Easy as A-B-C!

The ABC model helps people in analysing the behaviour they want to change by examining the behaviour, identifying the triggers and looking into what is the variable that is affecting the behaviour. A central idea behind the ABC Model is that the majority of behaviours we display are learned. That means that behaviours that have been a problem for your child at home or school are also learned. The good news is that if your child has learned to hit others/self, whine, or throw a tantrum, he can also learn new , more appropriate ways to behave. This is not to suggest that someone set out purposefully to tech a child to hit others, rather the hitting is the result of certain conditions in the environment. For a classic example, consider a child who is screaming at the grocery store because he wants some of the toys on display. Her mom may initially say no, but then the child continues to scream, the parent may finally gives her the toy. This makes sense in the moment, because the child is not happy and the mom is no longer embarrassed by the public tantrum and no longer has to listen to her child scream. However, how may this mom's response cause problems in the future?

The ABC model stands for A = Antecedent, B = Behaviour, C = Consequences. The ABC model suggests that when conditions allow certain antecedents and consequences to occur around a behaviour, the result may be an increase or decrease in that behaviour.

ANTECEDENTS. It is the situation or event that comes prior to a behaviour. It is most of the time described as the "trigger" for the behaviour that follows. An antecedent can be an event (e.g. dog barking), a person (e.g. a math teacher not another student), or an object (e.g.traffic light, cookies) in the environment that signals a person to do engage to a specific behaviour.

BEHAVIOUR. Any action that a living organism does which is observable and measurable (counted or timed). Just about everything we do can be described as a behaviour. Turning the radio on in the morning, drinking hot chocolate, kissing your mom are all examples of behaviours. Children engage in behaviours throughout the day, such as playing on the sand pit, eating lunch, playing with friends or riding a bicycle. In addition, they may exhibit problem behaviours, such as hitting a peer, kicking a dog, or scratching their own arm. In the ABC model, it is important that everyone (parents, teachers, therapist) use a specific, detailed descriptions of the child's behaviour so that everyone is clear about what behaviours are happening.

CONSEQUENCE. This describes what happens immediately after, and in response to a behaviour. Some consequences are natural, like burning your hand when you touch a hot stove, or getting a chips after putting money in a vending machine It is consequence that helps maintain a behaviour or make it more likely that it will continue, increase or decrease overtime.

By identifying the ABC's of the target behaviour for change, this will help you analyse what the function/s of your child's behaviour through functional assessment to be able to have a clear idea in which strategy to use for your child's behaviour support plan.