Adelyons / Nello / ABC data sheet / Examples
ABC chart examples: filled-in rows for home and school
The ABC format is simple; the hard part is writing rows that still mean something three weeks later. Each example below shows a row the way it is usually written first, and the same moment rewritten so a clinician or teacher who was not there can read it. Names and details are made up.
1. A transition at home
- A
- Didn't want to go
- B
- Huge meltdown
- C
- Eventually calmed down
- Date · time · where
- Mon 08:10 · Home, hallway
- A
- Shoes on, I said "car now"; he was mid-episode on the tablet
- B
- Dropped to the floor, screamed, kicked the door
- C
- Waited next to him without talking; deep pressure on shoulders; walked to the car holding the tablet (off)
- Intensity · minutes
- 4 · 12
The rewrite names the actual antecedent (an abrupt stop to a preferred activity, plus a time demand), describes what was seen, and records what helped. After a few of these, "transition" shows up as the top antecedent in the summary, which is a conversation you can have with the team.
2. Sensory overload at school
- A
- Lunch
- B
- Upset, non-compliant
- C
- Removed from cafeteria
- Date · time · where
- Tue 11:55 · Lunchroom
- A
- Full cafeteria, two tables singing happy birthday, a tray dropped nearby
- B
- Hands over ears, stood up and walked to the wall, did not answer when spoken to
- C
- Aide offered the library; ate there with one friend; back in class on time
- Intensity · minutes
- 3 · 15
"Non-compliant" is a judgment; "did not answer when spoken to" is an observation and, in context, likely a shutdown rather than a refusal. The consequence shows a workable accommodation, which is exactly what an IEP team needs written down.
3. A demand
- A
- Homework
- B
- Refused
- C
- Lost screen time
- Date · time · where
- Wed 16:40 · Home, kitchen table
- A
- Second worksheet put down right after the first; no break
- B
- Pushed the paper off the table, said "no" repeatedly, went under the table
- C
- I took the worksheet away; ten minutes with the dog; did the sheet standing at the counter afterwards
- Intensity · minutes
- 2 · 10
Record what actually followed, even when it was not the plan. Rows that say what really helped are the ones that become the calm kit.
4. Waiting
- A
- Bus late
- B
- Stimming a lot then crying
- C
- Bus came
- Date · time · where
- Thu 15:20 · Bus stop
- A
- Bus 12 minutes late; no way to know how long; other kids crowding
- B
- Paced and flapped (fine), then crying and pulling at my arm toward home
- C
- Moved to the bench away from the group; counted cars together; bus came
- Intensity · minutes
- 3 · 8
Stimming is regulation, not the behavior to count. The row notes it in passing and counts the distress that followed the open-ended wait. "Waiting" and "unexpected" are both transition-type antecedents in Nello's summary.
5. A win
- (nothing written; it was a good day)
- Date · time · where
- Fri 10:05 · Playground
- Win
- Asked a classmate to play tag and played the whole recess
- Note
- Quiet morning; headphones in her bag; assembly was cancelled
Good days are data too. Nello keeps wins in the win jar alongside the ABC log, and a teacher with a school-day log link can send one from the playground.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good example of an antecedent?
Something observable that happened in the minute or two before: "the timer went off and the aide said carpet time", "a tray dropped in the cafeteria", "I said the iPad goes away in two minutes". "He was tired" is a guess about a state; keep it, but as a note.
How should I describe the behavior?
What a camera would have recorded. Avoid labels ("tantrum", "defiant", "aggressive"): two people will not agree on them, and the count only works if everyone is counting the same thing.
What goes in the consequence column?
What happened right after: what adults did, what the child got or avoided, and what settled things. It is not a punishment column.
Try the rows yourself
Type a few into the online ABC log and watch the summary fill in, or print the blank chart. In the Nello app the same capture takes under a minute, and the ABC data report lays it all out for the IEP meeting.