Definition
A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) answers one question: why is this behavior happening right now? The deliverable is a written report with operational definitions, data, a hypothesized function (attention, escape, access to tangibles, sensory), and a linked intervention plan.
Methods range from indirect (interviews, FAST, QABF) to descriptive (ABC recording, scatterplots) to experimental (functional analysis). Most outpatient FBAs combine indirect and descriptive methods, reserving experimental analysis for ambiguous or high-risk cases.