Functional Behaviour Assessment- Summary

Target Behaviour: [Student] will pace around the classroom making a stabbing
motion in the air with his hand, scissors, paintbrushes, drumsticks, rolling pins etc.
The behaviour is sometimes accompanied by sound effects, yelling and delayed
echolalia.
Patterns Identified:
-The student is most likely to engage in stabbing (with/without an apparatus) during
transitions between activities and unstructured parts of the day where there is no
clear task for him to engage in.
- The student often walks to the window and looks outside either before/during the
stabbing incidents. I hypothesise that his stabbing behaviour may be related to his
anxiety regarding stormy weather. It would be interesting to note whether the
weather impacts the number and intensity of stabbing incidents per day in future
observations.
-He is often seen drawing prior to engaging in the target behaviour. He has been
observed drawing images which we believe are from the Alfred Hitchcock film
Psycho and are usually drawn solely in red. He has been observed making sound
effects similar to those in the movie whilst stabbing.
-He often engages in the stabbing behaviour when the environment is noisy, both in
the classroom and on the playground.
- The stabbing behaviour primarily occurs in the first half of the day, often
during/after prolonged periods of seated work (usually a non-preferred activity) which
involve limited movement.
Possible Functions
Further observation is required in order to accurately determine the function of the
behaviour. I hypothesise, the following could be potential functions of the behaviour.
Get/Obtain Sensory Input/Stimulation- Often occurs during/after seated activities
with limited movement opportunities. The stabbing is often accompanied by pacing
which suggests he may be seeking vestibular input.
Get/Obtain Control – It is interesting to note that the behaviour occurs during
unstructured and unpredictable parts of the day. Also, the student walks towards the
window and checks the weather (a cause of distress for him) before/during stabbing
incidents. I hypothesise that the student may engage in the target behaviour to
relieve anxiety and develop a sense of personal control over the situation in which he
feels powerless or anxious.
Get/Obtain Attention- Whilst I personally do not believe this is a function of the
behaviour, it is significant to note that in most cases preferred adults move closer to
the student and give him attention whilst he is stabbing. There was once instance
where no staff member intervened and he walked around the room stabbing for over
6 minutes. He stopped the behaviour unprompted and appeared relatively calm
afterwards. Nonetheless, adult attention is a common consequence of the behaviour
and therefore cannot yet be ruled out as a function of behaviour.
Strategies Currently in Place:
- Scissors and other objects likely to be used as weapons have been removed from
their previous locations to limit access.
-‘No Stabbing’ has been added to the Visual Rules read at least 3 times daily to the
student.
-Staff are gently reminding the student that ‘the rule is no stabbing’ and instructing
them to hand over/put away the stabbing instrument. They usually redirect him.
-The student is praised if he self-corrects when stabbing. For example, if he is
stabbing with a paintbrush and begins doing brush strokes as if he were painting he
is verbally praised for using equipment correctly.
- The student is currently writing lines if they are caught stabbing both at school and
at home at the recommendation of his parent.

Possible Strategies to Try

-Perhaps offer student choices during unstructured parts of the day (ie. drawing or
board games) to give them some direction/control.
-Refer to the visual schedule throughout the day to ensure the day is as predictable
as possible.
-Offer the student short, timed movement breaks between activities, particularly
activities that involve vestibular input (yoga, swinging, spinning, rocking etc.)
-Develop a list of alternative strategies that the student can use when he is anxious.
Perhaps give him a choice board of some description on his desk and a limited
number of ‘pass out’ cards to use during a given day. It should be emphasised that
they are only to be used when he is anxious and needs to calm down and should
specify the activity he has chosen. (ie. listen to music ) (Replacement Behaviour)
This strategy will need to be observed carefully to ensure the student does not use it
to avoid work, as avoidance has not been entirely ruled out as a possible function.
-Whole class strategy to minimise noise such as Bouncy Balls could be used if it is
appropriate to the context.