Content Index

What is the underlying problem that generates the symptoms that define the problem statement? Answers such as mental ‘illness’, bad schools, bad home environments, etc., are not the answer. Attempts to resolve the problem by covering the symptoms with pharmaceuticals or ‘blaming’ parents, teacher, human services workers or the children themselves are simply acts of ‘shifting the burden’.

There is danger in being an expert for in the mind of a beginner there are many possibilities, but in the mind of an expert there is only one. Professional clinicians need to discover the essence of their client’s ‘inner logic’, but often fail. All of the historic material given to you about the client’s past performances and the observations of other professionals combines with your own expertise to create a barrier to understanding. More importantly, perhaps, you have to watch as well as listen.

A functional behavior assessment is virtually mandatory whenever one works with a child’s behavior. The intent is to make a hypothesis about the function of the behavior. Knowing that, we can test the hypothesis and then find alternate ways that the child may reach those goals. Finally, we can then teach new skills to reach the goals more appropriately. Embedded in this description is of course, thought.

One of the constructs that is vital to understand about human beings is that they create themselves. Personalities are only influenced but not created by genetics or environment. Helen Keller and the ‘elephant man’ created elegant selves despite egregious influences of both genetics and the environment. This article explores the ‘elegance’ of self and expands to consider a group theory of culture.

The functional assessment requirements of IDEA ’97 have provided an impetus for the consistent implementation and interpretation of the functional behavioral assessment or FBA. Unfortunately, it also ignored the history of children with emotional and behavioral problems who create the most difficult issues for education and clinical services. This omission occurs because of the unwillingness or inability of practitioners to identify the differences between children whose behaviors are predominantly the result of deficits and those whose difficulties are primarily the result of distortion.