"He does it for attention." Teachers say this often, and sometimes it is true. It is also a guess dressed up as a fact. A hypothesis statement turns the guess into a sentence that can be checked.
This guide gives a template, six invented examples, and a way to test one. All students and details are made up.
What a hypothesis statement does
Colorado's guide describes it this way. The assessment should reveal conditions under which the behavior is most likely. It does not mean the behavior only happens then, or always happens then. It means that if these conditions continue, you are more likely to see the behavior than under other conditions. Organizing those conditions into one best-estimate explanation is the hypothesis. It is also, the guide says, a statement of what often follows the behavior and may be reinforcing it.
The purpose is practical. Colorado says the hypothesized function should guide the interventions, and that if the hypothesis is unclear, the team risks putting the wrong interventions in place and potentially making the behavior stronger or more challenging.
The template
Queensland's guide gives a fill-in version.
Its own example reads: during independent writing, when an extended writing task is provided, Taylor will put her head on the desk because the teacher aide will offer help, so the function is to access adult attention, and the behavior is more likely when Taylor has not slept well the night before.
The sentence has five slots, and each one has to come from data: where, what came first, what the student did, what followed, and what may have made it likelier.
Functions in school
Queensland describes two broad functions, to access something or to avoid something, with common examples. Access: a toy or tangible item, an activity, adult attention, peer attention, sensory stimulation. Avoid: an activity, a demand, peers, an unpleasant sensation, an adult. It adds that a behavior can serve more than one function depending on the context.
Six invented examples
| Situation | Behavior | What follows | Likely function | Statement in brief |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent math, 20 problems | Puts head down, pushes paper away | Teacher offers to start the first problem together | Avoid a long task | During independent math, when a long worksheet is given, Ana puts her head down because the work is delayed or eased. Function: avoid task. |
| Whole-group lesson, a peer answers | Calls out a comment | Classmates laugh | Access peer attention | During whole-group lessons, when a peer is called on, Eli calls out because classmates respond. Function: access peer attention. |
| Transition to lunch | Runs ahead of the line | Teacher walks quickly to him | Access adult attention | During transitions, when the class lines up, Omar runs ahead because the teacher comes to him. Function: access adult attention. |
| Free choice ends | Drops to the floor, cries | The game stays out five more minutes | Access a preferred activity | When a preferred activity is ended, Lila drops and cries because it is extended. Function: access activity. |
| Loud assembly | Covers ears, leaves the room | Staff walk her to a quiet space | Avoid an unpleasant sensation | During assemblies, when the room gets loud, Jun leaves because the noise ends. Function: avoid sensory input. |
| Group project | Tears up the group page | Group sends him to the hall | Avoid peers | During group work, when partners disagree with him, Cal tears the page because he is removed from the group. Function: avoid peers. |
In each row, the function comes from the pattern in the middle columns, not from the label on the behavior.
How to test one
Queensland's guide works through an example in which a student backchats during writing tasks. On four of five occasions, the behavior ended with the teacher moving away. That points to avoidance, but of what: the task, or the teacher's attention? The guide suggests testing the hypothesis by checking whether the student shows the same behavior with other adults, or whether she completes the task when given help.
Any hypothesis can be tested in one of two ways: look for other situations where it predicts the same pattern, or change one condition and see if the behavior changes. The plan itself is the second test. If you shorten a worksheet and the head-down behavior drops, the avoidance hypothesis gains support. If nothing changes, revisit the data.
Weak statements and their fixes
| Weak | Problem | Better |
|---|---|---|
| Sam acts out to get attention. | No setting, no behavior, no evidence of what followed | During read-aloud, when other students answer, Sam calls out jokes because peers laugh. Function: access peer attention. |
| Mia is defiant because she has a bad home life. | A judgment and a guess about causes the team cannot observe | During transitions from recess, when asked to line up, Mia says "no" and sits down because the line waits for her. Function: avoid the end of recess. |
| Leo has anger problems. | A label, not a pattern | During math, when he is corrected in front of peers, Leo tears his paper because the correction stops. Function: avoid correction in public. |
Each rewrite uses a setting, an event, an action, and an observed result. If you cannot fill those four slots, you do not have a hypothesis yet. You have a reason to keep collecting data.
When two functions fit
Queensland's example is a student who walks around the room to avoid a task during independent work, and to get peer attention during unstructured time. In that case, it says to write two statements. Each gets its own set of strategies in the plan. Combining them into one sentence leads to a plan that fits neither.
Writing it well
- Use the definition. The behavior slot should repeat the operational definition.
- Use observed consequences. Not what you think the student wants, but what happened.
- Keep the setting event separate. It raises the likelihood. It is not the trigger.
- Say "may" until the data hold. Colorado calls it a best guess.
- Share it with the family. They may know about the setting event.
For how the statement turns into a plan, see what to include in a BIP and FBA steps in order. Terms are in the glossary.
What a hypothesis is not
It is not a diagnosis or a label for the child. It is a statement about a pattern of behavior in a setting, and it can change when the setting changes. Where your district has a standard summary statement form, use it, and keep the data attached.