Built by a BCBA For residential, clinic and school behavior teams

Scan the sheet.
Get the graph.

Observa turns the paper data sheets your staff already use into reviewed data and graphs a BCBA can act on. Snap a photo, email it or text it in. Nobody retypes a thing.

BEHAVIOR FREQUENCY TALLY J.D. · Oct
DateHittingElope.Prop.YellingSIB
10/114425
10/215616
10/361003
10/440111
10/504450
10/600000
SENT IN BY📷 Photo✉ Email💬 Text

Elopement

Reading
J.D. · Oct 1–6 · from the sheet · example data
024610/110/210/310/410/510/6
Avg2.3Peak5Latest0
A staff member and a resident in a group home kitchenResidential and day programs
A clinician giving a child a high five in a therapy roomABA clinics
Two adults working with a child at a classroom tableSchools
Baseline how behavior data moves today

A behavior on shift takes a month to become a graph.

Staff record on paper because it works in the moment. Then the sheet waits in a binder, gets retyped and gets graphed by hand. By the time a BCBA sees the trend, it’s last month’s.

  1. 1
    Written on shiftOn a clipboard, between everything else.
    in the moment
  2. 2
    Waits in a binderSheets are often collected once a month.
    ~30 days
  3. 3
    Typed in by an RBTEvery sheet, for every client.
    30 min a client
  4. 4
    Graphed by a BCBABuilt or fixed by hand in Excel.
    30–60 min
  5. 5
    Reviewed a month lateTreatment decisions wait for the data.
    too late
Times from the founder’s own caseload at a residential provider.
010203040 13579111315 Weeks Days from shift to graph Paper only With Observa

Figure 1. Days from a behavior on shift to a graph a BCBA can use, drawn the way a behavior analyst reads a phase change. Illustrative: on paper, data reaches the clinician about a month later. With Observa, the sheet is read and reviewed the next day.

Intervention change one step, not the whole routine

Keep the sheet.
Change how it gets in.

Staff keep the sheet they know. At the end of the shift it reaches Observa whichever way is easiest that day, and every route ends in the same place: your clinician’s review queue.

End of shiftThe sheet is done. Pick the easiest way in.
📷
Snap itPhotograph it in the Observa app on any phone or tablet. One photo per page, or a PDF.
✉
Email itForward a photo, or send a copier scan straight to your team’s Observa inbox.
💬
Text itText a photo from the house phone to your Observa number.
What Observa gets
Photo from the Observa appMaple House · J.D. · 2 pages · 7:04 AM
Observa read it14 rows from “Monthly frequency tally” for J.D., matched to the Behavior Reduction program.
Review queueReady for review · 1 cell to check
HandwritingTallies, checkmarks and circlesYour own templatesMulti-page PDFsPhotos from any phone
Measurement as your staff already write it

Every recording method,
read the way a BCBA would.

Tallies, ABC notes, plus and minus marks, interval checkmarks, prompt levels. Observa reads what is on the sheet and turns it into the right kind of data for that method.

FREQUENCY Tue 10/7

BehaviorTally
Elopement卌 //
Hitting//
Yelling////
Counts per behavior: elopement 7, hitting 2, yelling 4.

ABC DATA Tue 10/7

TimeAntecedentBehaviorConsequence
2:15Asked to clean upThrew cupRedirected
4:40Peer took remoteYelledStaff helped
Reads as timed ABC entries, so patterns show up across weeks.

TRIAL BY TRIAL DTT

Target: labels colors

++−+P+++−+

+ correct · − error · P prompted

Reads as 70% correct, 1 prompted, 2 errors.

PARTIAL INTERVAL 10 s

On task during group activity

 ✓✓✓ ✓
 ✓  ✓ 
Reads as 6 of 12 intervals, 50% of the observation.

TASK ANALYSIS Handwashing

Turn on waterI
Wet handsI
Get soapG
Scrub 20 secondsV
Rinse and dryI

I independent · G gestural · V verbal

3 of 5 steps independent, with the prompt level for each.

DURATION Tantrum

EpisodeStartStop
12:142:21
24:404:43
Reads as 2 episodes, 10 minutes in total.
A handwritten trial-by-trial ABA data sheet filled out by a staff member
Scan & read
Insights · Communication

Independent responses, last 8 sessions: 85% independent this session, up from 38% eight sessions ago. Trending toward mastery.

A handwritten behavior frequency and duration log filled out by a staff member
Scan & read
Session graph · Elopement (frequency)

Occurrences per shift, last 8 shifts: down from 8 to 2 over two weeks, alongside the current intervention plan.

Interobserver agreement before anything counts

Think of it as IOA for your paperwork.

You trust data once two observers agree. Observa applies the same idea to data entry: it reads the sheet, checks each row against the sheet’s own totals, and flags any cell it isn’t sure of. A clinician signs off before anything reaches a graph.

MONTHLY BEHAVIOR FREQUENCY TALLY Client: J.D.   Month: Oct
DateHittingElope.Prop.YellingSIBTotal
10/11442516
10/21561619
10/36100310
10/4401117
10/50445013
10/6000000
a 6, or a 0?

What Observa read

8 of 14 rows · one row per date · example data

39 / 40cells read with confidence
DateHitElopeProp.YellSIBTotal
10/11442516 ✓
10/21561619 ✓
10/3010034 ≠ 10
10/4401117 ✓
10/50445013 ✓
Is that a 6 or a 0? On 10/3, Hitting was hard to read. The sheet’s own total of 10 only works if it’s a 6.
Row totals match the sheet on 7 of 8 rowsApprove and graph →
Visual analysis level, trend, variability

The graph is drawn
before you sit down.

