How do caregivers write an ABC behavior note for an adult resident?

What ABC means

ABC is a simple way to organize what you observed:

"Consequence" here doesn't mean a punishment. It just means what followed.

A fictional example

Antecedent: At dinner, the television in the next room got louder. Behavior: Maya covered her ears and said, "Too loud." Consequence: I offered the quieter table. She chose it and finished her meal.

As one note: "At dinner the television got louder. Maya covered her ears and said, 'Too loud.' I offered the quieter table. She chose it and finished her meal."

Using ABC with adults

Most ABC charts online are made for children and schools. With adult residents, keep the same structure and add two things:

• Respect. Describe what you saw and heard, not a judgment such as "attention-seeking."
• The plan. If the resident's care plan names a support, say whether you used it.

Mistakes to avoid

• Labels instead of observations. "Agitated" tells the reader less than what the resident actually did.
• Guessing why. Write the antecedent you saw. Don't invent a reason.
• Leaving out what staff did. The consequence includes the support you gave.
• Adding details later. If you don't know something, say so.