Comparing descriptive, experimental and informant-based assessments of problem behaviors

Area of Science:

• Behavioral science
• Developmental disabilities
• Applied behavior analysis

Background:

• Problem behaviors in individuals with developmental disabilities require effective assessment.
• Functional behavior assessment (FBA) is crucial for understanding behavior.
• Different FBA methods exist, including descriptive, experimental, and informant-based approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the concordance of descriptive, experimental, and informant-based functional assessment methods.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of different assessment strategies for problem behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving four individuals with developmental disabilities exhibiting problem behaviors.
• Utilized descriptive, experimental, and informant-based functional assessment techniques.

Main Results:

• Concordance between descriptive and experimental assessments was low (1 of 4 cases).
• Concordance between informant-based and experimental assessments was higher (3 of 4 cases).
• Descriptive assessments consistently identified limited attention schedules.

Conclusions:

• Informant-based assessments may be more aligned with experimental findings than descriptive assessments for problem behaviors.
• The utility of descriptive assessments as a standalone or adjunct method for problem behaviors is questioned due to low concordance and time demands.
• Further research into optimizing functional assessment methods is warranted.