An Approach to Functional Assessment in General Education Classroom Settings

Abstract

Although research has clearly demonstrated the utility of functional assessment across a variety of settings and populations, the literature contains few examples of a comprehensive approach to functional assessment in general education settings that effectively bridges research to the everyday practice of school psychology. Functional assessment has been presented as a three-step process involving informant assessment, direct observations, and experimental analyses. In the present case illustration, teacher interviews, conditional probability analyses of direct observations, and brief teacher-implemented functional analyses are demonstrated to help practitioners learn an efficient and effective method for determining the function of problem behaviors exhibited in general education classrooms. Future directions and implications of functional assessment research and practice in general education classrooms are discussed.