ABA Interval Recording Data Sheet and Review

An ABA interval recording data sheet divides an observation into equal cells and applies one written scoring rule to each valid cell. Keep the method name beside the result. Partial-interval recording, whole-interval recording and momentary time sampling can each produce a percentage, yet they ask the observer different questions.

Clinicians & ABA Professionals / Data, Outcomes and Clinical Decision-Making.

The worksheet below keeps the chosen method, interval length, scoring instant, valid coverage and result together. A qualified clinician must select and supervise the measurement procedure. This form does not prescribe a method or interval length, convert sampled data into continuous duration, identify function, or choose treatment.

Name the sampled question

The clinical question and observable target come first. Under the responsible clinician's plan, select one recording rule. Partial-interval recording asks whether the target occurred at any point during the interval. Whole-interval recording asks whether it occurred throughout the full interval under the stated rule. Momentary time sampling asks whether it was occurring at a specified instant.

Do not combine those rules on one grid. A positive mark must have the same meaning from the first valid interval to the last. If the method or interval length changes, end the old version and start a new one.

The current RBT Test Content Outline, 3rd edition lists partial-interval, whole-interval and momentary-time-sampling procedures in its data-collection domain for the examination beginning in 2026. The same outline addresses objective documentation, supervision, competence and confidential information. It identifies examination content, not a universal selection rule or authorization to make independent clinical decisions.

Measurement contract

Write enough detail for a trained observer to know exactly when to look and what to score. Include how timing cues work, what happens during a pause and how the observer marks a cell that cannot be scored.

Sampling contractEntryClient or authorized case codeObservation purpose and clinical questionResponsible clinicianTarget response and observable definitionSelected method: partial interval, whole interval or MTSExact positive-score ruleInterval lengthObservation length and planned number of intervalsMTS scoring instant, if applicableTiming cue and clock synchronizationStart and stop rule for the targetUnavailable, interrupted and ambiguous-cell codesPlanned settings, routines, people and timesObserver training and competence checkClient communication, assent, dissent and break signalsOrdinary supports and accessibility arrangementsHealth and safety stop conditionsForm, definition, method and schedule versionApproved record location and access rule

Score dictionary

A short code set is easier to audit. A missed or interrupted interval is not a negative observation. A blank cell is ambiguous because the reader cannot tell whether the observer saw no target, forgot to score or could not observe.

CodeMeaningEnters valid denominator?Notes+Target met the selected positive-score ruleYesMethod label stays attached-Valid observation; target did not meet the positive ruleYesNot equivalent to absence outside the ruleUObservation unavailableNoRecord whyXInterval interrupted or invalidNoRecord timing and reason?Score uncertain and routed for reviewNo, pending reviewNever force to positive or negative

The study Procedures and Accuracy of Discontinuous Measurement of Problem Behavior in Common Practice describes method and interval-size effects on measurement error in its evaluated data. It supports preserving those settings with the result. The study does not supply one interval size or method for every client, response and context.

Blank interval grid

Number intervals before the observation begins. For MTS, the timing cue identifies the scoring instant. For partial- or whole-interval recording, the observer follows the written rule across the cell.

IntervalClock time or cueScoreValid?Context or opportunityObserverAccess, communication or interruption note123456789101112

Extend the grid before use when the plan calls for more cells. Adding rows during an observation can produce cue drift or a different total than the observer expected. Record any restart as an interruption or new observation segment.

Coverage across planned observations

A mathematically valid percentage may still describe a narrow sample. The coverage log shows which sessions, routines, people and times were planned and observed. Report the valid cells within each session as well as coverage across the schedule.

Planned observationDate and timeIntended contextMethod and intervalPlanned cellsValid cellsPositive cellsMissing or invalid reason1234

Unequal coverage, predictable interruptions and changes in routine can alter what the sample represents. Do not replace a missed high-demand period with an easier period and call the schedule complete without documenting the change.

Calculation panel

Count valid positive and valid negative cells. Keep unavailable, interrupted and unresolved cells visible, but exclude them from the scored-interval denominator. Coverage uses all planned cells as its denominator.

Summary itemFormulaResultPlanned intervalsCount of scheduled cellsValid scored intervalsPositive + negative cellsPositive intervalsCount of + cellsInvalid or unavailable intervalsCount of U, X and unresolved ? cellsScored-interval percentagePositive / valid scored intervals x 100Valid coverage percentageValid scored intervals / planned intervals x 100

Always report the method, interval length and rounding rule beside the percentage. “44.4% partial intervals,” “44.4% whole intervals” and “44.4% momentary samples” are three differently defined results.

Why sampled percentages need method labels

Interval Sampling Methods and Measurement Error uses simulation to show how error varies across method, interval duration, observation period and event characteristics. Use of Discontinuous Methods of Data Collection in Behavioral Intervention reviews considerations relevant to designing a sampled system. These papers support cautious, method-specific interpretation. They do not validate a blanket correction factor.

