Behavior Data-Sheet Best Practices

Behavior data is only as useful as the consistency of the recording. The most common pattern in DD residential settings is great data for the first two weeks of a new BSP, then drift. Use this card to coach DSPs on what to record, what to skip, and how to keep the data trustworthy for the BCBA's quarterly review.

The ABC Frame

Antecedent

What was happening immediately before the behavior. Be specific about environment, activity, people present, transitions.

"Lunch had just ended. John was asked to go to the day room. He had been engaged in a video for 20 minutes."

Behavior

Observable, measurable description. No inferences about intent or cause.

"John raised his voice, said 'no' three times, walked toward his bedroom and shut the door."

Consequence

What happened immediately after - staff response and individual's response to staff.

"Staff used BSP strategy 2 (offer choice + 5-min reset). John reopened the door after 4 minutes and rejoined the group."

Things That Make BCBAs Cringe

"Aggressive behavior"

Too vague. What did the person actually do? Hit? Throw? Yell? Specific verbs only.

"For no reason"

There's always an antecedent. If you don't know it, write what you observed about the environment 60 seconds before.

"Attention-seeking"

Function hypotheses are the BCBA's job. Just record what happened.

Missing the consequence

The "C" is half the value. Even routine staff responses (verbal redirect, choice offered) need to be logged so patterns can be analyzed.

Logged after a 6-hour gap

Recall fades fast. Aim for <15 minutes from event to log entry.

What Else to Capture

Date, time, location (mandatory for trend analysis)
Duration (start time → end time, not "long" or "brief")
Intensity rating per the BSP scale (typically 1–5)
BSP strategy used + whether it was effective
Staff present (so the BCBA can spot patterns by staffing)
Health context (recent illness, sleep, medication change) - even if seems unrelated

Don't log behaviors that aren't on the BSP. If a new behavior appears, document it as an incident report or daily-note observation and tell the BCBA so the BSP can be updated. The data sheet is for plan-defined target behaviors only.

In CareHub: Log behavior data at Forms → Behavior Data Sheet. The sheet auto-populates the individual's BSP target behaviors, intensity scale, and strategies - staff just select what they observed and used. Behavior Analytics surfaces trend graphs by frequency, antecedent type, time of day, and staff member.