Simple Functional Behavior Assessment Form

The Simple FBA is a lightweight worksheet built for the informal team discussions that happen before a Simple BIP: the conversations where a teacher, case manager, or parent talks through what's really going on with a behavior, what sets it off, what it's getting the student, and where the skill gaps are. This form gives those discussions a structure, so nothing important gets lost between the conversation and the plan.

It walks a team through four steps:

• Target Behavior: one prioritized behavior, described in specific, observable terms
• Context: the time, activity, location, people present, and triggers where the behavior tends to show up
• Function: the "pay-off" the behavior gets the student (escape/avoidance, attention, access, or sensory), plus a more appropriate way for the student to ask for that same pay-off
• Escalation Chain: the consistent trigger and the build-up pattern (initial escalation, increased escalation) that leads to the target behavior

It's designed to be completed collaboratively, in a single sitting, with whoever knows the student best in the room.

Download the Simple FBA Form

In Behavior Advantage: Use each section of the Simple FBA to inform the matching Prevention, Teaching, and Response sections of a Simple BIP. The Context and Escalation Chain point to Prevention strategies, the Function and replacement communication point to Teaching, and the full picture informs the Response plan.

Simple FBA Case Study Example

See the form in action before you fill one out.

This is a completed Simple FBA: a real-world style example (student: Shane Burton, an 11th grader at Seaside High) showing how a team might work through each section for an actual behavior concern, from an initial trigger (being asked to participate publicly) through escalation to the target behavior (work refusal, property destruction, leaving the classroom).

It's a useful reference for new team members, or for any team about to complete their first Simple FBA and wanting to see what a well-detailed, specific response looks like in each section, particularly the Function and Escalation Chain sections, where vague answers are most common and specificity matters most.

Download the Simple FBA Case Study Example

In Behavior Advantage: Use this example as a model when training staff on the Simple FBA process, or reference it alongside the blank form when guiding a team through their first collaborative FBA discussion.