An interval percentage is also different from response probability unless the observation and denominator were designed for that probability question. It is not the percentage of the day, a count of events, or exact cumulative duration. Do not multiply a partial-interval percentage by session minutes and report the result as measured duration.

Fictional completed example

Case R, the target and every value are fictional. The demonstration target is “both forearms resting on the work surface at the scoring cue.” A fictional qualified clinician selected 30-second momentary time sampling, with the cue at the end of each numbered interval.

Twenty intervals were planned. Eighteen were scored under the rule. Interval 7 was unavailable because the observer's view was blocked at the cue. Interval 14 was interrupted by an evacuation drill. Neither cell was treated as a negative sample.

IntervalsScores1 through 5+, -, +, -, -6 through 10+, U, -, +, -11 through 15+, -, -, X, +16 through 20-, +, -, +, -

There are eight positive cells and ten negative cells, for eighteen valid scored intervals. The scored-interval percentage is 8 divided by 18, multiplied by 100, or 44.4% when rounded to one decimal place. Valid coverage is 18 divided by 20, multiplied by 100, or 90.0%.

The 18 valid cells represent nine minutes in the coverage count because 18 times 30 seconds equals 540 seconds. That arithmetic does not show nine minutes of continuous target duration. MTS scored the target only at the defined instants.

Using all twenty planned intervals as the positive-score denominator would produce 8 divided by 20, or 40.0%. That result would silently treat the unavailable and interrupted cells as negative. The worksheet keeps the 44.4% sampled result and the 90.0% coverage result separate.

Compare with continuous records carefully

A Comparison of Momentary Time Sampling and Partial-Interval Recording for Evaluating Functional Relations compared sampled and continuous measures in defined treatment-analysis data sets and found that interpretation can depend on the recording method and response dimension. This supports transparent method labels. That comparison does not establish equivalence between sampled and continuous measures in a new clinical case.

If a team changes from continuous recording to an interval method, place a visible phase and measurement boundary on the graph and review how the shift affects interpretation. Do not splice the two percentages into one apparently continuous series simply because the vertical axis uses the same 0 to 100 range.

Review observation quality

Review questionEvidence or actionWas one method used throughout the sheet?Were interval length and scoring instant stable?Did cues occur at the intended times?Could the observer see the target at each scoring point?Were invalid cells excluded without erasing them?Were zero-positive valid sessions retained?Did ordinary communication and supports remain available?Did timing demands interfere with care or observation?Was separate agreement or accuracy evidence collected?What needs qualified review before interpretation?

Minimizing and Reporting Momentary Time-Sampling Measurement Error in Single-Case Research addresses reporting and potential MTS error in research. Its methods do not turn this blank sheet into a validated estimator. Report the implemented procedure and limitations instead of claiming precision the observation did not provide.

Corrections and version control

Preserve the original score when making a correction. Record the evidence, author, reviewer and effect on both the positive and coverage denominators. A late memory of what happened between MTS cues cannot change a momentary score, because between-cue activity was outside that scoring rule.

DateVersionIntervalOriginalCorrectedEvidence and reasonAuthorDenominator effectReviewer

Current professional boundaries should be checked at the BACB Ethics Codes hub. We also reviewed its linked Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, which displayed an August 2024 update and addresses competence, confidentiality, documentation, assessment, consent, correct data collection and continual evaluation. This worksheet cannot determine compliance or replace the responsible clinician's review.

Privacy, security and official records

Use the record system, access roles and correction process approved for the organization and information. The HHS Security Rule risk-analysis guidance explains risk-analysis expectations for regulated entities without prescribing one universal method. HHS does not approve this form, local storage, a personal timer, a spreadsheet, a disclosure or a retention period.

Confirm whether the interval sheet belongs in the clinical record and how it relates to notes, graphs, incident records, supervision records and payer documentation. A copied blank form carries no permission to collect, store or share client information.

Use qualified judgment

When checked, the CASP ABA Practice Guidelines access page listed Version 3.0 and a 2024 release. We link to the licensed-material access point without reproducing it. Consult the current guideline text, client plan, organizational policy, law, payer terms and professional requirements directly when relevant.

Choice of method depends on the response dimension, expected pattern, decision, setting and observer resources. Sampling convenience alone does not establish clinical suitability. The resulting percentage should lead to questions about data quality and representation before it informs any decision.

Stop and route concerns

Pause when the target definition, method, interval length, cue, observer role, client authorization, safety plan or record location is unclear. An immediate safety concern, acute health change, escalating distress, inaccessible communication or applicable withdrawal of assent calls for stopping the score and using the responsible clinical or emergency route.

Do not delay care to wait for a cue. Do not remove ordinary supports, provoke behavior, extend observation or invent a score to complete the grid. Mark the interval invalid, preserve what is known and route the concern.

ABA Interval Recording Data Sheet and Sampling Review Worksheet