Functional behaviour assessment: what happens and who's involved
A functional behaviour assessment (FBA) is how a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) behaviour support practitioner works out why a behaviour of concern happens. They watch, ask questions and gather records about what happens before and after the behaviour. The aim is to understand what need the behaviour meets for the person, so their plan can meet that need in a safer way.
What is a functional behaviour assessment?
The NDIS Rules define it as the process of working out the function or purpose behind a person's behaviour. It looks at the events and situations that trigger a behaviour and keep it going.
Behaviour is often a way of communicating. A person might be telling you they're in pain, hungry or upset, or that something needs to change. The FBA tries to find that message.
An FBA is one part of a wider behaviour support assessment. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) expects that wider assessment to look at the person's whole life, including their health, relationships, surroundings and rights.
What happens during an FBA?
The practitioner gathers information in several ways, then puts it together into an explanation of why the behaviour happens. Families and support workers are expected to help by recording what they see.
- Meeting the person, in person or by video, and including them as much as they can be
- Talking with people who know the person well, like family, carers, support workers and other providers
- Reading earlier assessments and reports, such as allied health or medical reports
- Watching the person in the places they spend time, and asking others to fill in behaviour recording charts
- Using standard assessment tools and questionnaires where they help
- Pulling it all together into a formulation, which is a shared explanation of why the behaviour happens
The practitioner describes each behaviour in terms anyone could see and measure: how often it happens, how long it lasts and how intense it is.
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What does the practitioner look for?
They look at what happens before the behaviour, the behaviour itself, and what happens after it. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) calls these antecedents, behaviour and consequences.
| Part | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Antecedents | What happens before the behaviour and may be causing it | A noisy, crowded room, or meeting someone new |
| Behaviour | What the behaviour looks like, how often it happens, how long it lasts and the risk to the person and others | Hitting out, or the person hurting themselves |
| Consequences | What happens straight after the behaviour | Getting time alone, or getting something they wanted |
The FBA also looks at where and when the behaviour does and doesn't happen. It must take the person's culture, beliefs and circumstances into account.
Who can do a functional behaviour assessment?
Only an NDIS behaviour support practitioner who works for a registered specialist behaviour support provider. Family members and support workers help collect information, but they can't do the assessment itself.
The practitioner needs informed consent from the person or their guardian to collect and share personal information. They should only collect what's reasonably needed, and keep it secure.
How long does an FBA take?
There's no set time for the assessment itself. Where regulated restrictive practices are involved, the comprehensive behaviour support plan (BSP) it feeds into must be done within 6 months of the provider being engaged.
An interim behaviour support plan should be in place to keep everyone safe while the assessment happens. The NDIA notes that when an interim plan is needed, the assessment may be done after that plan is written.
An FBA isn't a one-off. The NDIS Commission expects it to be revisited at least every 12 months. It should be looked at sooner if something changes, like new risks or a move to a new home.
What happens after the FBA?
The practitioner uses it to write a comprehensive BSP. The strategies in the plan should match the reasons for the behaviour that the FBA found.
The NDIA gives an example in its behaviour support guideline. If a person's behaviours of concern happen because they're in pain, helping to manage the pain may reduce those behaviours.
The NDIS Rules say a practitioner writing a comprehensive plan must do a behaviour support assessment, including an FBA. If you're looking for a registered practitioner to do one, we can connect you with one.
Is an FBA funded by the NDIS?
Yes. The NDIA lists behaviour support assessments among the behaviour supports it can fund. It may also fund an assessment first, to get evidence about whether ongoing behaviour support should go in your plan.
This funding sits in the capacity building part of an NDIS plan. Older plans list it under Improved Relationships. Plans made in the NDIA's newer computer system have a separate Behaviour Support category.
Questions people ask
Is an FBA the same as a diagnosis?
No. An FBA doesn't diagnose a condition. It explains why a particular behaviour happens so the right supports can be put in place.
Do we need to be involved in the assessment?
Usually, yes. The NDIS Commission expects the practitioner to include the person and the people who know them well, like family, carers and support workers.
Can the assessment include school?
It can. The Commission expects information to be gathered in all the places that matter for the person, which can include school, home, work and the community.
Can an FBA be done by video?
Some of it can. The Commission's guidance says the practitioner should meet the person, either face to face or remotely, for example by video.
How often is an FBA updated?
At least every 12 months. The NDIS Commission also expects it to be revisited sooner if the person's circumstances change.
Keep reading
- Behaviour support plansWhat goes in an NDIS behaviour support plan, how interim and comprehensive plans differ, the 1 and 6 month timeframes, who writes it and when it gets reviewed.
- Interim behaviour support plansWhat an interim behaviour support plan is, when one is needed, the 1 month rule when restrictive practices are used, and what happens next under the NDIS.
- Behaviour support practitionersWhat an NDIS behaviour support practitioner does, how the NDIS Commission approves them, how to check one and find one near you, and how to become one.
- How behaviour support is fundedHow positive behaviour support is funded by the NDIS: which budget it comes from, getting it into your plan, and what changes if you self, plan or NDIA manage.
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