Sometimes, behavior is closely related to what happens before or after it. When it is, paraeducators and functional behavioral assessment teams can note the:
Antecedent: the “quick trigger” that immediately precedes a behavioral response
Behavior: the observable, measurable, agreed upon action that takes place from the student
- Behavior should be defined so that anyone can walk into a class setting, know the behavior they are looking for and recognize it.
- “the student never participates during centers” VS “When participating in centers, the student stands next to his desk with his body turned towards the back of the classroom, manipulating his writing utensils in a fashion similar to cars,”
- With the second definition that has more observable, measurable and specific information, anyone who sees the child and his behavior will know the behavior. It is important paraeducators and teachers do not personalize the behavior, or add language that incorporates their own opinions, thoughts, or biases about why the behavior may be occurring.(McGuire & VanUitert, 2024)
Consequence: immediately follows a behavioral response
(Young-Pelton, 2015)
Scenario 1:
- Antecedent: The classroom is quiet, and the teacher is giving instructions to the class.
- Behavior: A student starts tapping their pencil rapidly on the desk, making a repetitive clicking sound.
- Consequence: The student is calm and the teacher asks the student to stop tapping the pencil and focus on the lesson.
- Function: Sensory Stimulation
- The student may be engaging in the tapping behavior to provide themselves with sensory input, as the repetitive sound or movement may help them focus, calm down, or feel more comfortable. This behavior is self-reinforcing, providing sensory feedback (e.g., the sound or feel of tapping the pencil) that the student finds stimulating.
Scenario 2:
- Antecedent: A teacher announces, “It’s time for snack break. You can go to the snack table.”
- Behavior: A student immediately runs to the snack table, pushing others aside to get there first.
- Consequence: The student might get to their favorite food earlier, but the teacher says, “Please be patient and wait your turn.”
- Function: Access to Tangible
- The student may be engaging in the behavior (running and pushing) to gain quick access to the snacks. The behavior is driven by the desire to access something tangible (the snack), and it is reinforced by the tangible reward of getting the snack first.
Scenario 3:
- Antecedent: The teacher reminds the class, “Please be respectful when others are speaking.”
- Behavior: The student interrupts another student during their presentation.
- Consequence: The teacher says, “You will need to apologize and wait for your turn to speak.”
- Possible Function: Attention
- The student may be seeking attention from the class or teacher by dominating the conversation and interrupting others
Scenario 4:
- Antecedent: The teacher says, “Finish your homework before you leave today.”
- Behavior: The student deliberately puts the homework in their bag without doing it.
- Consequence: The teacher says, “You will have to stay in for recess to complete your homework.”
- Possible Function: Escape
- The student may be trying to escape recess and by defying the request they get to avoid going to recess.
Here is an example of a chart that might be filled out for one of these situations:
| Date | Time | Antecedent | Behavior | Consequences | Possible Function |
| 2/15 | 9:30 AM | “Finish your homework” | Student puts the homework in their bag without doing it. | “You will have to stay in for recess to complete your homework.” | ESCAPE |
One thing to keep in mind is that adults who support students can shift the antecedent or consequence to give more functional responses or options to the student and in turn limit the behavior. Here is an example scenario where a teacher and student made this happen…
Imagine that a student needs a pencil so she solves her problem by taking a pencil from a classmate’s desk, the adult can redirect the behavior by saying, “You need a pencil, but instead of taking Billy’s pencil, please come up to my desk and take a pencil from our shared pencil bin.” The redirected behavior meets the same need as the original behavior (tangible), but in a more acceptable way. This is an example of positive redirection and giving the student the new replacement behavior to make their interaction in the classroom more functional.
Check out this research brief on Functional Behavior Analysis to learn more about ABCs of behavior and to find a BLANK ABC chart for your observations.