Slowing down the Bandwagon: The Misapplication of Functional Assessment for Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

Despite the tremendous attention being given to functional assessment and legal mandates regarding its use, little is known empirically about this process for students with emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD). This article discusses the promise and practice of functional assessment, provides a critical review of the existing experimental literature in the area of E/BD, and presents a research agenda that will lead to more informed decisions regarding the use of functional assessment in the schools.