Tracking behaviour without pathologising it

Behaviour tracking can quietly tip into something darker — a record of a person's worst moments, used to justify increasingly restrictive responses.

Reframe the why

Behaviour data should help us:

• Spot patterns (time, environment, sleep, food, transitions).
• Test hypotheses ("if we change the morning routine, do meltdowns drop?").
• Celebrate progress (yes, progress — the line going down is a win).

It should not be used to:

• Build a case to remove someone from a placement.
• Justify increasingly restrictive practice.
• Decide whether a person deserves something.

What good tracking looks like

• Antecedent, behaviour, consequence captured factually.
• Strategies that helped captured alongside.
• Participant voice invited where appropriate.
• Review fortnightly, not just when something goes wrong.

A check we use

Before clicking save on a behaviour log, ask: "Would I be comfortable for the participant to read this in five years?" If not, rewrite.