An approach to functional assessment in general education classroom settings

Although research has clearly demonstrated the utility of functional assess ment across a variety of settings and populations, the literature contains few examples of a comprehensive approach to functional assessment in genera l education settings that effectively bridges research to the everyday prac tice of school psychology. Functional assessment has been presented as a th ree-step process involving informant assessment, direct observations, and e xperimental analyses. In the present case illustration, teacher interviews, conditional probability analyses of direct observations, and brief teacher -implemented functional analyses are demonstrated to help practitioners lea rn an efficient and effective method for determining the function of proble m behaviors exhibited in general education classrooms. Future directions an d implications of functional assessment research and practice in general ed ucation classrooms are discussed.