3 Extinction Procedures and Safeguards

What extinction means

In behavior analysis, extinction means stopping the specific consequence that reinforces a behavior. Because the behavior no longer produces that consequence, it may decrease over time. Extinction is not ignoring a person, withholding care, or preventing communication or access to basic needs.

Match the procedure to the behavior’s function

Extinction differs from punishment: extinction removes the reinforcer maintaining a behavior, whereas punishment adds a consequence intended to reduce behavior. To apply extinction, the maintaining consequence must be identified and the procedure must match the behavior’s function.

Identify the maintaining consequence

The function should be identified through an appropriate functional behavior assessment, rather than assumed from how a behavior looks. A behavior may have more than one function, so an incomplete assessment can lead to an ineffective or risky plan.

Examples of how procedures may vary by function include:

• Attention: If calling out is maintained by attention, extinction may mean withholding the specific reinforcing attention after calling out while promptly responding to an appropriate request for attention.

• Access to an item or activity: If grabbing is maintained by access to a toy, extinction may mean not providing the toy after grabbing while teaching and reinforcing an appropriate request.

• Escape or avoidance: If a behavior is maintained by escaping a task, extinction may involve not allowing that behavior alone to end the task. This requires careful planning, strategies to make the task manageable, and teaching an appropriate way to request a break.

• Automatic or sensory reinforcement: If the behavior produces its own sensory consequence, there may be no practical consequence to withhold, making extinction difficult or infeasible.

Assess and plan before implementation

Extinction is rarely a good stand-alone intervention. Before using it, a qualified behavior professional should assess whether it is appropriate, identify the maintaining consequence, and create a written plan. The plan should specify the target behavior, procedures, roles, data collection, review schedule, and safety steps.

Obtain informed consent and, when applicable, consider and seek the person’s assent. Ethical planning includes individualized, assessment-based intervention; consideration of risks, benefits, side effects, and preferences; and ongoing evaluation.

Teach and reinforce an alternative

The plan should teach a functionally equivalent replacement behavior: a safer or more appropriate way to obtain the same outcome. Reinforce that behavior reliably so the new skill is effective and worthwhile. For example, teach a person to request a break, attention, or a desired item, and make the request effective.

For escape-maintained behavior, consider adjusting task difficulty, duration, or choice as appropriate. The replacement skill and any task adjustments should be part of a plan suited to the person and situation.

Implement consistently and review data

Extinction may be ineffective if the maintaining consequence still follows the behavior some of the time. Inconsistent implementation can make the behavior more persistent. Before starting, confirm that caregivers and staff understand the plan, can carry it out consistently, and know what to do in each relevant setting. If consistent implementation is unrealistic, consider another approach.

Collect data on both the target behavior and the replacement skill. Review whether the intervention is working, whether it is being implemented consistently, and whether new risks or unwanted effects are occurring. Set clear criteria in advance for pausing, modifying, or stopping the procedure. Do not continue an ineffective or unsafe plan simply to “wait it out.”

Anticipate side effects and protect safety

When reinforcement stops, behavior may temporarily increase in frequency, intensity, or duration; this is sometimes called an extinction burst. Possible effects also include emotional distress, new or different challenging behavior, and later return of a previously reduced behavior. These effects are possible, not inevitable, and should be anticipated rather than treated as proof that the procedure is succeeding.

Do not use extinction without appropriate safeguards when the behavior, or a likely increase in it, could cause injury, serious distress, or another unacceptable risk. A written safety or crisis plan, trained implementers, adequate supervision, and a way to monitor well-being may be essential. If safety cannot be maintained, do not use extinction.

Extinction may also be unsuitable when the reinforcer cannot realistically be withheld, implementers cannot be consistent, or automatic reinforcement makes the procedure impractical. Consider less risky antecedent strategies and reinforcement-based alternatives.

Putting the safeguards together

Extinction means withholding the functionally identified reinforcer after a behavior, not withholding care or communication. Its use depends on appropriate assessment, a written and feasible plan, consistent implementation, and reinforcement of an effective replacement skill. Ongoing data review and safeguards are necessary, and the procedure should not be used when its risks cannot be managed or it cannot be implemented reliably.