Teachers/practitioners often conduct a functional behavior assessment as a first step in trying to
understand why a learner with ASD may be engaging in interfering behaviors. As the function of
the behavior becomes apparent, teachers/practitioners develop interventions to reduce the
occurrence of the interfering behavior in question. Often, teachers/practitioners use functional
communication training (FCT), differential reinforcement, response interruption/redirection,
extinction, and stimulus control/environmental modification to address these behaviors in
learners with ASD. When developing intervention plans, teachers/practitioners should refer to
the specific briefs for these practices to access the steps for implementation as well as the
implementation checklists.
When planning for and implementing a functional behavior assessment (FBA) with children and
youth with ASD, the following steps are recommended.