Skip to main content
FATHOM NORTH
⏱ Use at your paceInteractive✓ Last verified July 2026⤓ ABC Behavior Log
The Parent Guidebook · Interactive tool

The Parent Notebook

Three simple logs · Private to this device · Print or download anytime

Part of The Fathom North Parent Guidebook. Everything entered here stays on this device unless the page clearly says otherwise.

When a pediatrician or therapist asks "how often does that happen?", most of us answer from a blur of hard weeks: "a lot?" This notebook is for turning "a lot" into something you can actually point to — a handful of written-down moments. It has three sections: a place to jot behavior notes, a journal for communication wins (these are easy to under-count), and a running list of questions for your child's team so they stop evaporating the moment an appointment starts.

What this is, honestly: this is a parent's notebook, not a clinical data system. If your child has a therapy team, they'll have their own data tools — bring this notebook to appointments; it makes those conversations concrete. And it's yours: everything stays on this device. Nothing is sent to us or anyone. (That also means clearing your browser data erases it — use the download button now and then to keep a copy.)

The three notebook sections

How to take notes without judging

Be a camera, not a critic. Write down only what you could see or hear: "threw the cup on the floor," not "was being difficult." The goal isn't to grade the moment — it's to catch what surrounds it.

Before — what was happening right before? (You said "time to leave," a sibling took a toy, the room got loud, nothing obvious.) Behavior — what did your child actually do, in plain words? After — what happened next? (They got the toy back, everyone looked over, the demand went away, nothing.)

One honest entry beats five vague ones. After five or ten entries, patterns often show up on their own — and a therapy team can do a lot with that.

🔒 Everything stays on this device. Nothing is sent to us or anyone.

    That's the whole notebook — it's yours, and it keeps.

    If your notes keep circling meltdowns, mealtimes, and hard transitions, the OT guide explains what's often underneath those moments and who can help.

    Next chapterDaily LifeThe Complete Guide to Occupational TherapyContinue reading →
    From the Parent Toolkit⤓ ABC Behavior Log (printable PDF)
    Continue your journey
    Interactive toolVisual Routine Builder: Make a Picture Schedule Getting orientedThe Wisconsin Autism Roadmap Choosing a provider10 Questions to Ask Any ABA Clinic Free downloadYour First 30 Days After Diagnosis (PDF) Free downloadSchool Meeting Checklist (PDF)

    Didn’t find what you were looking for?

    Tell us what you were trying to figure out. We read every question, and questions help shape future chapters.

    We read every submission. Add your email only if you’d like a reply.

    We're building a clinic in the Oak Creek area, and this notebook is part of the parent guidebook we wish every family had on day one — the build is documented at fathomnorth.com.