Records Review and Intake Hypotheses
Key Takeaways
- Domain F assessment begins with records review, but records generate hypotheses rather than conclusions.
- Intake information should clarify referral concerns, risks, strengths, context, and current supports.
- Assessment questions should connect directly to later service, referral, and goal decisions.
- Old plans, labels, and stakeholder reports must be checked against current direct data.
Records Review in Domain F
TCO6 Domain F, Behavior Assessment, includes records review as part of building an assessment plan. Records may include referral forms, prior assessments, graphs, behavior plans, medical notes, educational documents, incident reports, interviews, and treatment histories.
Records are not the assessment result. They help identify what to ask, where to observe, which safety issues to plan for, and which data systems may already exist. Treat them as context for hypotheses that must be tested or supported by current data.
What to Extract
| Record source | Assessment use |
|---|---|
| Prior graphs | Detect trends, variability, and response to past supports |
| Incident reports | Identify topographies, contexts, severity, and injury risk |
| Education or service plans | Locate current goals, accommodations, and constraints |
| Medical or mental health notes | Flag variables for collaboration or referral |
| Caregiver or staff reports | Generate questions for interviews and observation |
Intake Hypothesis Builder
- Define the referral concern in observable terms.
- List reported antecedents and consequences.
- Note setting events, medical variables, cultural variables, and safety needs.
- Identify missing data that direct observation or assessment must answer.
- Decide which assessment method is least intrusive and most informative.
A strong intake hypothesis sounds tentative: "disruption may be maintained by escape from difficult writing tasks." A weak one sounds final before assessment: "the student is oppositional." Exam answers should favor behavior-environment language over labels.
Assessment-to-Goal Link
Records should help narrow the next decision. If prior data show no independent toileting steps, a skills assessment may come before a reduction goal. If incidents cluster during transitions, descriptive assessment may be needed before selecting alternative behavior goals.
A BCBA reviews a prior report stating that a client's aggression is attention maintained. The report has no data, and staff say the behavior now occurs mostly during demands. What is the best interpretation?
Which intake note is most useful for planning a behavior assessment?
During records review, a BCBA finds recent reports of fainting during physical activity. What is the best next step before conducting an intensive behavior assessment involving exercise demands?