ABC Data Collection Procedure
ABC Data: “ABC” stands for Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence, often called Three
Step Contingency. ABC Data is a direct observation tool that can be used to collect
information about the events that are occurring within a student's environment. "A" refers
to the antecedent, or the event or activity that immediately precedes a problem behavior.
The "B" refers to observed behavior, and "C" refers to the consequence, or the event that
immediately follows a response. Observing and recording ABC data assists in forming a
hypothesis statement and gathering evidence that the function maintaining a problem
behavior has been identified.
Date & Time
Staff Member
& Location
Antecedent
Behavior
Consequence
What
happened
before the
behavior?
Describe the
behavior
What happened after
the behavior?