Extinction and extinction burst

In applied behavior analysis (ABA), extinction means the payoff that kept a behavior going stops coming. The payoff might be attention, a break from a task or a favorite item. Once it's gone, the behavior happens less over time. It depends on knowing the payoff, so your child's behavior analyst finds that out first with an assessment.

An extinction burst is a short rise in the behavior right after the payoff stops. Bursts that do happen tend to show up early, before the behavior starts to drop. One large autism report calls bursts common, while a 2023 review says estimates of how often they happen vary a lot. That report also says extinction shouldn't be used alone. In one older study, side effects were less common when it was part of a larger plan. Some autism rights and neurodiversity advocates have raised concerns about extinction, too.

Say your child yells at dinner, and the assessment shows the yelling gets your attention. With extinction, adults might stop answering the yelling. At the same time, they'd give your child lots of attention for asking in a calm voice. The yelling may get worse for a bit before it fades, and that rise is the burst. Don't start this on your own, especially with behavior that could hurt someone. It belongs inside a plan your child's behavior analyst writes and explains.

• What the behavior gets: Ask your Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) which payoff the assessment found and how they worked it out.
• What gets taught instead: Ask which new skill will earn the same payoff, since extinction shouldn't be used alone.
• The plan for a burst: Ask what you and the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) should do if the behavior rises at first, and whether parent training covers it.