BFF — Behavior Function Finder

A Quick Behavioral Observation & Function Finding Tracker

When challenging behavior happens, it can be difficult to know what happened, why it may be happening, and what to do next.

The BFF — Behavior Function Finder is a simple, one-page behavioral tracking tool designed to help caregivers, educators, students, and professionals quickly capture the information surrounding a behavior and identify patterns that may help inform next steps.

Instead of relying on lengthy documentation, the BFF uses easy-to-check boxes, quick selections, and brief notes to capture:

Setting: Where the behavior occurred

Setting Events: Sleep and food patterns that may provide important context

Antecedent: What happened immediately before the behavior

Behavior: What the child actually did

Consequence: What happened immediately afterward

Possible Function: What the consequence may suggest about the behavior, including escape, attention, access to an item/activity, or sensory/automatic variables

Notes: Additional information that may be important to understanding the pattern

The BFF Helps You Move From:

“What just happened?”

→ “What happened before and after?”

→ “What pattern am I noticing?”

→ “What might be influencing this behavior?”

→ “What should I consider teaching, changing, or reinforcing?”

Designed with feasibility in mind, the BFF can be used across home, school, community, clinical, and other service settings.

It can be especially helpful when you have limited time but still need meaningful behavioral information.

Use it to document individual incidents, compare patterns across situations, and organize observations that can inform future behavioral problem-solving and intervention planning.

Your Behavior BFF:

Observe. Capture. Understand. Plan.