Functional analysis and treatment of problem behavior exhibited by elementary school children.

A functional analysis involving antecedent events was conducted with 4 students who had been identified as having behavior problems. Off-task behavior was measured while task difficulty and level of adult attention were manipulated during analogue sessions. Results revealed two patterns: Three students displayed higher rates of off-task behavior during difficult tasks, and 1 displayed higher rates of off-task behavior during sessions with low attention. Improved behavior was observed when students were taught an alternative behavior that matched the assessment results.