How to write ABA notes (with examples)

Looking for ABA notes and ABA session note examples? This article provides a summary of applied behavior analysis (ABA), how to write ABA notes, examples of applied behavior analysis session notes, some criticisms of ABA, and an editable template for your practice.

For over 50 years, applied behavior analysis has been used most commonly as a treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder.

While numerous studies support its effectiveness in improving emotional and social skills, ABA has faced scrutiny over its aversive measures to reinforce neurotypical behaviors. Critics of ABA also point to its controversial history: while ABA as a field grew out of B.F. Skinner's work on operant conditioning, its use as an autism treatment was pioneered by psychologist Ivar Lovaas, PhD—the same researcher who was involved in the Feminine Boy Project, an effort to modify the gender identities and behaviors of young boys alongside psychologist George Rekers, who went on to become a prominent advocate for conversion therapy.

That said, ABA has evolved over the years, and there are still advocates in favor of ABA today. Therapists practicing applied behavior analysis therapy should know how to properly format ABA notes, review ABA session note examples, and consider the pros and cons of using this therapeutic intervention.

What is applied behavior analysis (ABA)?

Applied behavior analysis is a behavioral strategy that uses analytical principles and reinforcements to improve socially important behaviors and discontinue less desirable behaviors, such as self-injurious behaviors or meltdowns, that may be interfering with a person’s daily life.

There are several kinds of ABA methods. The first arose in the 1960s, when Lovaas used a method called discrete trial training (DTT). DTT is structured and based on clients repeating tasks frequently. When completed correctly, they are positively rewarded.

Modern forms of ABA include:

• Pivotal response treatment: This treatment is mostly child-driven, but may be prompted by the clinician to improve certain skills and knowledge using natural reinforcements.

• Early start Denver model: This type of ABA is provided individually or in a group setting, and involves setting several goals within certain activities to improve skills like motor coordination or asking for help.

• Naturalistic teaching: Also student-led, this style of ABA allows the client to set their own pace and is based on elements of their regular routines.

• Token economy system: A form of ABA that uses rewards to motivate certain behaviors.

• Contingent observation: While in a group setting, the student observes their peers completing a predefined behavior acceptably so they can learn and model appropriate behavior.

What are ABA notes?

An applied behavioral analysis session note accurately records a summary of treatment. Like other therapy progress notes, ABA notes include behavioral targets, observations during the session, measurable information like improvements, treatment progress, logistical information (like session date, start and stop time), and any adjustments necessary to the treatment plan.

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What is the difference between data collection and ABA notes?

It is common to confuse data collection with clinical documentation, but they serve two distinct purposes in practice. Data collection happens during the session. This involves tallying the frequency, duration, or intensity of specific target behaviors in real time.

ABA notes, on the other hand, are formal clinical documents written after the session. The clinician uses their ABA notes to summarize that raw data, provide a clinical assessment of the client's progress, detail the specific interventions used, and outline the plan for future sessions. 

While data collection is the raw measurement, ABA notes provide the necessary clinical context for insurance billing and continuity of care.

How long should ABA notes be kept for recordkeeping?

Proper record retention is a critical part of maintaining compliance. Most state licensing boards and insurance companies require clinicians to keep clinical records, including all ABA notes, for a minimum of seven years.

However, because ABA therapy frequently involves minors, special rules apply. For minor clients, ABA notes typically must be kept until the client reaches the age of majority (usually 18), plus an additional three to seven years, depending on your specific state regulations. 

Always consult your state board and individual payer contracts to ensure your ABA notes for insurance are retained for the legally required duration.

ABA session note examples

No matter which format you choose to write them in, ABA session notes for insurance should include all of the following:

• Client name

• Date of birth

• Presenting condition and relevant diagnosis code

• Insurance

• Date, start time, and stop time

• Clinician name and qualification

• Units of service (counted in 15-minute increments)

• Place of service/location

• Participants

• CPT code

The therapist might use a narrative note format or a SOAP note format to record ABA notes—so long as the note includes the aforementioned information, the format doesn’t matter. Treatment and session details may differ in format depending on whether this is a SOAP note, regular narrative ABA note, or registered behavior technician (RBT) ABA session note, so we’ve included some ABA session note examples to reference below.

Here are ABA notes examples in two different formats:

ABA SOAP notes example

Subjective: The client reported feeling “OK” when arriving at the session. However, they later reported feeling “anxious” when transitioning between tasks. Objective: The client arrived to work on X target behavior. Assessment: The client avoided eye contact and appeared to be displaying task avoidance. Behavioral regulatory activities may be introduced to support the client’s transition between activities and reduce their anxiety. Plan: Implement regulation activities and increase pause between activities to positively reinforce transitions and reduce anxiety.

