When a child throws a tantrum in the middle of a grocery store, your instinct might be to respond immediately. But what if the best response is no response at all? Welcome to the complex world of extinction—a powerful behavior modification technique that’s often misunderstood and frequently misapplied.
What Is Extinction in Behavior Modification?
Extinction refers to the process of reducing or eliminating a specific behavior by discontinuing the reinforcement that previously maintained it. Unlike punishment, which introduces an aversive consequence, extinction simply removes the payoff that keeps a behavior going.
Here’s the critical distinction: ignoring the problem behavior functions as extinction only if attention is the reinforcer. This is where many parents and educators go wrong. They assume that ignoring any behavior will make it disappear, but extinction requires a more nuanced, function-based approach.
The Science Behind Extinction
The theoretical background of extinction is rooted in the principle of operant conditioning, where behaviors are influenced by their consequences. When a behavior consistently produces a desired outcome—whether that’s attention, access to tangibles, escape from demands, or sensory stimulation—it will continue. Remove that outcome, and the behavior loses its purpose.
During extinction, the undesirable behavior is met with no eye contact, no physical contact, and no verbal reinforcement or reaction. This complete withdrawal of reinforcement signals to the individual that the behavior no longer “works.”
Understanding the Extinction Burst: When Things Get Worse Before They Get Better
One of the most challenging aspects of extinction is the extinction burst—and it’s the reason many people abandon the technique prematurely.
An extinction burst is a dramatic increase in the frequency/duration/intensity of the problem behavior. Research reveals that only 24% of cases showed extinction bursts in one study, while another found that 39% of cases showed response bursting.
The behavior may skyrocket to double its baseline frequency during the “honeymoon period” before making a gradual decline. Picture this: your child normally asks for candy 20 times during a shopping trip. Once you stop giving in, that number might jump to 40 times before it starts decreasing.
To explain more simply “It’s going to get worse before it gets better.” Extinction bursts are expected and counter-intuitively serve as a sign that the intervention is working.
When Extinction Is Appropriate
Extinction works best for behaviors that are:
- Maintained by attention: Disruptive comments, whining, or attention-seeking behaviors
- Access to tangibles: Tantrums to obtain toys, food, or preferred items
- Escape-maintained: Behaviors used to avoid non-preferred tasks
- Relatively minor: Behaviors that don’t pose immediate safety risks
Extinction is frequently used to target or reduce interfering behaviors such as tantrums/crying and excessive scratching/picking.
When NOT to Use Extinction: Critical Safety Considerations
Not all behaviors are appropriate candidates for extinction. Extinction should not be used when the behavior in question is dangerous or harmful to the individual or others.
Avoid extinction for:
- Self-injurious behaviors: Head-banging, self-hitting, or severe scratching
- Aggressive behaviors: Physical aggression that could harm others
- Dangerous behaviors: Running into traffic, climbing on unsafe structures
- Behaviors causing significant distress: Extinction should not be used in situations where it might cause significant emotional distress or trauma, such as when behavior is related to underlying anxiety, fear, or unmet needs.
The extinction burst effect has been used as a reason to avoid its use with severe destructive or self-injurious behavior—one does not want to increase, even temporarily, the rate of severe destructive behavior due to safety reasons.
Research shows that about 40% of cases showed at least one of two side effects (response bursts or increases in aggression) and that almost 20% of the cases showed both phenomena.
Implementing Extinction Safely: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Conduct a Functional Behavior Assessment
Before implementing extinction, you must identify what’s maintaining the behavior. Effective extinction requires a targeted approach to address the function of the behavior.
Ask yourself:
- What happens immediately before the behavior?
- What happens immediately after?
- What does the individual gain from this behavior?
Step 2: Create a Comprehensive Plan
Before applying extinction, identify the behavior and patterns related to it (frequency, duration, intensity, location, etc.) and create an extinction plan and share it with all other practitioners working with the child to ensure consistency and support.
Your plan should include:
- Clear operational definition of the target behavior
- Identified function of the behavior
- Specific extinction procedures matched to that function
- Alternative replacement behaviors to teach
- An extinction burst safety plan (should behavior get progressively worse before it gets better)
Step 3: Teach Replacement Behaviors
It is important to not just reduce/eliminate an undesirable behavior but to also encourage a replacement behavior. Use of extinction alone is never suggested, combining it with positive approaches are mandatory.
If a child tantrums for attention, teach them to:
- Tap your shoulder and say “Excuse me”
- Raise their hand
- Use appropriate verbal requests
Then heavily reinforce these alternative behaviors with the very thing they want—your attention.
Step 4: Maintain Consistency
Applying extinction takes patience and consistency because it’s common for the undesirable behavior to increase in frequency, duration, or intensity before fading away.
Everyone in the child’s environment must follow the same plan. Inconsistent application can actually strengthen the behavior through intermittent reinforcement—the most powerful reinforcement schedule.
