge of MDT members due to inadequate training; and inefficiencies in team functioning. To build on the positive beliefs about FBA and improve compliance levels, findings suggest that MDT members would benefit from assistance in defining FBA processes and procedures, understanding the best practice requirements of FBA, facilitating team functioning, and accessing varied and comprehensive training opportunities.