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Functional assessment and functional analysis are processes that have been applied successfully in work with people who have developmental disabilities, but they have been used rarely with students who experience emotional or behavioral disorders. In the present study, five students in elementary school programs for severe emotional disturbance participated in a comprehensive functional assessment process designed to yield a useful understanding of their desirable and undesirable behaviors. Interviews, record reviews, and direct classroom observations led to the development of individualized hypotheses regarding relationships between classroom events and the occurrence of target behaviors. Subsequently, direct manipulations (i.e., functional analyses) were conducted to test each of the hypotheses in the context of regularly-occurring classroom activities. These analyses demonstrate important influences that certain classroom variables can exert over individual student's behavior. The process and results are discussed with regard to the need for improved methods for understanding student responding, and the benefits that functional assessment can offer programs of educational and behavioral support. [This is the third in a series of three classic article reprints celebrating the rich history of impactful scholarship published in Behavioral Disorders in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. For the original, "Functional Analysis of Classroom Variables for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders," see EJ470666.]

A study of 18 children with behavioral problems in inclusive elementary classrooms examined the effects of self-evaluation using videotapes of the children's interactions with their peers. Results showed increases in appropriate interactions for children with internalizing behavioral problems and decreases in inappropriate interactions for those with external behavior problems. (CR)

We evaluated a process of descriptive assessment, functional assessment, and assessment-based intervention with an elementary-school child who was described as having emotional and behavioral challenges, but who also exhibited above-average intelligence and communication skills. During a hypothesis-development phase, information was gathered from several sources including an interview that was conducted directly with the participant. Descriptive information collected during this phase produced five hypotheses about variables maintaining the problem behavior that were then tested experimentally in the classroom environment. The resulting functional assessment data supported the hypotheses. Intervention packages based on the hypotheses were implemented sequentially across English, spelling, and math classes. The interventions were successful in increasing on-task behavior, and the improvements were maintained for the remainder of the school year.