How to Request a Functional Behavior Assessment at School

If your child’s behavior is getting in the way of learning, safety, friendships, or daily school routines, you may be wondering how to ask the school for more support. A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a school-based evaluation that looks at why a behavior may be happening, not just what the behavior looks like.

For parents, the process can feel formal and a little intimidating. The good news is that you can request an FBA in writing, ask for the data behind the school’s conclusions, and use your child’s therapy information to help the team see the full picture.

When Should You Request a Functional Behavior Assessment?

You may want to request an FBA when behavior is affecting your child’s access to learning or school life. This may include:

• Frequent removals from class.
• Aggression, elopement, refusal, or unsafe behavior.
• Repeated suspensions or discipline concerns.
• Behavior that interferes with communication, peer interaction, or routines.
• A current Behavior Intervention Plan that is not helping.
• A possible Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) after disciplinary removal.

An FBA can also be helpful when the team is unsure whether behavior is connected to communication, sensory needs, sleep, anxiety, task difficulty, or another support need. For example, if your child has communication challenges, it may help to understand how behavior and communication connect. Our guide on ABA and speech therapy explains how different supports can work together.

How to Request an FBA Step by Step

A written request creates a clear record. Parent advocacy groups such as DREDF and PAVE provide sample request letters families can use as a starting point.

1. Write a Clear Request

Address the letter or email to your child’s IEP case manager, principal, or special education director.

Include:

• Your child’s name, grade, and school.
• The behaviors you are concerned about.
• How the behaviors affect learning, safety, or participation.
• A direct request for a Functional Behavior Assessment.
• A request for the school to respond in writing.

2. Ask for an IEP Meeting

The IEP team should discuss the concern, review existing data, and decide the next steps. The team may include parents, teachers, school psychologists, behavior specialists, administrators, and related service providers.

3. Give or Decline Consent

Schools usually need parent consent before conducting a formal evaluation. Read the consent form carefully and ask what settings, behaviors, and data sources will be included.

4. Ask for Prior Written Notice

If the school refuses your request, ask for Prior Written Notice (PWN). PWN is a formal document explaining what the school agreed or refused to do, why it made that decision, and what information it used.

This matters because it keeps the response documented, not just discussed in a hallway or quick phone call.

What Should an FBA Include?

A strong FBA should look at patterns across the school day. According to Understood, an FBA often includes observations, interviews, and data review to understand what happens before and after a behavior.

Parents can ask:

• Where was the behavior observed?
• Who collected the data?
• How many observations were completed?
• What happened right before the behavior?
• What happened right after?
• Was communication, sensory need, sleep, or task difficulty considered?

If your child is starting ABA services, it may help to compare how school observations and therapy observations are gathered. Our guide to the first ABA session explains what families may expect when a provider begins learning about a child’s needs.

How to Review FBA Results

When you receive the FBA, look for the “why” behind the behavior. This is sometimes called the function of behavior. Common examples include escaping a difficult task, seeking attention, accessing an item, or responding to sensory discomfort.

You may want to question the findings if:

• The school observed only one setting.
• The behavior was described vaguely.
• The conclusion does not match what you see at home or in therapy.
• The FBA ignores communication or sensory needs.
• The data was collected during an unusual week.
• The proposed support focuses mostly on consequences instead of prevention and teaching skills.

Every child is different, and behavior can have more than one reason. If sleep is part of the concern, our article on autism and sleep may help you think through patterns that could affect the school day.

How Private Therapy Data Can Help

If your child receives private ABA, speech therapy, occupational therapy, or counseling, you can ask the school to consider outside information. This might include behavior data, communication goals, sensory observations, or provider recommendations.

You can:

• Share written reports with the IEP team.
• Ask your private provider to explain patterns in plain language.
• Request a release form so providers can communicate.
• Bring examples of strategies that help your child.
• Ask the school how outside data was considered.

The school does not have to copy a private therapy plan exactly, but the IEP team should consider relevant information when planning school supports.

From FBA to Behavior Intervention Plan

The FBA should guide the Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). A BIP explains how adults will prevent challenging behavior, teach replacement skills, and respond consistently when behavior happens.

A helpful BIP should include:

• Clear behavior definitions.
• Prevention strategies.
• Replacement skills to teach.
• Reinforcement plans.
• Staff responsibilities.
• Data collection methods.
• A review schedule.

The goal is not to blame the child. The goal is to understand what support the child needs to participate in school as safely and successfully as possible, including in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).

What If You Disagree With the FBA?

If the FBA feels incomplete or inaccurate, you can ask the IEP team to review the data. You may also ask for additional observations, a revised FBA, or information about an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE).

Bring your concerns in writing and keep the tone clear and specific. For example: “The FBA states that the behavior is attention-seeking, but the data does not appear to include observations during independent work, when the behavior most often occurs.”

A Simple FBA Request Template

Dear [School Team],

I am requesting a Functional Behavior Assessment for my child, [Child’s Name], because [briefly describe behavior concerns] are affecting [learning, safety, participation, peer interaction, or access to the classroom].

Please consider observations, teacher input, parent input, relevant school data, and outside provider information as part of this assessment. I am also requesting an IEP meeting to discuss this request and next steps.

If the school refuses this request, please provide Prior Written Notice explaining the decision.

Thank you,
[Your Name]

Final Thoughts

Requesting an FBA can feel like a big step, but it is really a way to ask, “What is my child trying to communicate, and how can we support them better?” Put your request in writing, ask for the data, share what you know, and keep the focus on practical support.

If the concerns continue or the plan does not seem to help, a special education advocate, private provider, or qualified professional can help you understand your options.

References

• PubMed: Does a pre-intervention functional assessment increase intervention effectiveness?
• PubMed: The Ecological Validity of Research Studies on Function-Based Interventions in Schools for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder