Is a functional behavioral assessment the same as functional behavioral analysis?
No! These terms are often used synonymously but they are not the same. A functional behavioral assessment gathers broad and specific information in order to better understand the precise reason for a student’s problem behavior. A component of the functional behavioral assessment is an analysis of the information that has been gathered that results in predictions or hypotheses of what maintains the behavior. Functional behavioral analysis, which may also be called applied behavior analysis, takes functional behavioral assessment a step further. This is a decision-making process that involves testing hypotheses regarding variables or events most strongly related to the occurrence of problem behaviors.
