Review of a Behavioral Assessment Process from Descriptive Assessment to Experimental Analysis: A Summary of 118 Cases

Functional analysis is one of the more robust advances in the assessment and treatment of severe behavior. Using technologies to identify the function of aberrant behavior and adjunctive reinforces to develop treatment packages is crucial to developing interventions designed to reduce aberrant behaviors while increasing alternative replacement responses. Descriptive assessments, preference assessments, reinforce assessments, and experimental functional analyses are tools that have been empirically validated to accomplish this goal. These methods have been shown to be effective in inpatient settings, homes, schools, and outpatient clinics. This study examines the use of these procedures for 118 clients evaluated in either an outpatient clinic and in the natural setting (i.e., schools, homes, and daycares). All procedures were conducted by graduate students enrolled a BCBA approved program for Masters Level practitioners. In addition, all evaluations were supervised by a doctoral level behavior analyst. We present a descriptive summary of the effectiveness of (a) the effectiveness of using the Motivation Assessment Scale at identifying maintaining functions compared to experimental analysis outcomes, (b) the preference assessment to identify reinforcing stimuli, and (c) the effectiveness of treatment packages developed. The efficacy of the outpatient model to serve clients with severe problem behaviors is discussed.