ABA 503 Assignments – Case Study
Justin is a 13-year-old boy diagnosed with autism. He has an effective, but below average, use
of spoken language but is able to communicate his emotions using picture cards that have a sad
face, a neutral face and a smiley face. He is able to communicate effectively enough to make his
requests understood, although he can be reluctant to do so.
Justin lives with his mother and stepfather in a small 2-bedroom house which is also shared
with a three year old female sibling who does not have any known disabilities or challenges
beyond what would be considered normal for a child of her age. There is also an uncle and his
girlfriend who live in the house and sleep in the living area of the home. Justin’s mother, father,
and his uncle all primarily speak Spanish and consider it to be their first language.
Justin attends school daily and is accommodated in a “special education” classroom along with
27 other children who have a variety of disabilities both physical and intellectual. The classroom
is managed by a dedicated teacher and, most days, teaching assistants.
Justin can become very agitated and can exhibit aggressive behaviors when he is in
environments that he cannot control and are noisy and/or crowded. Aggression takes the form
of hitting others with a closed fist which is sometimes accompanied by kicking. When Justin
becomes agitated, he tends to rock back and forth on the balls of his feet which is typically
followed by the hitting and kicking behavior. He will also run away if he is in an open area or is
otherwise able to leave the situation.
Recently, Justin’s mother took him to a nearby shopping mall for a “treat” because it was
approaching the holiday season and she wanted him to see Santa Claus. When they arrived, the
mall was playing festive Christmas music and it was busier than normal due to the approaching
holidays.
Justin and his mother arrived at the mall, parked the car, and entered the mall. Within a minute
or so, Justin began rocking back and forth. His mother then attempted to grab his arm and
Justin proceeded to hit her. He broke away and ran further into the mall, knocking an elderly
lady down along the way. A mall security person witnessed the event and called the police and
reported that a young man had assaulted an elderly lady and was running around hitting and
kicking people while screaming.
Additional Information
Descriptive Assessment
Descriptive assessment requires beginning with indirect methods and then including direct
assessment methods as indicated below.
Indirect
– 2nd party report about student’s behavior.
• Interviews – teacher, parent, student
Example: Functional Assessment Interview (FAI, O’Neill, Horner et. al.,
1997)
• Records review such as school reports, medical reports, other therapy notes as
available, etc.
• Behavior Situation Rating Scales examples:
– MAS, Durand & Crimmins, 1988; FAST, Iwata 1995; Q-FAST,
Vollmer & Matson, 1995; QABF, Matson et. al., 1999; Aid to
Functional Analysis, Willis & LaVigna, 1987; etc.
Direct
– On-site observation or permanent product assessment of student behavior.
– Examples:
• Scatterplot (Pattern Analysis) Touchette et. al., 1985
• A-B-C recording (Sequence Analysis) Bijou et. al., 1968
• Functional Assessment Observation Form (FAOF, O’Neill Et. al., 1997,
Brookes)
