ABC Functional Behavior Assessment Form

Name: Malachi Smith Date: April 26, 2017

Setting Information: Early morning before school at Malachi’s home during a habilitation session. The home is a small one-bedroom apartment.
His entire family was home and in the main family room. Individuals in the room included Mackenzie, Malachi, Malachi’s mother, Malachi’s father,
Malachi’s twin sister, Malachi’s younger brother. He had just woken up for the day.

Time Antecedent Behavior Consequence

9:30am Mackenzie arrives Malachi hiding His mother goes into the
bedroom to get him
9:35am Mother makes him come Runs and jumps on Mackenzie Mackenzie ignored Malachi
outside kicking and screaming
9:40am Mother tells Mackenzie to not Kicking increases with more Mackenzie walks away
let Malachi kick her aggression
9:45am Mackenzie sits on other couch Malachi throws body onto Mother comes into room
floor
9:50am Mother picks up Malachi to sit Malachi starts screaming, Mother holds Malachi tight to
on couch together crying, and throwing body avoid getting hit
10:00am Mother hugs Malachi tightly Malachi stops crying Mother lets go

10:05am Mother releases Malachi and Malachi starts screaming again Mother verbally communicates
sits back on couch…Malachi is to Malachi to stop
still on lap
10:10am Mother again tightly holds Malachi stops screaming Mother gives kisses
Malachi
10:15am Mother plays high five game Malachi starts to laugh and Mother and Malachi engage
with Malachi hug mother together without aggression
10:30am Mother tells Malachi she Malachi starts screaming, Mother comes back again
needs to get dressed and gets throwing body on floor, hitting
up to walk away and kicking Mackenzie

*Mackenzie and Malachi have been working together every morning for 4 months. This is the first morning Malachi’s mother is home. She usually is at work
before Mackenzie arrives.
 ABC Functional Behavior Assessment Form
Name: Malachi Smith Date: April 28, 2017
Setting Information: Friday after school, Malachi’s home during a habilitation session. The home is a small one-bedroom apartment. His entire
family was home and in the main family room. Individuals in the room included Paul, Mackenzie, Malachi, Malachi’s mother, Malachi’s father,
Malachi’s twin sister, and Malachi’s younger brother. He is aware that today’s session is working on cleaning.

Time Antecedent Behavior Consequence

4:00pm Paul dumps blocks onto floor
4:10pm Paul gives Malachi verbal cue
to clean blocks up and put into
basket
4:15pm Paul asks Malachi to again pick
up the blocks
4:20pm Paul pulls out his phone and
begins playing games
4:30pm Paul continues playing on
phone and tells Malachi he can
play if he cleans blocks up
4:35pm Paul gives Malachi’s sister the
phone
4:40pm Paul takes back phone from
Malachi’s sister
4:50pm Paul dumps blocks out on floor
again, takes phone, and asks
Malachi to clean
Malachi runs out of the room
Malachi throws body onto
floor kicking and screaming
Malachi throws blocks at Paul
Malachi stops tantrum and
walks over to Paul
Malachi throws body onto the
floor
Malachi starts putting blocks
away
Malachi finishes cleaning
blocks
Malachi cleans all blocks first
try
Paul goes and gets Malachi to
bring back into room
Paul ignores behavior
Paul ignores behavior
Paul pulls away not allowing
Malachi to see phone
Paul asks Malachi’s sister to
pick up some blocks for the
phone
Paul gives positive
encouragement
Paul gives Malachi phone
Paul gives Malachi phone

*This is an activity Malachi has done and completed before. Depending on the day Malachi throws tantrum. He knows that if he cleans fully he will be able to play
on the phone.
 Behavior Intervention Plan Form
Student: Malachi Smith
School:
Step Action
1 Identify the function of the behavior
 Describe the behavior in measurable
terms
 How does the behavior meet the
student’s needs?
2 Select a replacement behavior
 What should the student do instead?
 What do successful students do?
 Will the behavior help the student
meet his or her needs?
3 Design a teaching plan
The expected behavior includes:
 Conditions
 Behaviors
Teaching examples should:
 Describe when to use the behavior
 Be realistic
Non-examples should:
 Describe when not to use the
behavior
 BE realistic
Teacher:
Date:
Outcomes
Malachi continuously though out the day has tantrum outbreaks. The tantrums
consist of kicking, hitting, screaming, clawing, throwing objects, and throwing his
body on the floor and at people around him. The function of his outbursts acts as
both positive and negative reinforcements. Positive reinforcement is obtained
through social attention, access to materials, sensory stimulation, and control.
Negative reinforcement is obtained through escaping from activities or people and
sensory or pain related attention.
Malachi should use verbal communication to relay how he is feeling or his wants and
needs. He should remain calm when struggling to convey his feelings. When he starts
to have a tantrum he should use a predetermined area with a beanbag to sit and
collect himself. At this station he will self-calm. He needs to learn that he cannot
break out with these aggressive actions socially and publically.
Expected Behavior:
Instead of having a tantrum Malachi should go to his beanbag and calm himself down
alone. He will use pictures that identify emotions like mad; sad, annoyed to
communicate how he is feeling. Once calm he will return to the setting and
communicate verbally how he is feeling.
Teaching examples:
Malachi should use the behavior when he is feeling upset, angry, or struggles to
communicate. The behavior can be done at home or at school. He should use the
behavior when:
 Denied access
 Asked to do a new task
 Parent attention on others
 Adults attention is on others
 When waking up
 Going to the bathroom

