Overview
The Functional Assessment Checklist: Teachers and Staff (FACTS; Anderson & Borgmeier, 2007 from March, Horner, Lewis-Palmer, Brown, Crone, & Todd,1999) is a semi-structured brief interview method used to conduct a functional assessment or develop an intervention plan for individual students. Within the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) model, the FACTS helps with tertiary-level support development. Informants are provided with response choices or can provide their own responses. The FACTS, which consists of two parts, can be completed in approximately 5 to 15 minutes.
Summary
Age: N/A
Time to Administer: 5-15 minutes
Method of Administration: The interview results in a summary of behavior and related targets to support behavior change
Subscales: Sections: Student Strengths/Contributions; Problem Behaviors; Routines/Likelihood of Problem Behavior; Priorities for Behavior Support; Antecedents/Triggers and Setting Events; Consequences/Maintaining Events and Features
Autism Related Research
McIntosh et al. (2008)
Age Range: N/A - review of studies using the FACTS to identify psychometric properties
Sample Size: 10 research studies
Topics Addressed:
Psychometric properties of the FACTS, including for students with autism
Outcome:McIntosh et al. (2008)
Results derived from 10 research studies using the FACTS indicate strong evidence of test-retest reliability and interobserver agreement, moderate to strong evidence of convergent validity with direct observation and functional analysis procedures, strong evidence of treatment utility, and strong evidence of social validity.
Conclusion: though indirect methods of FBA are not as strong as direct processes, they are more efficient and the FACT appears to be a technically sound approach to completing FBAs indirectly.