Approved sheets update each client’s graphs the same day, with the operational definition on the graph and a written summary ready for the treatment meeting.

Elopement · daily count

J.D. · October · example data from scanned sheets
ElopementProperty disruption
Definition: leaving the assigned area without staff permission, beyond arm’s reach.
0246Oct 1Oct 8Oct 15Oct 22Oct 29 avg 1.8
Average1.8Peak6Latest0Last 7 days−51%
Written summary

Elopement averaged 1.8 a day in October. The last 7 days averaged 1.0, down 51% from the rest of the month.

Saved to the client file with the graph.
By session or by date, with average and trend
Every behavior on a sheet graphed on its own
Export graphs and data for reports, audits and billing
Generalization across settings and staff

Works wherever paper does.

Behavior data gets written in group homes, day programs, clinics, classrooms and out in the community. Paper works in all of them, Wi-Fi or not, so Observa does too.

A staff member supporting a resident in a wheelchair in a group homeGroup homesMany houses and rotating shifts, with one view for the clinical director.
A staff member and a participant at a day programDay programsData from activities, not desks.
A clinician working with a child on a mat in an early intervention clinicClinics and early interventionSeveral BCBAs, many RBTs, one standard.
A staff member laughing with a participant outdoorsCommunityOutings and jobs, logged on paper and sent in later.
When a setting is ready for tablets

Collect live, same graphs.

The BCBA builds the program and staff tap in real time. A session note and graphs are ready when the session ends.
DTTFrequencyDurationMTSPartial intervalLatencyTask analysisABC
Client Hub · John Doe
ProgramsSession HistoryBehavior PlansInsights
📷 Scan any sheet
CommunicationDTT · 5 targets
Behavior ReductionFrequency · Duration
Self-Care SkillsTask analysis · 4 steps
Social validity what the field told us

Built around how care actually happens.

From Observa’s discovery interviews with BCBAs and clinical leaders.

The person who needs the data isn’t necessarily the person who enters the data.

On who fills out the sheet

Their immediate job is caring for and supporting the person, not completing documentation.

On what staff are there to do

An organization may technically have thousands of data points but still lack useful clinical information.

On data you can’t use
Cost-benefit per client, per month

Observa costs about $15.
Paper costs about $40.

For 40 clients on behavior plans, paper costs about $1,650 a month in RBT entry and BCBA graphing time. Observa costs $600.

Clients on behavior plans5 to 300
Paper, per client$41
Observa, per client$14.99

Per client, per month. Paper assumes 30 minutes of RBT entry at $19.50 an hour and 45 minutes of BCBA graphing at $42 an hour, from the founder’s own caseload. Observa shown at $14.99. Clinician review time is not counted on either side.

Time back each month
50hours
of RBT and BCBA time spent with clients instead of at a keyboard.
RBT data entry20 hrs
BCBA graphing30 hrs

And the trend a BCBA reviews is from yesterday, not last month.

Implementation

Secure, simple to buy,
made by a BCBA.

IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST IT and compliance

  • Business Associate Agreement available
  • Hosted on Amazon Web Services
  • Encrypted at rest and in transit
  • A clinician reviews every sheet before it counts
  • Works beside Therap. Not another EHR
  • Paper keeps working when the Wi-Fi doesn’t
  • Pilot set up within a week
Priced per client, not per seat
$14.99
per client a month
or $149 per client a year
  • Every RBT, DSP and BCBA included
  • Photo, email and text intake, review and graphs
  • Live collection when a setting is ready
  • No cost during the pilot
Request a pilot →
Who’s behind it

Observa is built by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who knows how behavior sheets get filled out every day.

Esteban Cabassa
Esteban Cabassa, BCBA, LBA · Founder, CEO and developer · Master’s degree, Auburn University ·

Advisor: Jennifer Hammond, PhD, BCBA-D, 30+ years in residential behavioral services.
Questions

What clinical directors ask first.

A staff member and a child working together on the floor of a classroom
Do we have to change our data sheets?

No. Observa reads the sheets your team already uses, including your own templates. For a pilot, send a blank copy of each sheet and we set Observa up around them.

What if the handwriting is hard to read?

Observa flags anything it isn’t sure of and shows it next to the original sheet. A clinician confirms or corrects it before anything reaches a graph.

Is Observa HIPAA compliant?

Observa is hosted on Amazon Web Services with encryption at rest and in transit, and a Business Associate Agreement is available for organizations that need one.

Does it replace Therap or our EHR?

No. Observa does one job, behavior data, and works beside your system of record. Graphs and data export for the client file, reports and audits.

Do staff need new devices?

No. Any phone that takes a photo works, and so does the office copier’s scan-to-email. Live collection runs on a tablet or phone when a setting is ready for it.

How long does it take to get started?

We are currently running pilots, generally set up within a week of an initial conversation. No long implementation process required.

What does it cost?

$14.99 per client a month, or $149 per client a year, with no cost during the pilot. Larger organizations can talk to us about their size and setup.

Newsletter

Behavior data, without the busywork.

Occasional notes from Observa on paper data, graphing and what we’re learning from the field. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Sent from the Observa team. We never share your email.

Keep the clipboard.
Lose the data entry.

Send us a blank copy of a sheet your team already uses. We’ll set up a pilot around it, so your staff see their own sheets come back as graphs.

Ready now? Create your account

Start a pilot

  1. A 20-minute call about how your team collects data today.
  2. We set up your sheets and programs, usually within a week.
  3. Your staff keep their clipboards. You get the graphs.
Hosted on AWS · BAA available · Data encrypted at rest and in transit