Photo of family problems of boy and mom sitting on the sofa in the home interior. The guy and the woman are talking, showing emotions

Challenging Behavior

The purpose of the Challenging Behavior Team is to provide parents, teachers, and agency staff with informational resources regarding the unique learning needs of children with challenging behaviors.

The team also provides technical assistance in the design and implementation of educational programming and supports for children with Individual Education Plans (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP) per the request of the Educational Team.


It is the mission of the Green Hills AEA Challenging Behavior Team to serve, support, and advocate learning for students ages 3 to 21 displaying serious behavioral concerns. Services to schools promote respect, compassion, and positive behavioral support enabling every learner to perform at his or her highest level within a safe, healthy, and least restrictive environment.

The purpose of the Challenging Behavior Team is to align quality services with students’ functional needs through data-based decision-making and IEP team collaboration as a means to improve each child’s ability to successfully and healthily access learning environments.

Data Collection Tools




Bundles Purpose
ABC 1 Bundle with Checkboxes Observations are made under naturally occurring conditions.

The two ABC data bundles on this page are intended to be used following teacher interviews and observations that result in identification of concerning/target behavior(s), potential triggers or antecedents, and adult and peer responses to behavior.

Team members will clearly define behavior(s), contexts, antecedents, and consequences and add these to the second tab on the ABC spreadsheets.

ABC 2 Bundle with Key & Analysis 
COA Bundle To be used with trained CBT member(s) only.
Functional Analysis Bundle To be used with trained CBT member(s) only.
Preference Assessment Bundle Preference assessments benefit the FBA process by providing direct observation data that the team will include in either the descriptive summary or test portion of the FBA document. (RIOT)  Preference Assessment Decision Making.
Individual Sheets Purpose
Behavior Scatter Plot Collecting Scatter Plot data may be a useful way for teams to begin the data collection process. It also can help teams identify when the student does well or the activities in which no behaviors of concern are observed.  

A visual representation of a student’s undesirable behavior over time. (typically over 2 weeks) 

Helps identify a possible relationship between environmental conditions of a behavior that is frequent, seemingly random but steady over long periods of time.

BIP Implementation Log This implementation log will help teams collect data about the implementation of a student's Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
FAST Screening Tool An Indirect Assessment tool. 

The FAST identifies factors that may influence problem behaviors. Use it only for screening as part of a comprehensive functional analysis of the behavior. Administer the FAST to several individuals who interact with the client frequently. Then use the results to guide direct observation in several different situations to verify suspected behavioral functions and to identify other factors that may influence the problem behavior

Intensity Datasheet This data sheet will help teams collect intensity as well as duration data.  
Motivation Assessment Scale The Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS; Durand & Crimmins, 1988, 1992; Haim, 2002) is a rating scale designed to help identify the motivation behind a target problem behavior. It yields scores on subscales that represent possible functions of behavior.
Questions About Behavioral Function (QBAF) The Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF; Matson & Vollmer, 1995; Paclawskyj, Matson, Rush, Smalls, & Vollmer, 2000) is a 25-item rating scale that is designed to identify variables maintaining problem behavior in persons with intellectual disability and/or autism. It yields scores on five factors/functions.
Paired Choice Preference Assessment Use this link to determine which preference assessment to select.
Free Operant Data Sheet Use this link to determine which preference assessment to select. Consider using FOPA when a student has difficulty allowing tangible items to be restricted.
Single Stimulus Preference Assessment Use this link to determine which preference assessment to select.
MSW Preference Assessment Use this link to determine which preference assessment to select.
MSWO Preference Assessment Use this link to determine which preference assessment to select.
Momentary Time Sampling  
Guidelines for Using Momentary Time Sampling  
Can't Do/Won't Do Assessment  
Can't Do/Won't Do Article  
Can't Do/Won't Do Instructional Hierarchy  

Additional Resources

10 Second Timer

 

Green Hills AEA Contacts by District