Abstract
The practical functional assessment (PFA) is a three-step process designed to evaluate problem behavior’s sensitivity to individualized contingencies informed by caregivers in an efficient manner. The PFA begins with an open-ended interview collecting qualitative information from caregivers used to inform the development of a synthesized contingency. That contingency is then calibrated during a brief observation and validated during the subsequent functional analysis, which has been uniquely termed the interview-informed, synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) based on its commitment to five core procedural components. Multiple IISCA formats currently exist, each improving elements of practical relevance such as efficiency, safety, and ecological validity. Function-based treatments using the results of the PFA have been found to produce socially meaningful change in problem behavior on repeated occasions across individuals and settings, leading to the PFAs classification as a practical and effective alternative to more intensive approaches to functional assessment.
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Jessel, J. (2022). Practical Functional Assessment. In: Leaf, J.B., Cihon, J.H., Ferguson, J.L., Weiss, M.J. (eds) Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis Interventions for Autism. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96478-8_23
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