The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA) included provisions for students with disabilities for functional behavioral assessments (FBA) and Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) programs to identify the source of student problem behavior and subsequent supports. For this study in particular, antisocial behaviors were examined. Researchers have questioned the benefit of the FBA to address complex antisocial behaviors as it relates to youth with high incidence disabilities. While FBA's are useful to identify problem behaviors, it was suggested that nonproximal factors, such as social dynamics, serve to promote antisocial patterns. This review will summarize the conceptual framework for the functional perspective of problem behavior, followed by research on social dynamics and finally, a closer look at research on the social problems of students with disabilities. .
The elementary principle for the functional perspective of problem behavior is encapsulated in this statement, "Behaviors serve to obtain or avoid attention; activities or tangibles; or sensory conditions" (Farmer, Lane, Lee, Lambert, 2012, p. 150). The process is defined as having three steps: defining the target behavior, antecedent conditions that lead to the behavior, and the intervention. This paper sought to make an additional emphasis on the need for attention to classroom social dynamics that might contribute to antisocial patterns. Social interchanges, an "interpersonal interaction in which two individuals behave in ways that contribute to each others' general patterns of behavior" (Farmer, et al., 2012, p.151) have two forms of synchronized behavior: reciprocity and complementarity in which two individuals respond with similar behaviors, and in which the behavior of one is necessary for the behavior of the other, respectively. Social network memberships are naturally occurring peer groups that involve hierarchical social structures.