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Function of Behavior

Understanding the function of a behavior is a cornerstone of Applied Behavior Analysis.

*All images are models, not individuals with autism.

Why does Julia grab a toy from her brother? Is it to gain access to the toy? Or maybe it's to access Mom's attention?

When you can identify the function of the behavior, you can limit reinforcement for the undesired behavior and work to teach a functionally equivalent replacement behavior.

This questionnaire is designed to help you consider when a behavior is most likely to occur. There are 9 groups of 6 possibilities. In each of the 9 groups, select the option that best describes the target behavior. The results will show you a likely function of the behavior. You can retake the questionnaire to see you you get the same results.

While questionnaires are a useful tool, they should supplement (not replace) other ABA strategies including collection ABC data.

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Click New Entry to begin. To update a record double click in the table or click one time and hit the Edit button (to pop up the data entry window).

To filter on a behavior, select the behavior name from the drop down (you may select multiple clients from the list). If you’re entering data for a new client you will need to refresh this page to update your filter options.