Principles of Positive Behaviour Supports: Using the FBA as a Problem-Solving Approach to Address Challenging Behaviours beyond Special Populations

The Functional Behavioural Assessment (FBA) is an investigative process that examines the context of challenging behaviours in the classroom. Information gleaned from the FBA process is used to develop a behaviour intervention plan to address the challenging behaviour and teach a socially acceptable replacement behaviour. However, the FBA has remained almost exclusively used with students identified with disabilities, particularly those with emotional/behavioural disorders (EBD) as a last resort before removal from the general school campus. Fortunately, there is a growing awareness of the FBA as positive behaviour support practice in the general education classroom to assist non-disabled students and early intervention for students with or at-risk for EBD. In this paper, we discuss the FBA, its place as a positive behaviour practice, and its application in the general education classroom to assist students who are demonstrating challenging behaviours prior to considering a referral for special education assessment. (Contains 3 figures.)