How to view long-term behavior trends in VillageMetrics
To view long-term behavior trends in VillageMetrics, use the trend charts in your child's profile to see behavior scores over time, or ask questions like "How has behavior changed over the past 3 months?" or "Compare this month to last month." The app tracks your daily journal entries and behavior goal scores, making it easy to see gradual improvement or regression that's hard to notice day-to-day.
Here's how to use it effectively.
Why Long-Term Trends Matter
Day-to-day behavior fluctuates wildly. A terrible Tuesday can make you feel like everything is falling apart, even if the overall month is better than last month. Long-term trend views help you:
See gradual improvement that's invisible in daily chaos
Catch slow regression before it becomes a crisis
Evaluate interventions (medication, therapy, school changes) over meaningful time periods
Prepare for appointments with objective data about progress
Viewing Trend Charts
Go to the Analysis section and select your time period: 7 Days, 30 Days, 3 Months, or 6 Months. VillageMetrics shows behavior scores over time in chart form. You can see:
Daily scores for each behavior goal (like "Maintain Safety" or "Stay Calm During Challenges")
Overall behavior score with trend indicator (showing improvement or decline vs. the previous period)
Medication timeline overlay to see how behavior relates to med changes (if medications are configured)
Look for:
Upward trends — Things are improving, even if individual days are still hard
Downward trends — Something may have changed; worth investigating
Stable patterns — Consistent performance (which might be good or might mean interventions aren't helping)
Inflection points — Where did things shift? What changed around that time?
Asking About Long-Term Trends
You can also use Ask Anything to query trends in plain language:
Comparing time periods:
"How does this month compare to last month?"
"Has behavior improved over the past 90 days?"
"What was the average behavior score in October vs. November?"
Understanding changes:
"When did things start getting worse?"
"What changed around [date]?"
"Has aggression increased or decreased over the past 3 months?"
Correlating with events:
"How has behavior been since we started the new school?"
"Compare behavior before and after the medication change"
"Has summer been better or worse than the school year?"
What to Look for in Long-Term Data
Gradual improvement that feels invisible: You might feel like things aren't getting better because hard days still happen. But if your average monthly score went from 1.8 to 2.3, that's real progress—even if you can't feel it in the moment.
Slow regression you might miss: A gradual slide over weeks is easy to miss when you're in survival mode. Trend charts can show you "things have been getting worse since October" before you've consciously noticed.
Seasonal patterns: Some children have predictable seasonal changes (worse in spring due to allergies, harder during school transitions). Long-term data across a year can reveal these cycles.
Response to interventions: "We started the new medication on November 1—what happened after that?" Long-term views show whether changes had lasting impact or just temporary effects.
Comparing Caregiver Observations
If multiple people contribute to your child's village (co-parents, babysitters, therapists), you can compare trends across caregivers:
"Is behavior different with Mom vs. Dad?"
"How are school days compared to days with the babysitter?"
"Do weekends have different patterns than weekdays?"
This can reveal environmental factors or caregiver-specific dynamics worth exploring.
Tips for Meaningful Long-Term Tracking
Be consistent. Long-term trends are only meaningful if you have consistent data. Gaps are okay, but try to journal regularly so trends reflect reality.
Give changes time. Don't expect to see trends shift overnight. Medication changes might take 2-4 weeks to show impact. New therapy approaches might take months.
Look at multiple timeframes. A bad week might look alarming, but zoom out to see if it's part of an overall improving trend. Context matters.
Note major life events. Started a new school? Family stress? Illness? These affect behavior and help explain trend changes when you look back later.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if the trend contradicts how I feel about things?
Trust the data, but investigate the disconnect. Sometimes you feel like things are terrible because one bad day overshadowed a generally good week. Other times, the trend might miss important context—maybe the "good" days were only good because you canceled all activities. Use both the numbers and your judgment to understand what's really happening.
What if the trend is flat—neither improving nor getting worse?
That's useful information. It might mean current interventions are maintaining stability (which could be good), or it might mean they're not moving the needle (worth discussing with your care team). Flat isn't necessarily bad—it depends on where you started and what you're hoping for.
Can I see trends for specific behaviors, not just overall scores?
Yes. If you've set up specific behavior goals, you can view trends for each one. You can also ask about specific concepts: "How has sleep been trending?" or "Has aggression frequency changed over time?"
Ready to stop flying blind? VillageMetrics turns your daily voice notes into the data doctors need to help your child.