Agitated Behaviors Scale-Modified

TThe Agitated Behavior Scale (ABS) measures agitation during the early phase of recovery from a brain injury, when a person may be restless, impulsive, or aggressive without being fully aware of it. A staff member rates 14 behaviors — short attention span, pulling at tubes, pacing, sudden mood changes, and others — from 1 (absent) to 4 (present to an extreme degree), adding them for a total between 14 and 56.

Ratings turn on how much a behavior interferes with what the person should be doing, and whether redirection helps. The tool is built for repeated use, so a team can watch agitation rise or fall as the environment or medications change. Total scores of 21 or below are considered non-agitated. Subscale scores for disinhibition, aggression, and lability add clinical detail.