Functional Analysis: Safety Precautions and Risk Prevention

Implementing intensive intervention based on functional analysis (FA) outcomes can prove remarkably efficacious in managing challenging behavior. Nevertheless, this assessment approach carries associated risks that can influence the safety and well-being of all stakeholders. To offset these risks, practitioners should adopt preemptive strategies that obviate the requirement for intensive intervention. In cases where FA-informed intensive intervention is needed, clinicians can attenuate safety-related concerns by screening for and addressing underlying medical factors prior to initiating the assessment, controlling the assessment space in ways that ensure that environmental variables do not exacerbate safety risks, and incorporating protective equipment into assessment sessions. Furthermore, clinicians can avoid risks by understanding how FA findings shape their intervention strategy, by conducting preintervention analyses using the smallest samples of challenging behavior possible, and by prioritizing safety over experimental rigor.