Functional behaviour Assessments (FBAs) are used to understand why a person is engaging in a particular problem behaviour. By identifying the function of a student's behaviour — whether it’s to gain attention, avoid a task, seek sensory input, or something else — practitioners can design specific strategies that are tailored, respectful, and effective.
Questionnaires are often one of the first tools used in an FBA. They can help gather valuable insights from the people who know the individual best — teachers, parents, caregivers, and support staff. These insights form a critical part of building a clear picture of what’s happening, when, and why.
In this article, we’ll look at high-quality questionnaires used in Functional behaviour Assessments. We’ll explore:
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The role of questionnaires in the wider FBA process
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Why they’re used, and what makes them a powerful tool
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How to structure your questionnaire for clarity and usefulness
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How to ask individual questions that invite honest, specific and helpful responses
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Common pitfalls — with examples of both good and bad questions, and why they work (or don’t)
Whether you're designing a new questionnaire or refining an existing one, this guide will help you gather more accurate, meaningful information — and ultimately support better outcomes for the person at the centre of the assessment.
This article refers to some of the features available in the Behaviour Help App. The app is the perfect way to carry out Functional behaviour assessment and manage effective interventions with collaboration between parents, school staff, practitioners and the child. For more information visit our Behaviour Help App page.
The Role of Questionnaires in the Functional Behaviour Assessment Process
FBA Questionnaires play a vital role in the information-gathering stage of an FBA. They allow you to collect insights from the people who know the individual best — parents, teachers, caregivers, or support staff — often across different environments. This helps build a well-rounded picture of when, where, and why behaviours occur.
What makes questionnaires so powerful is that they’re structured, consistent, and scalable. They prompt respondents to reflect on behaviour in a focused way, drawing attention to patterns and triggers that might otherwise go unnoticed. Unlike casual conversation, a good questionnaire ensures that key areas are covered and that information is gathered in a way that can be compared, analysed, and used to inform next steps.
When used alongside direct observation and interviews, questionnaires add depth, validation, and perspective — all of which are essential for developing effective support strategies and ultimately behaviour intervention plans.
Types of Questionnaires Used in Functional Behaviour Assessments
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to understanding behaviour. That’s why the Behaviour Help app, developed by Dolly Bhargava, suggests a range of evidence-based questionnaires that can be used to gather information as part of a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA). Each type of questionnaire serves a different purpose and offers a unique perspective on the individual’s behaviour, environment, and quality of life.
Below, we outline the main types of questionnaires referred to in the app, what they’re designed to do, and how to decide which ones to use in your own assessment process.
1. Family Quality of Life (FQOL)
Purpose: To understand the broader context in which the individual lives, particularly the family’s wellbeing and capacity to support the person’s needs.
How it’s used: This questionnaire is typically completed by parents or caregivers. It explores areas such as emotional wellbeing, physical and material wellbeing, family interactions, and access to support services.
What we hope to learn: The FQOL highlights factors in the home environment that may influence behaviour — including stress, unmet needs, or a lack of support — and provides a compassionate context for intervention planning.
When to use it: Particularly useful when behaviour challenges are occurring both at home and in other environments, or when family wellbeing may be a contributing factor.
2. Functional Assessment Interview (FAI)
Purpose: To gather detailed background information from someone who knows the individual well — often a teacher, caregiver, or support worker.
How it’s used: This semi-structured interview format walks the respondent through a wide range of topics, including the individual’s medical history, routines, communication skills, typical behaviours, and likely triggers.
What we hope to learn: A thorough narrative understanding of the individual’s behaviour across different settings and times, which helps form hypotheses about the function of the behaviour.
When to use it: Often one of the first tools used in an FBA; particularly useful when a detailed history and contextual overview is needed.
3. Functional Assessment Screening Tool (FAST)
Purpose: To quickly identify the likely function(s) of a specific behaviour.
How it’s used: The FAST is a checklist-style tool that asks respondents to indicate whether certain statements are true or not, based on their observations.
What we hope to learn: Whether the behaviour is most likely maintained by attention, escape, tangible rewards, or sensory input.
When to use it: Ideal for early-stage assessments where time is limited or as a complement to more in-depth tools.
4. Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS)
Purpose: To assess what motivates a specific behaviour in order to guide the selection of appropriate interventions.
How it’s used: Respondents rate how often a behaviour occurs under certain circumstances (e.g., when demands are placed, when alone, during transitions).
What we hope to learn: Patterns that indicate whether the behaviour is socially or automatically reinforced.
When to use it: Particularly useful for identifying sensory-related behaviours or when escape/attention motivations are suspected.
5. Questions About behavioural Function (QABF)
Purpose: To assess the function of a behaviour using a structured rating system.
How it’s used: This questionnaire asks caregivers to rate how often certain behaviours occur under various conditions.
What we hope to learn: Similar to the MAS, but slightly broader in scope. It helps clarify whether behaviour is maintained by attention, escape, access to tangibles, physical discomfort, or sensory stimulation.
When to use it: Helpful when behaviours are complex or seem to serve multiple functions. Often used alongside other tools for cross-verification.
6. Overt Behaviour Scale (OBS)
Purpose: To measure the frequency and severity of challenging behaviours in a consistent way.
