Functional Assessment of Problem Behavior: Interview-Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA)

Abstract

The basic ideas underlying the functional approach to assessing and correcting problem behavior are considered, a brief overview of studies related primarily to the modern approach to the analysis of dangerous behavior in children without the use of procedures involving physical intervention is presented. The well-known classical procedure of functional analysis, described by Brian Aywata and colleagues (1982/1994), is undoubtedly the gold standard in the theory and practice of applied behavior analysis. However, at present, specialists are increasingly seeking to use shorter and safer intervention strategies, in contrast to classical one. Today, Gregory Henley’s approach to functional assessment is of great interest among behavioral analysts, and is increasingly used to analyze and develop effective interventions for correcting severe and dangerous problem behaviors. The procedure of functional assessment based on synthesized contingencies, described by G. Henley, is illustrated, the reasons for using this type of assessment, the essence of synthesized contingencies are revealed, and a description of the steps of the methodology with examples is given.