Functional assessment of distracting and disruptive behaviors in the school setting

More common than severe behaviors, distracting and instructionally disrupti ve behaviors frequently result in disciplinary decisions being made for the student who is exhibiting them. These behaviors are troublesome not becaus e they threaten the physical or psychological safety of the student or thos e around him/her, but because they usually occur at a high frequency and ma ke instruction difficult. This article describes a four-phase procedure tha t can be used to functionally assess distracting and disruptive behaviors o ccurring in the school setting. A variety of procedures under each of the f irst three phases will be discussed, as well as the utility of each procedu re for the school setting. Procedures for linking information gained in the first three phases of the model to treatment implementation and treatment monitoring will also be discussed. Finally, a case example will be presente d to highlight described procedures.