BRIEF PRACTICE
Teacher-Conducted, Latency-Based Functional Analysis
as Basis for Individualized Levels System in a Classroom Setting
Joseph M. Lambert
1
&
Sarah E. Lopano
1
&
Christina R. Noel
2
&
Meaghan N. Ritchie
2
Published online: 6 September 2017
#
Association for Behavior Analysis International 2017
Abstract Latency-based functional analysis (FA) may be ap-
propriate when stakeholders are concerned with safety or fea-
sibility. We trained a first-year special education teacher to
collect data while she implemented a latency-based FA and
validated a function-based intervention. Treatment effects
were generalized across paraeducators and were maintained
during a 1-month follow-up.
Keywords Latency
.
Functional analysis
.
Levels system
.
School
.
Classroom
Having teachers conduct functional analyses (FAs) of problem
behavior in their own classrooms can lead to practical and
ecologically valid approaches to FA-informed intensive inter-
vention. If it is possible for these teachers to conduct FAs
without evoking high rates of problem behavior and to do so
without depending on others to collect their data for them,
then there may be fewer concerns about conducting the anal-
ysis than what might otherwise be the case.
Latency-based FAs meet the standard of experimental con-
trol while evoking a fraction of the problem behavior com-
monlyobservedduringtraditional FAs (Thomason-Sassi,
Iwata, Neidert, & Roscoe, 2011). Furthermore, conclusions
about treatment efficacy drawn from analysis of response la-
tencies appear to correspond well with conclusions drawn
from analysis of response rates, making latency-based FAs
viable baseline measures for subsequent latency-based treat-
ment evaluations (Caruthers, Lambert, Chazin, Harbin, &
Houchins-Juárez, 2015).
Because collecting data on response latencies can be less
effortful than collecting rate-based data, it may be possible for
a single person to collect his or her own data while
implementing latency-based FAs. If so, latency-based ap-
proaches to assessment and data analysis could decrease
stakeholder concerns about safety and feasibility—commonly
hypothesized barriers to school-based FA implementation
(Lloyd, Weaver, & Staubitz, 2016). The purpose of this study
was to highlight a model of intensive intervention for chal-
lenging behavior in which data-based decision making oc-
curred in response to latency-based measures. Specifically,
we eliminated multiply controlled problem behavior using
an individualized levels system (Hagopian et al., 2002) in-
formed by the results of a teacher-implemented, latency-
based FA conducted in a public classroom setting.
Method
Subjects and Setting
Larry was an 8-year-old boy diagnosed with autism who
attended second grade in a public elementary school. Most
of his academic day was spent in a self-contained classroom
with one-to-one paraeducator support. Larry was nonverbal,
Implications for Practitioners
• Latency-based functional analyses (FAs) may increase feasibility of
assessment.
• Teacher-implemented FAs may increase validity of assessment.
• Individualized levels systems represent a streamlined approach to ad-
dressing multiply controlled challenging behavior.
• Modified pyramidal training can establish expertise in indigenous
school personnel.
* Joseph M. Lambert
joseph.m.lambert@vanderbilt.edu
1
Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, TN 37203, USA
2
Department of Special Education, Western Kentucky University,
Bowling Green, KY, USA
Behav Analysis Practice (2017) 10:422–426
DOI 10.1007/s40617-017-0200-1
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