Function

WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS?

A child’s behaviour is like an Iceberg. We just see the behaviour. We don’t see what is beneath the surface of the behaviour. This stops us understanding the reason for a behaviour. We try to gain an understanding of what your child is trying to communicate with their behaviour and what purpose it serves for them. We call this the FUNCTION.

A Functional Analysis is a way of gathering information about when the behaviour occurs and looking for patterns. These patterns help us understand what your child is trying to communicate, in other words, the ‘function’ of their behaviour.

RECORDING

We ask you to record information about:
A. Antecedent: What was going on before the behaviour
B. Behaviour: Details about the Behaviour
C. Consequences: What did the child get or achieve by doing their behaviour

We also ask you to note any extra information that might be having an impact on your child’s behaviour, such as if they were tired or ill, or if there’s been a recent change to their usual routine (such as change in taxi or teaching staff).

You can record this information by installing our FUNCTION App.

We may also carry out observations of your child in different settings. However, as we can’t be around 24 hours a day, we rely on the information you collect to make the most accurate Functional Analysis.

Once we have completed the Functional Analysis (and now have an understanding of what is beneath the surface of your child’s behaviour), we can suggest things that might help them achieve what they need in other ways.