Functional assessment and group-oriented reinforcement contingencies to reduce problem behaviors of students with intellectual disabilities

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13 of the functional assessment. The investigator may manipulate the consequences for the target behavior, or they may manipulate structural variables including task difficulty, task length, or the amount of attention provided to the student (O'Neill et al., 1997). As described by O'Neill et a1. (1997) this portion ofthe functional assessment is a "formal test ofthe relationship between environmental variables and the occurrence or nonoccurrence of problem behaviors." Generally, the functional analysis step ofthe assessment is only used if the informant methods and direct observation do not show a clear function of behavior. Once the fimctional assessment is complete, functions ofthe behavior can be determined. The information gathered is then used to help create an effective behavior intervention plan for the individual. There should be a direct connection between the information and conclusions drawn from the functional assessment and the behavior intervention plan allowing it to be a more effective and efficient plan than one written without fiinctional assessment data (O'Neill et al., 1997). The behavior intervention plan should address the function of the behavior whether it is attention, escape, or tangible items (Carr et al., 1994). Research has shown functional assessment to be an effective tool in developing appropriate and successful interventions for a wide range of problem behaviors in a wide variety of settings. For example, Umbreit (1996) used functional assessment to develop behavioral interventions that decreased problem behaviors of adults in home settings. Grandy and Peck (1997) used fimctional assessment to successfiilly design a behavior intervention plan that decreased the disruptive behavior of a regular