Extinction in ABA: Definition, Types and Examples

Extinction in ABA means the reinforcer that has been keeping a behavior going no longer follows that behavior, so over time the behavior happens less often. In study-guide terms, extinction is withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior. It is not simply ignoring: extinction works only when the specific reinforcer that maintains the behavior is the one that stops, and which reinforcer that is depends on the behavior's function.

The three types of extinction, by function

• Extinction of behavior maintained by positive reinforcement (attention, or an item or activity). The attention, item or activity that used to follow the behavior no longer follows it. Example: Dannie drops her toy on the floor, and her mom smiles and talks to her each time. Suppose an assessment shows that this attention is what keeps the behavior going. Under extinction, dropping the toy no longer brings the smiles and talk, and Dannie gets her mom's attention at other times instead.
• Escape extinction (behavior maintained by negative reinforcement). The task or demand that the behavior used to end stays in place. Example: during a learning session, a learner hits the table when a task is presented, and the task has usually been taken away. Under escape extinction in a BCBA's plan, the task is no longer removed after the behavior; the plan says exactly what happens instead.
• Sensory extinction (behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement). The sensory result the behavior produces is masked or removed. Example: Dannie flips a light switch on and off to watch the ceiling fan start and stop. If the fan is disconnected from that switch, flipping it no longer produces the visual effect she was getting from it.

Sensory extinction was introduced by Rincover (1978): with three autistic children, self-stimulation reliably decreased when a certain sensory consequence was removed and increased again when it was allowed, and different procedures were needed for different behaviors because the sensory reinforcers differed from child to child.

Why the function decides which extinction works

Iwata, Pace, Cowdery and Miltenberger (1994) studied head banging in 3 children with developmental disabilities whose behavior served three different functions: attention from adults, escape from educational tasks, and automatic reinforcement. They compared three versions of extinction. The behavior went down only when “extinction” stopped the reinforcement previously shown to maintain that child's behavior. Withholding attention from a behavior that is maintained by escape is not extinction for that behavior, because the escape still happens.

That is why a functional behavior assessment (FBA) comes before an extinction procedure: it identifies when, where and why the behavior happens, and so which reinforcer the plan has to stop.

The extinction burst

An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the behavior right after extinction begins: it may happen more often, more intensely or for longer. It is common enough to plan for, but not certain:

• Lerman and Iwata (1995) looked at 113 sets of extinction data from applied research. Bursting occurred in 24% of cases: 12% when extinction was combined with other procedures, and 36% when extinction was the only procedure.
• Lerman, Iwata and Wallace (1999) looked at 41 data sets from treatment of self-injurious behavior. Extinction bursts or increases in aggression occurred in nearly half of the cases, and were substantially less common when extinction was part of a treatment package rather than the only intervention.

So keep the procedure consistent as the plan says, and follow the plan's safety steps if the behavior becomes dangerous. A behavior can also come back for a short time after it has gone down, even after a long quiet period. This is called spontaneous recovery; respond to it the same way the plan says to respond to the behavior.

Extinction as part of an individualized behavior plan

In the studies above, bursts and other side effects were less common when extinction was combined with other procedures rather than used alone. An individualized plan should specify any skills to teach, reinforcement to provide and preventive changes to make alongside extinction. In Iwata, Pace, Kalsher, Cowdery and Cataldo (1990), escape extinction reduced or eliminated self-injury for each of six participants during educational sessions. For one participant whose self-injury happened during medical examinations, treatment combined escape extinction with reinforcement for tolerating the examination; the self-injury was eliminated, and the effect carried over to eight new therapists and three physicians.

Safety first. If the behavior involves self-injury or aggression toward others, do not use extinction without a written plan from a behavior analyst that includes safety steps. Escape extinction around food is not a home procedure: the behavior may get worse before it gets better, and a child who is not eating is a safety question. If a BCBA has assessed the behavior and written the plan, the plan says exactly what to do; if not, the answer is to get one before trying this. RBTs carry out extinction only as their supervisor's written plan describes.

For teachers, the Methods of Preventing Challenging Behavior training ($39, 50 minutes, no CEUs) covers the prevention side in the classroom: structure and predictability, clear general and specific expectations, and preventing escalation during instruction, downtime, transitions and after reward time.

Extinction, punishment and planned ignoring: what is the difference?

• Extinction: the reinforcer that maintained the behavior no longer follows it.
• Punishment: a consequence that follows the behavior and makes it less likely in the future, either by adding something (positive punishment) or by removing something (negative punishment).
• Planned ignoring: withholding attention after the behavior. It is extinction only when attention is what maintains the behavior.

On a test question that asks which choice best describes extinction, the answer is the one that describes withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior, not taking away privileges, reinforcing the behavior until it stops, or distracting the person.

Related: Using My Words Not My Hands Social Story

Sources

• Iwata, B. A., Pace, G. M., Cowdery, G. E., & Miltenberger, R. G. (1994). What makes extinction work: An analysis of procedural form and function. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27(1), 131–144. doi:10.1901/jaba.1994.27-131
• Iwata, B. A., Pace, G. M., Kalsher, M. J., Cowdery, G. E., & Cataldo, M. F. (1990). Experimental analysis and extinction of self-injurious escape behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 23(1), 11–27. doi:10.1901/jaba.1990.23-11
• Lerman, D. C., & Iwata, B. A. (1995). Prevalence of the extinction burst and its attenuation during treatment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 28(1), 93–94. doi:10.1901/jaba.1995.28-93
• Lerman, D. C., Iwata, B. A., & Wallace, M. D. (1999). Side effects of extinction: Prevalence of bursting and aggression during the treatment of self-injurious behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 32(1), 1–8. doi:10.1901/jaba.1999.32-1
• Rincover, A. (1978). Sensory extinction: A procedure for eliminating self-stimulatory behavior in developmentally disabled children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 6(3), 299–310. doi:10.1007/BF00924733

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