Classroom Applications of a Trial-Based Functional Analysis in an Early Childhood Education Setting

Functional analysis has proven to be an effective way of determining the function of problem behaviors. However, this process can consume a great deal of time and resources. Also, the majority of analyses are conducted with subjects greater than six years of age with unfamiliar persons conducting the analysis. Therefore, there is a need to examine a method that will expend less time and resources, and to determine if this new method will be effective with subjects in an early childhood setting. The current study examines the ability of classroom teachers to conduct a trial-based functional analysis within an early childhood classroom. Results suggest that trial-based functional analysis conducted by classroom teachers is effective in early childhood settings. The study\u27s findings also suggest that a function-based intervention may effectively reduce problem behaviors for preschoolers