When working with people which have social disabilities, such as Autisim, Bipolar, severe ADHD, and maybe ADD, it is important to track information. Documentation is vital when you are trying to learn what triggers an individuals behavior, and trying to determine what works when trying to modify behaviors. 

Simple things such as transition are frequently causes for bad behaviors in an individual with Social Disorders, and you want to be able to pick out events which trigger the change in their behavior, so that you can find ways to help the individual cope. De-escalation can be a tedious task, but if you become aware of the triggers, you can be ready to utilize techniques you have found which lessen the reaction.

Observation Cards are a great tool for documentation. They can printed in a format which you can simply carry in your back pocket, and have readily available for when the behavior arises. The amount of information is small enough, that it does not take much time to make the notes, and can be filled out once you have gotten everything under control. But there is enough information to track patterns, and results of techniques utilized for trying to control the behavior.

I have included a sample Observation Card, as well as a file you can simply print, so that you can have these cards in a pocket sized sheet, which only needs to be printed and cut down.

Feel free to print these Observation Cards and carry them with you, so that you have something to make your documentation on. Realize that it is important to document this information soon after the incident arises, so that everything is fresh on your mind.

Printable Observation Card File  (Microsoft Word.doc)

 


OBSERVATION CARD

 

Name: _________________________________

 

Observer: _______________Date: ___________

 

Trigger:

Challenging Behavior:



Maintaining Consequence:



Possible Function: