Current Practices for the Assessment and Treatment of Severe Problem Behavior: A Colorado-Based Survey

Credentialed behavior analysts receive training to implement functional behavior assessment (FBA) to ultimately design function-based behavioral treatment for clients engaging in severe problem behavior. Severe problem behavior includes aggression (e.g., hitting, biting), property destruction (e.g., displacing furniture), and self-injury (e.g., self-biting) that has the potential to harm others or the client themselves. Although studies have surveyed current practices of credentialed behavior analysts when assessing problem behavior, a comprehensive survey of the entire assessment and treatment process is absent from the literature. To the extent that survey-based data lead to an understanding of current practices, it seems helpful to understand safety assessment practices, protective equipment usage, and use of single-case designs (SCD). The current study recruited 174 credentialed behavior analysts working with clients engaging in severe problem behavior. Participants responded to a Qualtrics survey to share the frequency with which they selected various FBA and behavioral treatment approaches to address severe problem behavior. We additionally asked participants to share ways they assess safety when working with this population of clients and how they evaluate treatment progress with SCD. Results replicated previous research showing credentialed behavior analysts most often use nonexperimental FBA to assess problem behavior. We will also present and discuss data regarding safety assessment, use of SCD, and treatment selection.

The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-025-01076-7.