How it’s used: Respondents record observable behaviours across defined categories (e.g., verbal aggression, property damage, withdrawal), providing both a count and a severity rating.
What we hope to learn: A quantifiable baseline of behaviour that can be monitored over time to evaluate the impact of interventions.
When to use it: Ideal for tracking progress or comparing behaviour across time periods, settings, or intervention strategies.
Do I Need to Use All of These?
Not necessarily. The key is to choose tools that are relevant to the person, suitable for the setting, and appropriate for the behaviour being assessed. In some cases, a quick screening tool like FAST (Functional Assessment Screening Tool) or MAS (Motivation Assessment Tool) may be enough to guide early intervention. In other situations, a combination of tools — such as the FAI (Functional Assessment Interview) for depth, the QABF (Questions About Behavioural Function) for functional insight, and the OBS (Overt Behaviour Scale) for tracking — may be more effective.
It's also worth considering the respondent's capacity and time. Parents or teachers may be more willing to engage with shorter tools, so prioritising one or two high-impact questionnaires can help ensure quality and completion.
By understanding the purpose and strengths of each questionnaire, you can tailor your approach to gather the most meaningful data for building a comprehensive and compassionate support plan.
Writing Great Questions
The quality of your questionnaire depends heavily on the quality of your questions. A poorly worded question can lead to confusion, vague responses, or unhelpful data — while a well-constructed question can unlock insight and clarity.
Here’s some general guidance on how to write questions that get honest, accurate, and useful responses with examples of good and poor questions:
1. Be Clear and Specific
Avoid vague or abstract wording. Instead of asking “Does the behaviour happen a lot?”, try “How often does the behaviour occur during a typical school day?” Quantify wherever possible, and avoid jargon unless your audience is trained to understand it.
Good: “How often does the behaviour occur during transitions between activities?”
Poor: “Is the behaviour frequent?”
2. Ask One Thing at a Time
Double-barrelled questions confuse the respondent and make answers hard to interpret.
Poor: “Is the behaviour worse at home or when the child is tired?”
Good: Ask as two separate questions:
Is the behaviour worse at home?
Is the behaviour worse when the child is tired?
3. Use Neutral Language
Avoid leading or emotionally loaded language. You want honest observations, not skewed opinions.
Poor: “Does the child act out when they don’t get their way?”
Good: “What typically happens when the child is denied access to something they want?”
4. Use Examples When Helpful
If the concept might be unclear, provide an example in brackets.
Good: “During periods of unstructured time (e.g., free play, lunch), how often does the behaviour occur?”
5. Be Mindful of Bias
Phrase questions in a way that allows for a full range of answers, not just confirming what you already suspect.
Poor: “What do you think causes the child to seek attention all the time?”
Good: “What typically happens before the behaviour occurs?”
6. Consider Format
Some questionnaires benefit from open-ended questions; others use checklists or rating scales. Match your question style to the tool and its intended use.
Using the Behaviour Help App Individual Profile
The Behaviour Help App Individual Profile acts as a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA) questionnaire by systematically gathering detailed information across multiple areas that help identify the function or purpose of a person’s behaviour of concern. Here's how it works:
Person centred information
The app gathers comprehensive background info about the individual: diagnoses, strengths, communication skills, sensory preferences, and emotional regulation. This supports the "Person" part of the 5 Ps in understanding behaviour (Person, Place, People, Preceding Events, Purpose).
Settings and Environment
The app captures details about environments where behaviours occur—helping identify how Place and People influence the behaviour. Patterns across different settings (e.g. school, home, community) become clearer.
Behaviour Description and History
Users input specific behaviours of concern, their frequency, intensity, and duration. The app tracks what typically happens before and after the behaviour (Antecedents and Consequences). This is central to identifying triggers (Preceding Events) and what maintains the behaviour.
Function of Behaviour Analysis
The app guides you to consider whether the behaviour serves to:
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Gain attention
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Escape / avoid demands
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Get access to items or activities
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Fulfil sensory needs
These are the purpose elements of the behaviour.
Patterns Over Time
The app can generate visual summaries or patterns (depending on version), helping you hypothesize function. This supports a data-driven analysis instead of assumptions.
Supports Planning
Once the function of the behaviour is understood, the app supports planning for:
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Preventative strategies
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Replacement behaviours
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Reactive strategies
This aligns with Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) principles, built on FBA findings.
Bottom Line
The Behaviour Help App Individual Profile simplifies and structures the FBA process by:
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Asking the right questions
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Organizing responses in a functional format
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Highlighting triggers, maintaining factors, and behavioural functions
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Guiding evidence-based intervention planning
Summary
Using questionnaires in a Functional Behaviour Assessment is often the first step in understanding and addressing problem behaviour in the classroom or other settings. When designed with care, these tools help uncover patterns, triggers, and consequences, guiding effective support planning.
By asking well-structured questions in specific terms, you encourage clear, honest responses that can be meaningfully interpreted. Whether you’re conducting an initial evaluation, gathering information from families, or tracking behaviour over time, thoughtful questionnaire design can make all the difference.
Choosing the right questionnaire for the situation — and writing the questions carefully — ensures that you’re gathering information that leads to insight, not confusion. This ultimately helps build a better picture of the individual and supports more positive outcomes for everyone involved.