4 Arrange the environment to facilitate success
Consider changes to:
 Physical environment
 Classroom procedures
 Task requirements
 Teacher-student interactions
 Attempting to communicate
 Object taken away
 Told “No”
 Waiting for something
The beanbag can be used at any time. It should not be looked at as a punishment or
only used when having a tantrum.
Non-examples:
Malachi should not use the behavior as a way for attention. The alternative behavior
is not to gain attention, rather self-calming. He should also not use the behavior
when he is not at home or school. He must learn that he cannot act this way socially
or publically.
Teaching strategies: Direct Malachi to go to the beanbag using a calm voice tone.
Present him with the “feeling pictures” to help him identify which he is feeling.
Remember to continuously use praise while he is sitting on the beanbag. Remind
Malachi of which emotion he chose and target why he is feeling that way. If Malachi
cannot calm himself and aggression continues block him from hurting himself and
others around him. Continue talking in low calm voice. Again identify the feeling. Do
not stand and hover over him and the beanbag. When finally calm, praise him for
calming himself no matter how long it took to get there.
Problem situations:
 If he is not at home or school where there is no access to his beanbag
 If his bean bag area cannot be found or has clutter
 If there are too many people in his area and it becomes overwhelming
 If the person working with him does not know the procedure
Facilitate success:
 Identify a beanbag area in both home and school setting
 At home: Make his parents and siblings aware that going to the beanbag chair
is Malachi’s way of calming down. Malachi’s twin sister and younger brother
need to know that is his space.
 At school: Make sure students understand that the beanbag is Malachi’s
space and he should not be approached when sitting in the area.
 Create a physical signal cue to use to encourage and remind Malachi to use to
beanbag

5 Develop consequences for desired and
undesired behavior
(Artificial consequences should be used only
when natural consequences are not
sufficient)
 If the replacement behavior is not
exhibited despite natural positive
consequences and prompts
 If the problem behavior continues
despite natural positive consequences
and prompts
6 Write behavioral objectives
 Learner: Who will demonstrate the
behavior
 Conditions: When, were, and under
what circumstances
 Behavior: A physical description of
what the learner is to do
 Criteria: How much of the behavior is
necessary for the objectives to be
complete
 Do not give attention to tantrum or flaring while at bag.
Natural positive consequences:
 Praise
 Physical contact (touch, kisses, hugs, rubbing back)
Withhold access to natural positive consequences:
Prompts:
Artificial positive consequences:
 Access to phone and I pad
 Candy
Negative consequences:
 Ignoring behavior
 Walk away when wanting physical contact
Malachi’s parents, teachers, siblings, and caseworkers will all demonstrate the
behavior.
Conditions:
When- Malachi starts to kicking, hitting, screaming, clawing, throwing objects, and
throwing his body on the floor and at people around him, because he is feeling
upset, sad, mad, or cannot communicate his feelings.
Where- His bean bag
Circumstances: He has a tantrum because:
 Denied access
 Asked to do a new task
 Parent attention on others
 Adults attention is on others
 When waking up
 Going to the bathroom
 Attempting to communicate
 Object taken away
 Told “No”
  Waiting for something

Behavior:
 As strong feelings overcome Malachi he will be directed to go to the beanbag
 When at the beanbag he is to use a calm voice with no screaming
 He will use pictures of mad, sad, and annoyed faces to identify which he is
feeling
 While calming down he will receive praise
 The identified emotion he is feeling will be discussed and reminded that the
beanbag is to calm him down
 If he gets up before calm, he will be asked to sit back down
 If Malachi does not sit back down, he will receive physical touch cueing him to
sit back down
If aggression continues…
 He will be blocked from himself and other and remain at the beanbag
 Continue talking in a low calm voice
 He again will identify which emotion he is feeling
 He will receive praise when calm, not matter how long it took

Criteria: The behavior should be conducted every time for the objectives to be
complete.

Date of implementation: May 3rd, 2017

Date of review: May 10th, 2017