A discrete trial data sheet supports discrete trial data collection: it records each opportunity, target, prompt level and response. This DTT data sheet can be printed from the page or copied into a clinic document. Its ten fictional trials show how paper observations can be summarized before a team moves to software.
Fictional example only. Adapt this to your clinic’s own policy and professional judgment. It is not clinical, legal or regulatory advice and does not claim to meet any payer, regulator or certification-body requirement.
In discrete trial training (DTT), trial-by-trial data collection means recording each opportunity separately rather than reconstructing a total afterward. Before using a sheet, a supervising clinician defines the target, response choices and prompt levels. The sheet records those choices; it does not make the scoring decision.
The fictional target is touching a named picture. Client C, the trial entries and the counts are invented. “Correct” below describes a scored response in this example, not a clinical goal.
| Trial | Target | Prompt level | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Touch named picture | Independent | Correct |
| 2 | Touch named picture | Gesture | Correct |
| 3 | Touch named picture | Independent | Correct |
| 4 | Touch named picture | Independent | Incorrect |
| 5 | Touch named picture | Independent | Correct |
| 6 | Touch named picture | Gesture | Correct |
| 7 | Touch named picture | Model | Correct |
| 8 | Touch named picture | Independent | Correct |
| 9 | Touch named picture | Independent | No response |
| 10 | Touch named picture | Independent | Correct |
Five independent correct responses, three prompted correct responses, one incorrect response and one no response are fictional.
For this fictional sheet, percent independent means independent correct responses divided by all opportunities: 5 ÷ 10 = 50%. The three prompted correct responses answer a different question and stay separate from the independent count. The calculation is an illustration, not a mastery threshold.
ABA data collection sheets vary by the behaviour or skill being observed. A frequency sheet counts occurrences, a duration sheet records how long an event lasts, and an interval sheet marks whether it occurred during defined time blocks. ABC data records antecedent, behaviour and consequence around an event. The discrete trial table on this page is suited to separate opportunities with prompt levels; it is not a substitute for every method. A supervising clinician chooses the observation format and scoring rule for a real target, then checks that staff record it consistently.
A paper sheet can be copied and used without a device, then entered or summarized under the clinic’s record policy. In TherapyCRM, Session Runner records trial responses and prompt levels against targets in a versioned plan. It can keep an encrypted draft offline and sync later; staff should check sync status before treating a draft as part of the practice record. SOAP-style notes then move through review. The ABA data collection page shows the workflow. TherapyCRM serves English-language practices in Canada outside Quebec. It is practice management software with a clinical record, not a physician EMR, and has no EMR certification. It has no telehealth or video visits and does not submit insurance or government claims, including Ontario Autism Program claims.
It is a form that records each opportunity separately, usually with a target, prompt level and response. The supervising clinician defines how each field is scored.
DTT stands for discrete trial training. A DTT data sheet is a trial-by-trial record for that workflow.
Divide independent correct responses by all recorded opportunities and multiply by 100. In the fictional ten-trial table, 5 ÷ 10 = 50%.
An independent response uses no recorded prompt. A prompted response uses the specified level of help; keep those counts separate when summarizing the sheet.
Frequency counts occurrences, duration records elapsed time, and interval recording marks whether an event happened within defined blocks. A clinician chooses the method for a target.
Session Runner can keep an encrypted draft offline and synchronize later. Staff should check sync status before assuming the observations have reached the practice record.