An ABC entry takes about a minute to write. Read together, a dozen of them can change what a team does. Written badly, they are a stack of paper that says nothing.
This guide is about the first kind. It covers what goes in each column, what a good entry looks like next to a poor one, and how to read a set.
What the columns hold
Queensland's ABC form has three columns, headed before, identified problem behavior, and after. The instruction at the top says: when the problem behavior occurs, record what happened immediately before and after. The IES practice guide's entry sheet for low-frequency behavior describes the same three: antecedents (curricular, social, and setting variables), behavior (what it looks like: frequency, duration, intensity), and consequences (reactions and reinforcers).
| Column | Record | Leave out |
|---|---|---|
| A: before | The activity, the direction or request, who was nearby, any change in routine | Guesses about the student's mood |
| B: behavior | What was done, in the words of your definition, with how long or how many | Labels such as "meltdown" or "defiant" |
| C: after | What adults and peers did, what the student got or avoided, how the activity continued | What you wish had happened |
The IES guide also lists context to note on each instance: time of day, location in the room, subject matter, type of learning activity, difficulty of the task, and the presence of particular peers or adults. Put these in a header row so they do not clutter the three columns.
Good and poor entries
| Column | Poor entry | Good entry |
|---|---|---|
| A | Was in a bad mood | 10:05, independent math, 20-problem worksheet handed out, aide across the room |
| B | Had a meltdown | Pushed worksheet off desk, put head down, said "this is stupid," 4 minutes |
| C | Got what he wanted | Aide came over, offered to do first problem together, he started working |
The poor entry cannot be counted, compared, or checked. The good entry can. Notice that the good entry names the time, the activity, the task, a quoted phrase, a duration, and the adult response. A second person reading it would picture the same scene.
Step by step
- Have the definition in front of you. Write it at the top of the sheet. See writing an operational definition.
- Wait for the behavior. Do not fill in a row for something that does not match the definition.
- Write the antecedent first, from memory of the last minute. What was happening just before? The directive, the task, the change.
- Write the behavior in plain action words, with duration or count.
- Write what followed, for both adults and peers.
- Add the time and the setting. A row with no time cannot be placed in a pattern.
- Do it as soon as you can. Queensland suggests completing the form soon after an incident when the teacher cannot watch in real time.
How many entries, and for how long
Queensland says observations typically take 15 to 30 minutes, to continue until at least five occurrences have been seen, and that for less frequent behavior it may be necessary to observe on separate days or weeks. The IES guide says to keep the method very simple: for a behavior that occurs several times a day, record over just a few days; for one that occurs a few times a week, one to two weeks, so that there are enough instances to inform a plan.
If you are the person who is usually with the student, Queensland says it may be best that you be trained to record, and to complete an ABC form soon after an incident. That means the training matters: a recorder who has been taught how to complete the form accurately, practiced, and compared notes with someone more experienced will produce better data than a stranger with a clipboard.
Reading a set
Lay out eight or ten entries and read down each column.
| Pattern looked for | Count | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Antecedent: a long written task handed out | 7 of 10 | The task may be a trigger |
| Antecedent: a change in routine | 2 of 10 | A second possible trigger |
| Consequence: adult came over to help | 6 of 10 | Help may follow the behavior |
| Consequence: task delayed or shortened | 5 of 10 | Avoidance may be paying off |
| Time: before 11:00 | 8 of 10 | Morning may matter |
A pattern is a count, not a feeling. Seven of ten is a pattern. Three of ten is a clue. From a table like this the team writes a hypothesis, as in hypothesis statement examples, and tests it. For frequent behavior, a scatterplot may be quicker. See scatterplot data for behavior.
A five-minute training for whoever records
Before a paraprofessional, co-teacher, or substitute takes ABC data, run a short practice. Read the definition aloud. Show the good entry from the table above and ask what is missing from the poor one. Then both of you write an entry for the same two minutes of a video or a real moment and compare. If your entries differ on what counted as the antecedent, talk it through. It costs five minutes now and spares you a week of entries you cannot use. Queensland says novice observers find it very helpful to observe alongside a more experienced person and then compare notes, and that the recorder should be taught how to complete the form accurately and have the chance to practice.
Common traps
- Recording only the dramatic ones. Include the typical ones, too.
- Writing the consequence you intended. Write what actually happened.
- Leaving out the quiet adult response. A look, a pause, or a walk-over is often the consequence.
- Mixing two behaviors on one sheet. Use one sheet per defined behavior.
- Forgetting the times the behavior could have happened and did not. Note a few of these for contrast.
After the plan starts
NCII's behavior guide lists revisiting the ABC data to make sure an intervention addresses the correct function as one step when progress is not adequate. Keep a few ABC entries going after the plan begins, so you can see whether the pattern has changed.
Where practice differs
The sources describe forms and methods, not a required one. Your district may use its own ABC sheet, an electronic tool, or an observation protocol led by a school psychologist or behavior analyst. Use what your district uses, and keep the habits above. Terms are in the glossary.