Once you’ve gathered ABC behavioral data, it’s time to actually put it to work. The next step in using ABC data is to look for patterns in the student’s behavior and form a hypothesis.  Once you form a hypothesis you may need to gather more evidence to to make sure your hypothesis is correct. You can gather more information about the child’s behavior through interviews with members of the child’s IEP team, parents, and other support staff. The cause of a behavior usually becomes more apparent when there are consistencies in both ABC data observations and functional assessment interviews.

ABC data should be used every so often to track the progress of IEP goals, along with classroom observations, and interviews. Essentially, the main goal of ABC data is to help the IEP team learn about patterns and functions of behaviors present in a particular student. ABC data can also help the IEP team to evaluate behaviors, behavioral plans and make modifications as needed to address problems or challenges associated with an autistic student.