CURRENT PRACTICES AND SCHOOL-BASED PERSONNEL’S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS IN FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT IN QATAR

Abstract

The concern about young children challenging behaviors has produced a wide range of intervention programs to reduce problem behaviors and promote development of social skills. Over the past two decades, researchers have demonstrated that adoption of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) can effectively reduce the frequency and severity of challenging behavior and result in positive behavioral outcomes. Despite research support for Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and function-based behavior interventions, there is a growing concern that current practices do not meet the recommended standards for FBA procedures and that school personnel are not well prepared to conduct valid FBA and design and implement successful Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs). Thus, this study sought to provide a descriptive analysis of current FBA practices in Qatar and to shed light on issues related to professional development needs of school personnel in FBA and positive behavior intervention strategies. The Special Education In-Service Needs Assessment, the Positive Behavior Supports Implementation Survey, the FBAs/BIPs Analysis Rating Scale, and Demographic Survey were the primary data sources for this study. Participants for the study were 168 instructional and clinical professionals as well as paraprofessionals working directly with students with intellectual disabilities at Shafallah Center. The study findings revealed the technical adequacy of the analyzed FBAs/BIPs was unsatisfactory and most FBAs contained many faults that resulted in improperly designed and ineffective BIPs. Further, participants perceived FBA and restraint procedures as a high professional development need. Recommendations for how to best use study findings in provision of training in FBA and function-based behavior interventions in Qatar were discussed. Keywords: Functional Behavior Assessment, Qatar, Continuing Professional development, Special Education, Positive Behavior Support