The role of the behavior specialist in the development of function-based behavior support.

摘要

This study examined how the composition of behavior support teams influences the technical adequacy and contextual fit of behavior support plans developed for students in typical school contexts. The conceptual foundation for the study lies in research documenting the improved effects of interventions based on functional behavioral assessments (FBA), the importance of a person trained in behavioral theory for building technically sound support plans, and the importance of persons knowledgeable about the child and setting for building plans that are contextually appropriate. The goal of the project was to identify a practical, legal, and effective process by which schools can both meet IDEA requirements and improve the behavior support for high-needs children.; Twelve school-based teams participated in this study. Teams were asked to review a description of a student and develop a behavior support plan for that student. Behavior support plans were created by a behavior specialist working alone (with knowledge of the student and behavioral theory), school-based teams with little training in behavioral theory (with knowledge of the student and the setting), and teams working with behavior specialists (with knowledge of the student, the setting, and behavioral theory). These plans were evaluated for technical adequacy and contextual fit. Results indicate that plans developed by the specialist alone had lower contextual fit, and the plans developed by the team had lower technical adequacy. Only plans developed by the team working with the behavior specialist were evaluated as both technically sound and contextually appropriate. Implications for the most effective and efficient team structure for designing technically adequate and contextually appropriate function-based support are discussed.