Step 5: Prepare for Spontaneous Recovery
Spontaneous recovery occurs after the behavior starts to go away and can happen even without reinforcement—after some time passes the behavior pops up again a few times before decreasing to a very low rate.
Don’t panic. This is normal and expected. Continue implementing extinction consistently, and the behavior will fade again more quickly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Confusing Extinction with Simple Ignoring
A common misconception about extinction is that it simply means ignoring a behavior. However, it involves a more nuanced approach—extinction requires systematically withholding the reinforcement that maintains the behavior, whereas ignoring is just one strategy.
Mistake #2: Giving in During the Extinction Burst
This is the most critical error. When you give in after the behavior has escalated, you’ve just taught the individual that bigger, louder, more intense behaviors work. You’ve essentially created a monster.
Mistake #3: Not Teaching Alternative Skills
The problem is you removed the maintaining variable, but didn’t replace it with anything (translation= teach new skills). Your client has no way to get his “attention fix.”
Mistake #4: Using Extinction Alone
It is generally recommended that extinction is never used as the only procedure in place to reduce behavior—with few exceptions, most applications of extinction as a singular intervention have focused on minor behavior problems (e.g. disruptive classroom behavior, tantrums, mild forms of aggression).
Practical Examples of Extinction in Action
Example 1: Attention-Seeking Behavior
Scenario: A child disrupts class by making silly noises to get classmates to laugh.
Extinction procedure:
- Teacher and students completely ignore the noises (no eye contact, no reaction)
- Teacher provides immediate attention when child raises hand appropriately
- Classmates are coached to ignore disruptions
Result: Without receiving any reinforcement of his behavior, the child will be less likely to continue to disrupt the class in the future.
Example 2: Tangible-Maintained Behavior
Scenario: A child screams in the car demanding to hear music.
Extinction procedure:
- Give no response at all to the screaming
- Wait for a quiet moment or appropriate request
- Then provide access to music
Expected outcome: Screaming will initially increase, then gradually decrease as the child learns it’s ineffective.
Supporting Parents Through the Process
For parents, implementing extinction can feel counterintuitive and emotionally difficult. Many parents tell me that doing an extinction procedure feels wrong and counter-intuitive.
Provide parents with:
- Education about extinction bursts so they know what to expect
- Regular check-ins and support
- Data showing progress over time
- A crisis plan for responding to urgent/emergent behaviors that may occur in the context of an extinction burst
- Reminders that consistency is key—giving in will only prolong the process
The Ethics of Extinction
Extinction must be used thoughtfully and ethically. By focusing on understanding behavior, teaching replacement skills, and maintaining compassion, practitioners can create meaningful and lasting change.
The goal isn’t simply to eliminate behavior—it’s to help individuals develop more adaptive ways to meet their needs. Instead of framing these behaviors as “bad” or something to be extinguished, view them as opportunities to teach and grow. When a child struggles, it’s an invitation to understand their world better and guide them toward success.
Measuring Success
Track these metrics to evaluate your extinction procedure:
- Frequency of target behavior
- Duration of behavior episodes
- Intensity of the behavior
- Frequency of replacement behaviors
- Overall quality of life improvements
Successful implementation of extinction can lead to a more positive and functional behavior pattern, enhancing the overall quality of life.
Key Takeaways
- Extinction is more than just ignoring—it’s the systematic removal of the specific reinforcement maintaining a behavior
- Expect an extinction burst where behavior temporarily worsens before improving
- Never use extinction alone; always teach and reinforce alternative replacement behaviors
- Avoid extinction for dangerous or self-injurious behaviors
- Consistency across all caregivers and environments is critical for success
- Spontaneous recovery is normal—stay the course
- Create an extinction burst safety plan before implementation
Conclusion
Extinction is a powerful, evidence-based tool for reducing problem behaviors when used correctly. However, it requires careful planning, functional understanding of behavior, consistent implementation, and a commitment to teaching alternative skills.
The path through extinction isn’t easy. There will be moments when the behavior escalates and you question whether you’re doing the right thing. But with proper planning, support, and consistency, extinction can help individuals develop more adaptive ways to meet their needs and improve their overall quality of life.
Remember: the goal isn’t to control or eliminate the person—it’s to provide them with better tools for navigating their world.
References
- Applied Behavior Analysis EDU: What is Extinction in ABA Therapy? – https://www.appliedbehavioranalysisedu.org/what-is-meant-by-extinction-in-aba-therapy/
- Therapy & Wellness Connection: ABA Therapists Use “Extinction” to Reduce Interfering Behavior – https://therapyandwellnessconnection.com/insights/aba-therapists-use-extinction-to-reduce-interfering-behavior/
- Autism Parenting Magazine: What is Extinction in ABA Therapy? – https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/extinction-aba-therapy/
- Golden Care Therapy: When Should Extinction Not Be Used in ABA? – https://goldencaretherapy.com/blogs-when-should-extinction-not-be-used-in-aba/
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Basic and Applied Research on Extinction Bursts – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9868065/
