Menstrual discomfort as a biological setting event for severe problem behavior: assessment and intervention.

Assessment and intervention approaches for problem behavior need to be extended to deal with biological setting events. To meet assessment needs, we developed a strategy involving four components: interview, archival record review, direct observation, and functional analysis. Data indicated that problem behaviors (aggression, self-injury, and tantrums) were linked to both a biological setting event (menstrual discomfort) and certain discriminative stimuli (task demands).