On these occasions children need assistance from those more skilled, usually adults/practitioners, to determine the best course of action for the child and those around them. It can be unclear how early years practitioners can help in ways that will best meet the child's needs, and an ABC chart can be a useful tool.
ABC behaviour charts help practitioners to monitor where children may be struggling and concerning behaviour is being exhibited. For example, a child might always be finding it difficult to control their temper in the afternoon, but not after having a nap. The child's key person can then adjust the child's schedule accordingly to make nap time earlier.
Regardless of the situation, behaviour charts are a great tool to meet the needs of children according to their developmental abilities and have a positive effect on children's behaviour. They are not only useful for recording incidents where children have difficulties but can, and should, also be used when children are functioning well and can be pleased with their behaviours.
A behaviour chart focuses the practitioner's observation on three key aspects of a child and their situation:
- A refers to the antecedent, the event or activity that occurs immediately before a particular behaviour
- B refers to an observed behaviour, a child's action(s), as seen/heard and recorded
- C refers to the consequence, the event that immediately follows a behaviour, such as the response(s) from the children and/or adults in the environment.
The ABC behaviour chart
An ABC behaviour chart does not have to be complex. As with all record- taking documentation, it should contain information about who the observations are about, who made the observations and the time of the observations. This will enable a thorough analysis and overview of a number of observations about a particular child and contribute towards appropriate changes to be made which will benefit those involved.
In the example (see chart), Simone, aged four years, has been observed to have been engaged aggressively with other children on two occasions, but she has been noted as having shared with one other child on a separate occasion.
There are many reasons why Simone may have behaved in the ways that she did on Monday and Thursday. They both happened in the afternoon, so perhaps she was feeling tired and irritable, or it may be that she hasn't yet mastered the skill of sharing and instead lashes out in frustration.
Observations alone are not enough to be able to understand Simone's behaviour completely. On talking to Simone's parents, her key person found out that Simone has been having difficulty adjusting to the birth of her baby brother Daniel and has not wanted to share her toys with the new baby.
Simone's key person makes a note to keep observing Simone and to take the time to develop her skills for sharing and being able to express when she does not want to share.
To make best use of the ABC behaviour chart, it is important to record what interventions and/or changes are made to the ways in which practitioners respond to events as a result of the findings. This enables practitioners to be able to work together and evaluate, over due course, any changes to behaviour and whether the support from any practitioners involved has been successful in contributing to a child's positive experiences in the setting.
Parents'/caregivers' involvement is invaluable, as they can provide their own observations from home and give context to children's behaviours in the setting. They may also have developed their own methods of dealing with certain behaviours and can offer their insights to effective solutions.
As with all attempts to understand children's behaviour, immediate or immediately consistent results should not be expected. As children develop they are practising their skills, whether they are self-control, autonomy, or sharing skills, and like any other skill such as learning to ride a bike, they will encounter frustration, make mistakes and take time to master the skill.
This is an edited extract.
ABC Behaviour Chart
Time/date: 2pm Monday 5th Feb 2007
Antecedent: What happened before the behaviour - Simone was digging in the sandbox and put her trowel down. Simone's friend Femi ran over to the sandbox and reached over to pick up the trowel.
Behaviour: What happened - Simone hit Femi on the head and got hold of the trowel.
Consequence: What happened next - Femi cried and was comforted by his key person. Simone was joined by her key person, who talked with her about what had happened and spent some time with Simone modelling turn-taking with toys in the sandbox.
Staff Name: Nicky, (key person)
Time/date: 10:45am Tuesday 6th Feb 2007
Antecedent: What happened before the behaviour - Simone was playing with several dolls in the home corner. Ambia asked her for a doll.
Behaviour: What happened - Simone appeared uncertain before handing over a doll to Ambia.
Consequence: What happened next - Simone and Ambia played side-by-side with their dolls for a few minutes.
Staff Name: Mark (pre-school worker)
Time/date: 3:25pm Thursday 8th Feb 2007
Antecedent: What happened before the behaviour - Simone was looking at pictures in a book. Kezia wandered over and sat down before trying to pull the book away.
Behaviour: What happened - Simone bit Kezia's hand, then pushed her.
Consequence: What happened next - Kezia cried, their key person comforted them both and asked Simone to say 'sorry', but Simone refused. Kezia was given another book to look at.
Staff Name: Nicky, (key person)
THE SOCIAL CHILD
The Social Child - Understanding and enabling children's social, emotional and behavioural development in early years settings by Rachel Lo and Ann Henderson is published by the Pre-school Learning Alliance, priced £16.95 to non-members and £13.55 to members. To order a copy, phone 0870 603 0062 or visit www.pre-school.org.uk/shop
LINKS TO EYFS & GUIDANCE
- UC 1.1 Child development
- PR 2.1 Respecting each other (understanding feelings)
- 2.4 Key person (shared care)
- EE 3.1 Observation, assessment and planning
- L&D PS&ED - Behaviour and self-control (pp33-34)
