A COTA is gathering information to support the OTR in developing a functional behavior analysis plan for a child with autism who demonstrates severe behavioral problems. Which approach adheres to the essential elements of creating a comprehensive behavioral support plan?
1) Conducting a thorough assessment of the child's behavior and identifying the antecedents and consequences of the problem behavior.
2) Implementing a punishment-based approach to eliminate the problem behavior.
3) Ignoring the problem behavior and focusing on teaching new skills.
4) Using medication as the primary intervention for the problem behavior.