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Piloting a Decision Tool to Guide Individualized Hypothesis Testing for Students with Severe and Complex Challenging Behavior

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Abstract

For students with severe or complex challenging behavior, incorporating hypothesis testing as a component of functional behavior assessment (FBA) is often warranted. Several hypothesis testing strategies (i.e., functional analysis, antecedent analysis, concurrent operant analysis) can confirm whether and how features of a student’s environment impact their behavior to then inform effective intervention. Yet practitioners have limited guidance on how to select and individualize best-fit strategies for a given student and context. We developed a decision tool for behavior specialists and classroom teachers to collaboratively plan and implement individualized hypothesis testing strategies for students whose initial FBA was inconclusive. We piloted this tool with 12 practitioner teams and students, aiming to (a) identify which assessment strategies were indicated based on practitioner responses; (b) evaluate whether indicated assessments produced conclusive results; and (c) explore practitioner perceptions of the individualized assessment process. The most commonly indicated hypothesis testing strategy was functional analysis. Across teams, one or more hypothesis was successfully confirmed on the first or second assessment iteration. The assessment process was perceived positively by practitioners. Yet they reported feeling ill-equipped to complete the process independently, highlighting important next steps for training and technical assistance work.

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Funding

Support for this research was provided by the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, through Grant R324B160010 to Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research grant support (UL1 TR000445 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences [NCATS]/National Institutes of Health [NIH]. We would like to thank Catherine Copeland, Sunya Fareed, and Hali Wilson for their support with data collection, as well as the school practitioners and specialists who offered valuable feedback as we developed and refined the decision tool. Jessica Torelli is now at Western Kentucky University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Box 228, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Blair P. Lloyd, Jessica N. Torelli, Marney S. Pollack & Emily S. Weaver

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  1. Blair P. Lloyd
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  2. Jessica N. Torelli
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  3. Marney S. Pollack
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Correspondence to Blair P. Lloyd.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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The authors obtained informed consent from all participating school and district staff and from caregivers of participating students. The authors obtained assent from the participating students prior to implementing study procedures.

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Lloyd, B.P., Torelli, J.N., Pollack, M.S. et al. Piloting a Decision Tool to Guide Individualized Hypothesis Testing for Students with Severe and Complex Challenging Behavior. J Behav Educ 33, 208–232 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-022-09478-1

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