ABA Therapy Resources
If it feels like your child’s meltdowns are getting worse no matter what you try, you’re not alone. Many parents struggle with managing undesirable behaviors that don’t seem to improve with traditional discipline. The good news is there’s a proven technique that can help.
One of the most common questions parents ask is, “What is extinction in ABA?” This evidence-based method involves removing the reinforcement that maintains certain actions. When used correctly, extinction can lead to meaningful behavior change and support your child in learning more positive ways to respond.
Key Takeaways
- Extinction systematically removes reinforcement that maintains problem behaviors, causing them to naturally decrease over time.
- Three main types target different behavior functions: attention-seeking, escape-motivated, and sensory-seeking behaviors.
- Proper implementation requires consistency, safety planning, and professional guidance to navigate extinction bursts successfully.
What is Extinction in ABA?
Extinction in Applied Behavior Analysis shifts the focus from reacting to problem behavior to understanding what is keeping it going. Instead of using punishment, extinction works by removing the reinforcement that fuels the behavior, like taking away the oxygen from a fire so it eventually burns out.
This method is grounded in operant conditioning and emphasizes the function behind a behavior, not just how it looks. For example, when a child struggles with certain tasks or emotions, they may act out to gain access to attention or escape. By identifying the reason behind the behavior, extinction helps reduce negative behavior while promoting healthier, more positive responses.
How Extinction Differs from Simply Ignoring
Many people assume extinction simply means ignoring negative behavior, but it’s more than that. While planned ignoring can be one part of the process, true extinction in ABA therapy requires a consistent, structured approach.
For extinction to work, all sources of reinforcement must be removed. For instance, if a child throws a tantrum to get a toy, ignoring the behavior won’t help if someone else still gives them the toy. Success depends on everyone involved working together to remove reinforcement and support appropriate replacement behaviors.
Types of Extinction Procedures
Attention Extinction
This targets behaviors maintained by social attention. When a child engages in attention-seeking behaviors like screaming or disruptive behavior, attention extinction involves withholding social attention (no eye contact, no talking about the behavior, no physical interaction) while providing enthusiastic attention for positive behavior.
Example: If a child typically gets attention when they throw toys, the intervention would involve no longer providing attention when toy-throwing occurs, while immediately praising appropriate play.
Escape Extinction
This addresses behaviors that help individuals avoid non-preferred activities. If a child screams to escape homework, escape extinction means maintaining the expectation that homework be completed regardless of the challenging behavior.
Example: A child who throws materials during math work would still need to complete the assignment, but throwing no longer results in escaping the task.
Sensory Extinction (Automatic Reinforcement)
Some behaviors provide their own sensory reinforcement. Sensory extinction involves modifying the environment to reduce the sensory feedback that maintains certain behavior. This approach is often used when behaviors are not influenced by social or tangible rewards but are internally motivating to the child.
Example: If a child repeatedly flicks light switches for visual stimulation, you might disconnect the lights or provide an appropriate sensory alternative.
Understanding Extinction Bursts
One of the most important concepts in extinction is the extinction burst, a temporary increase in the frequency, intensity, or duration of the behavior when extinction begins. This happens because the child is confused about why their usual strategy is not working, so they try harder.
What to Expect During an Extinction Burst:
- Increased frequency: The behavior may happen more often
- Increased intensity: The behavior may become more severe
- Increased duration: Episodes may last longer
- New behaviors: The child might try different problem behaviors
When a behavior has been consistently reinforced, the brain expects that reinforcement to continue. When it suddenly stops, the natural response is to increase the behavior’s intensity or frequency in an attempt to get the expected result.
Understanding this phenomenon is crucial because many people give up during the extinction burst, thinking the intervention isn’t working. In reality, the extinction burst often signals that the procedure is working correctly.
