A printable ABC data sheet with example entries for antecedent, behaviour and consequence, plus setting events.
✓Behaviour definition sits at the top
✓Setting events checklist included
✓Print as PDF or fill online
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What's inside
Behaviour Definition
ABC Record
Setting Events Noticed
Observer Notes
Review by Supervising Clinician
Preview · 5 sections
ABC Data Sheet
Learner
Date(s)
Observer
Setting
Behaviour(s) Recorded
Sheet Number
Behaviour Definition
Behaviour
What It Looks Like (Definition)
What Does Not Count
ABC Record
Date / Time
Setting and Activity
Antecedent: Just Before
Behaviour: What the Person Did
Consequence: Just After
How Long / How Intense
Initials
Setting Events Noticed
☐ Poor sleep the night before
☐ Illness, pain, or constipation reported
☐ Change in routine or caregiver
☐ Missed meal or snack
☐ Visitors, a function, or a festival at home
☐ Travel or a new place
Observer Notes
Anything else the team should know
Review by Supervising Clinician
Patterns noted at reviewCompleted when the sheets are reviewed, not during recording.
How to fill it in
1
Behaviour Definition
The FBA or BIP definition, plus what does not count.
More guidance
Copy the definition from the FBA or BIP so everyone records the same behaviour, and add what does not count, which settles most disagreements between observers. If a caregiver will be recording, read the definition through together and check they would mark the same episodes you would.
2
ABC Record
One row per episode: what came just before, the action, and just after.
More guidance
Fill in one row per episode. Under antecedent, write what was happening or what was said just before. Under behaviour, describe the action. Under consequence, write what people did or what changed right after, including the behaviour simply stopping. Use plain words and leave out motives such as “wanted attention”.
3
Setting Events Noticed
Tick the conditions that made the behaviour more likely that day.
More guidance
Tick any setting events reported or observed that day. These are conditions that make a behaviour more likely without triggering it directly: poor sleep, hunger, illness, a change in carer. Add others the family mentions. A cousin's wedding or exam week for an older sibling can matter as much as anything in the room.
4
Observer Notes
Anything that does not fit the table, kept factual and initialled.
More guidance
Use this space for anything that does not fit the table: what helped the person settle, a skill used instead of the behaviour, or something unusual about the day. Keep it factual and initial each note so the reviewer can ask the right person.
5
Review by Supervising Clinician
Observers leave this blank; the supervising clinician notes patterns at review.
More guidance
The supervising clinician reviews completed sheets, usually weekly, and notes patterns across them: times, activities, people and consequences that repeat. Observers leave this section blank. Any interpretation is recorded in the FBA, where it is weighed against all the evidence.
ABC data sheet with example entries: filled sample
Fictional entries, initials only, showing the level of detail to aim for. Impression and summary sections are left for the treating clinician.
Behaviour Definition
Hitting: an open or closed hand makes contact with another person's body. Does not count: high fives, tapping a shoulder to get someone's attention.
ABC Record
10:40, maths in class. Antecedent: teacher handed out a new worksheet. Behaviour: K. pushed the sheet off the desk and put his head down. Consequence: teacher said “Okay, rest for a minute” and moved to the next child.
Setting Events Noticed
Ticked: poor sleep (mother reports he was up at 3 am); visitors at home for Diwali.
Observer Notes
After the third episode, K. pointed to the swing picture and went out with the aide. No further episodes in the next 30 minutes.
ABC recording vs frequency recording
ABC recording
Frequency recording
What it captures
The context around each episode
How many times a behaviour happens
Best for
Understanding why a behaviour happens
Measuring how much it happens and tracking change
Effort per episode
A few lines of writing
One tally mark
Who can use it easily
Trained observers and willing caregivers
Almost anyone, even during a busy routine
Used in
FBAs, and checks after a plan starts
Baselines, BIP data and progress reports
Main risk
Opinions creeping into the columns
Losing the context that explains the numbers
Tips and mistakes to avoid
Do
Keep a sheet and pen where the behaviour happens, such as on the fridge or in the school bag.
Give families the sheet in the script they read most easily, such as Marathi or Bengali.
Ask for entries across times and settings, including calm stretches.
Ask observers to estimate how many episodes they missed.
Use healhab's free session data tracker for counting, and keep this sheet for context.
Avoid
Writing reasons such as “wanted the tablet” or “being stubborn” in the ABC columns.
Leaving the consequence blank, when “no response” is still a consequence.
Recording only in the clinic.
Changing the definition midway instead of starting a fresh, dated sheet.
About this data sheet
An ABC data sheet records what happens just before a behaviour (the antecedent), the behaviour itself, and what happens just after it (the consequence), along with the time, setting and any setting events. Collected over several days, ABC records show patterns that help a behaviour therapist understand a behaviour. This sheet works on paper or in your browser.
During an FBA, across settings
When a new behaviour appears
When a behaviour rarely shows up in session
After a BIP starts, to check patterns
Read more
ABC recording, short for antecedent-behaviour-consequence, is the most widely used tool in a functional behaviour assessment. A therapist, parent or teacher fills in one row per episode, as soon as possible after it happens.
Twenty plain entries from home and school say more than five detailed ones from the clinic. US resources often call this an ABC behavior chart.
Questions
What does ABC stand for in behaviour therapy?+
Antecedent, behaviour and consequence: what happened just before the behaviour, the behaviour itself, and what happened just after. Recording all three over time helps the team understand what the behaviour does for the person.
How many ABC entries do I need?+
There is no fixed number. Most therapists want entries across several days and at least two settings before reviewing patterns. A behaviour that happens rarely may need a longer recording period.
Can parents fill in an ABC data sheet?+
Yes, after a short explanation and a worked example. Parents often see the behaviour more than anyone. Ask them to write what they saw in their own words, in any language.
What is the difference between an antecedent and a setting event?+
An antecedent happens just before the behaviour, such as an instruction or a toy being taken away. A setting event is a broader condition that makes the behaviour more likely, such as poor sleep or illness, and may have started hours earlier.
Should I write what I think caused the behaviour?+
Not in the ABC columns. Write what you saw and heard. Your ideas are useful; put them in observer notes or raise them at review, where they can be checked against the data.
Is there a filled ABC data sheet example?+
Each section guide shows a fictional example entry, using initials only. The supervising clinician's review section is left blank, because patterns are judged at review. Print the sheet as a PDF or fill it in online.
Is an ABC data sheet enough to write a BIP?+
Not on its own. ABC records are one source in an FBA, alongside interviews, baseline measures and direct observation. The supervising clinician reviews the hypotheses before the BIP is written. Use ABC data again after the plan starts to see whether patterns shift.
