title: A Comparison of Descriptive and Functional Analyses of Inappropriate Mealtime Behavior.
abstract: In recent years, rather than being used to assess the potential function of a response, descriptive assessment methods have been applied to evaluate potential consequences or contingencies for problem behavior (Borrero, Woods, Borrero, Masler, & Lesser inJournal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43, 71-88. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2010.43-71, 2010) or to assist with designing baseline conditions to approximate caregiver behavior (Casey et al. inBehavior Modification, 33, 537-558. doi: 10.1177/0145445509341457, 2009). It has been shown that descriptive assessments of some forms of problem behavior (e.g., self-injury, aggression) are not good indicators of behavioral function and should not be used exclusively when conducting functional behavior assessments (Thompson & Iwata inJournal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 40, 333-338. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2007.56.06/epdf, 2007). However, the extent to which descriptive assessments of inappropriate mealtime behavior can predict behavioral function is not yet clear. We conducted descriptive assessments of inappropriate mealtime behavior and compared the results to functional analyses for ten children with severe food refusal. Results showed that, for 71 % of participants, the descriptive and functional analyses matched. These results suggest that the correspondence between descriptive and functional analyses, at least for inappropriate mealtime behavior, may be higher than that for other forms of problem behavior.
authors.affiliation: Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA ; 707 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.
authors.forename: Carrie S W
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Borrero
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD USA.
authors.forename: Jennie D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: England
authors.affiliation: Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD USA.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sarcia
authors.affiliation: Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD USA.
authors.forename: Julia N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Woods
keywords: Conditional probabilities; Descriptive analysis; Descriptive assessment; Feeding; Inappropriate mealtime behavior; Pediatric food refusal