Implementing Extinction Safely
Before Starting Extinction:
- Conduct a functional assessment to understand what maintains the behavior
- Create a detailed extinction plan that everyone will follow
- Establish safety protocols, especially for self-injurious behaviors or aggression
- Identify replacement behaviors to teach and reinforce
- Get team buy-in from all caregivers and professionals
Essential Safety Considerations:
Extinction should NOT be used for:
- Behaviors that could cause serious harm to oneself or others
- Behaviors where you cannot control all sources of reinforcement
- Situations where consistency cannot be maintained
Tracking the frequency, duration, and intensity of a behavior is essential during extinction. Consistent data collection shows whether the strategy is working and helps guide any needed adjustments along the way.
Common Examples of Extinction in Practice
- Sleep Training: If a child climbs into parents’ bed each night and gets to stay, extinction would involve consistently returning them to their own bed without the reinforcement of sleeping with parents.
- Mealtime Behaviors: For a child who refuses to eat and gets alternative foods, extinction might involve only providing the planned meal without offering alternatives, while reinforcing appropriate eating behaviors.
- Classroom Disruption: If a student gets peer attention for making jokes during lessons, extinction would involve peers and teachers not responding to the disruptive behavior while providing attention for appropriate participation.
When Extinction Doesn’t Work
Sometimes, extinction doesn’t work as expected and may need to be adjusted or replaced with another approach. This can happen when the plan is applied inconsistently or when hidden sources of reinforcement continue to support the behavior.
Other challenges include behaviors with multiple causes, safety concerns that limit implementation, or individual factors like medical conditions. In these cases, a customized plan and professional guidance are key to finding the right solution for your child.
Professional Guidance and ABA Therapy
While some basic extinction strategies can be used at home, working with an ABA therapist or Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is often essential for lasting success. These professionals are trained to assess behavior, create effective plans, and ensure safety throughout the process.
Expert support is especially important when behaviors are complex, potentially harmful, or linked to multiple causes. A BCBA can also help teach replacement skills and adjust the plan as needed, making sure your child gets the right support at every step.
Long-Term Success and Maintenance
Successful extinction can lead to meaningful outcomes, such as fewer problem behaviors, stronger replacement behaviors, better communication, improved emotional regulation, and a more peaceful home environment.
However, even after progress, old behaviors can sometimes return. This is known as spontaneous recovery. To prevent this, it is important to keep reinforcing positive behaviors, respond consistently, stay in touch with your ABA therapy team, and continue monitoring progress with data.
Conclusion
Understanding what extinction in ABA really means can empower parents and professionals to respond more effectively to challenging behaviors. Rather than relying on discipline or guesswork, extinction offers a structured and evidence-based approach to reduce negative behavior and encourage lasting behavior change. With the right planning, support, and consistency, extinction can help children build better communication, emotional regulation, and overall quality of life. It can turn everyday struggles into meaningful progress.
At Nurturing Nests Therapy Center, Inc., we specialize in creating personalized ABA therapy plans that support families in Los Angeles every step of the way. If your child is struggling with behavior challenges and you are looking for compassionate and expert guidance, our team is here to help. Contact us today to learn how our dedicated professionals can bring calm, structure, and positive growth to your family’s journey.
FAQs
What is an example of extinction in ABA?
If a child throws tantrums to get their favorite snack, extinction would involve no longer giving the snack when tantrums occur, while providing the snack when the child asks appropriately or remains calm.
What is the extinction method for autism?
The extinction method for autism involves systematically removing the reinforcement that maintains problem behaviors, allowing those behaviors to naturally decrease over time while teaching and reinforcing appropriate replacement behaviors.
When not to use extinction in ABA?
Extinction should not be used for self-injurious behaviors, serious aggression, or any dangerous behaviors that could cause harm if they temporarily increase during the extinction burst phase.
Why is it called the extinction method?
It’s called extinction because the problem behavior gradually “dies out” or becomes extinct when the reinforcement that was maintaining it is consistently removed, similar to how a species becomes extinct when its survival resources are no longer available.
