Direct Measurements

This section outlines strategies for directly measuring and recording challenging behavior. Each strategy has its own strengths and limitations. We do not provide direct recommendations in that one procedure should be used over another. Instead, we highlight each of the strategies benefits and drawbacks, and provide readers with a decision tree for selecting an appropriate measurement system.

Key to any direct and reliable measurement of challenging behavior is the development of operational definitions for the target responses. Definitions must be objective and clear, with well-established understanding of when a response begins and ends. The operational definition must also include examples and non-example such that any observer clearly understands what a behavior is and is not. See the Challenging Behaviors Overview for a list of common topographies and corresponding operational definitions for challenging behaviors.

Once operational definitions are developed, strategies for direct measurement should be selected. There are many measurement strategies available to practitioners, each with strengths and limitations. The table below provides a summary of measurement procedures with associated strengths, potential limitations, and examples of use from the published literature. These data may be collected through a variety of means including paper and pencil data collection, use of response clickers and timers, or computer-based data collection software (e.g., BDataPro; Bullock, 2017).

Measurement Procedures for Challenging Behavior