RBT ABA session notes example

Note: The client arrived on time and was calm when walking into the group treatment session. He promptly navigated between successfully completed tasks, displayed compliant behavior, and engaged with his peers and the therapist. Recommendations: Aim to include more advanced challenges to improve skill acquisition in the following areas: X, Y, Z.

Criticisms of ABA

The main critiques of ABA are that the intervention is less about the acquisition of helpful skills, than a system of rewards and punishments to promote desired behaviors and discourage or reduce autistic traits.

Many critics of the intervention believe ABA seeks to force individuals to comply with neurotypical traits or receive punishment for failing to do so—which can result in traumatizing experiences. At the same time, modern ABA practices, such as naturalistic teaching and others mentioned earlier, use more positive, client-centered approaches.

Social psychologist, Devon Price, PhD, is openly critical of ABA. Price believes it is focused on “training autistic kids to fake a neurotypical personality” and reinforcing the notion that autistic traits are less desirable. He also underlines ABA’s troubled origins and founding father, Lovaas, “whose legacy haunt[s] LGBTQ autistics."

In his 2022 book, Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity, Price lists some ABA punishments he’s critical of, including:

• Spraying a child’s face with water, or their tongue with vinegar, for avoiding eye contact

• Forcing children to rehearse compensation strategies

• Punishing children for hyperfocusing on their special interests

• Making children sit for hours practicing a conversational script

• Not allowing children to play until displaying an adequate amount of eye contact

• Forcing children to repeat niceties like “thank you” repeatedly while an ABA therapist snaps their fingers at them

• Putting hot sauce on crayons to discourage children from chewing

• Therapists withdrawing attention, or leaving the room, when a child becomes distressed

In addition, while electric shock therapy is very rarely used—today it's associated with a single facility, the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts—Price highlights its troubled regulatory history. The FDA moved to ban these electrical stimulation devices in 2020, but the rule was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit a year later following a legal challenge from the center. The FDA proposed a new ban in 2024, and regulatory and legal actions surrounding the rule remain ongoing.

Notably, ABAI had no official position on contingent electric skin shock (CESS) until 2022, when its Executive Council put the question to a member vote. Two competing position statements were offered: one opposing CESS except under extraordinary circumstances, and one opposing it under any condition. Members voted for the latter, and ABAI's official statement now reads: "we strongly oppose the use of contingent electric skin shock (CESS) under any condition."

Using the ABA notes template

Though ABA has been controversial in the past, many therapists use more modern, person-centered approaches to this method of behavioral modification.

If you’re looking for examples of ABA notes to document the details of your ABA sessions, you can download the editable PDF at the top of this article and update it while referring to the ABA session notes examples above. The ABA notes template follows a SOAP note format, and includes additional sections to document any neurodivergent-affirming approaches used.

Sources

• Association for Behavior Analysis International. (2022). Position Statement on the Use of Contingent Electric Skin Shock (CESS).

• Callahan, K., Foxx, R. M., Swierczynski, A., Aerts, X., Mehta, S., et al. (2019). Behavioral artistry: Examining the relationship between the interpersonal skills and effective practice repertoires of applied behavior analysis practitioners. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

• Center for Autism Research and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. (2020). Discrete trial training.

• Center for Public Representation. (2021). Court of Appeals Overturns FDA Ban on Electrical Stimulation Devices Used at JRC.

• Du, G., Guo, Y., & Xu, W. (2024). The effectiveness of applied behavior analysis program training on enhancing autistic children’s emotional-social skills. BMC Psychology.

• Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Banned devices; proposal to ban electrical stimulation devices for self-injurious or aggressive behavior.

• Kronstein, A. (2018). Treating autism as a problem: The connection between gay conversion therapy and ABA. Nova Scotia Advocate.

• Kupferstein, H. (2018). Evidence of increased PTSD symptoms in autistics exposed to applied behavior analysis. Advances in Autism.

• Leaf, J. B., Cihon, J. H., Leaf, R., McEachin, J., Liu, N., et al. (2022). Concerns about ABA-based intervention: An evaluation and recommendations. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

• Lord, C. (2023). The controversy around ABA. Child Mind Institute.

• O'Dell, L. (2026). FDA final rule on electrical stimulation devices.

• Price, D. (2022). Unmasking autism: Discovering the new faces of neurodiversity. Harmony.

• Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society. (2024). FDA tries again to ban electroshock devices.

• The Autistic Self Advocacy Network. (2022). ABAI finally opposes the use of electric shocks at the JRC.

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