Understanding Your Child's Behavior Graphs

A Parent's Guide to Reading Behavior Data

Why Behavior Graphs Matter

Behavior graphs help us see patterns over time - not just single days. They show whether strategies are working and help the team make good decisions about your child's support. This guide will help you understand what you're seeing so you can be a full partner in your child's success!

1 Understanding the Parts of a Graph
Number of Times (Frequency) Days/Sessions

Y-Axis (Up and Down)

Shows how much or how often - like counting how many times something happened

X-Axis (Left to Right)

Shows time passing - usually days, weeks, or sessions

Data Points

Each dot shows one day's data - connect them to see the pattern

|

Phase Lines

Vertical lines show when something changed (new strategy started)

2 Reading Trends (The Big Picture)

Don't focus on single days - look at the overall direction over time:

Decreasing Trend

For challenging behaviors, going DOWN is good progress!

Stable/Flat Trend

Staying the same - may need to adjust strategies

Increasing Trend

Going up - time to problem-solve with the team

Remember: For replacement behaviors (the good behaviors we're teaching), we WANT to see an increasing trend!

3 What to Look For
📊

Compare to Baseline

The "baseline" is how things were before intervention started - are we better than that?

🎯

Progress Toward Goal

Look for the goal line - is the trend moving toward it?

📅

Patterns in Time

Are certain days always higher? (Mondays? After weekends?) This is useful info!

Big Changes

Sudden spikes or drops? Ask what happened that day

💬 Great Questions to Ask Your Child's Team

What does this trend tell us?
Are we on track to meet the goal?
What happened on these high/low days?
What can I do at home to help?
How often is data being collected?
When will we review progress again?

Tips for Parent Partners

Ask for regular updates. You should see graphs at least monthly, not just at IEP meetings.
Share home observations. If you notice patterns at home, tell the team!
Celebrate small wins. Any movement in the right direction is progress.
Ask "why" not "what." Understanding causes helps find solutions.