Extinction

Lisa Breidenbach SPED 843  Dr. Aronin  Spring 2011

 Extinction __Description of Intervention Method __ One of the many behavioral interventions is extinction, which is removing the reinforcer of a previously reinforced behavior. By eliminating the reinforced attention that supports the inappropriate behavior, this target behavior is reduced or terminated. Extinction is best when the misbehavior that is being eliminated is replaced by an appropriate behavior that is reinforced. When the student performs a desired replacement behavior, a student needs to be praised. There are five steps to implementing extinction at school or at home. The first step is to select the extinction behavior. The description of the behavior should be observable and measureable. After selecting the extinction behavior collect data by recording the frequency the behavior occurs on the selected behavior to determine a baseline. The third step is to ignore the behavior to be eliminated or reduced. This includes breaking eye contact, not talking or interacting with the child, and moving away from the child. For example, do not say to the child, “I’m ignoring you,” or “I’m not paying attention to you.” If the child performs the appropriate replacement behavior, then the fourth step of praising the student should be implemented. Praising the child should occur immediately praising after the replacement behavior occurs. Be sure to use eye contact and vary the words when describing the replacement behavior that the student is performing. This praise should be given frequently and with enthusiasm when the child is working on the new behavior. The fifth and final step is to monitor the plan by recording the frequency that the extinction behavior occurs. During this time record the extinction bursts, reaction of other students/siblings in addition to the frequency of misbehaviors. Before the behavior is eliminated, an //extinction burst// will most likely occur. An //extinction burst// is an increase in the intensity, frequency, or length of the selected extinction behavior. The student’s behavior will get worse before it gets better.

__Types of Students Who Benefit from the Method __ Extinction can be used with males and females from toddlers through adults who have varying disabilities. The limiting factor is not the type of student, but the behavior that is to be eliminated. This intervention should be used if it is an attention seeking behavior. Extinction is best used for behaviors such as whining, complaining, clinging, throwing tantrums, or calling out, and not aggressive behaviors. Determine the motivation of the selected behavior before beginning. Do not use extinction for students who want to be ignored or if the motivation is avoidance. If the behavior is occurring due to sensory issues or communication difficulties then a extinction should not be used.

__Qualifications for Using the Method__

There are no special qualifications needed to implement this intervention, other than a basic understanding of the method.
__Costs of Using the Method__

There are no costs associated with using this method other than the time the adult invests.
__Potential Risks with Using the Method__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Before selecting extinction as the appropriate method teachers and parents need to consider the many side-effects of using this method. The extinction behavior will need to be tolerated temporarily, and most likely become worse before it gets better. This is called an //extinction burst.// To be successful the procedure will require that everyone involved with the individual is consistently and persistently by ignoring the misbehavior. The individual may become aggressive in an attempt to obtain attention from the adult. This is called an //extinction-induced aggression.// Others may try to imitate or respond to the behavior. If this happens then this is not the best intervention because the people are reinforcers.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">__Benefits of Using the Method__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">If successful, there are many benefits of implementing extinction. Extinction is a non-aversive method of eliminating a non-desired behavior for the long-term, and it is relative simple to use.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">__Settings for Method Use__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Extinction can be used in any setting provided others do not try to imitate the behavior, and other people in that setting are able to ignore the behavior. For example, using extinction to eliminate temper tantrums in the library may not be appropriate because it is a public setting. Replacing the misbehavior with an appropriate replacement behavior may not be generalized from one environment to another. It could become worse in a different setting such as a different classroom or the grocery store.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">__Field’s Attitude Towards the Method__ ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;">If extinction is paired with an appropriate replacement behavior, then the overall consensus is that extinction is a behavior intervention that should be successful when applied appropriately. ====

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">Summary of Research Study

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Banda, D. B., McAfee, J. K., & Hart, S. L. (2009). "Decreasing self-injurious behavior in a student with autism and Tourette syndrome through positive attention and extinction." //Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 31,// 144-156.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Description of Subjects __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The only subject is Jack a 13-year-old boy who was diagnosed with severe autism at age 6 and Tourette syndrome at age 9. He received all of his instruction in a self-contained classroom. Jack displayed self-injurious behavior (SIB) and tics.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Description of Research Design __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">This research was conducted using an ABAC design. The first phase was to conduct an FBA and functional assessment interview. This revealed that Jack usually engaged in SIB to gain tangibles, followed by escape, sensory stimulation, and attention. SIB occurred during non-preferred activities such as academic tasks. A functional analysis showed that SIB was maintained by attention-seeking although there was not one main function. During phase one the teaching assistant used positive attention and extinction for 10 minute work intervals by saying a positive phrase such as "good job" every ten seconds when Jack did not hit himself. If Jack hit himself then the teaching assistant turned away and did not talk to him for 10 seconds before resuming activities. In the second phase, the researchers first repeated the baseline but shortened the work interval from 10 to five minutes at the request of the parent and teaching assistant because it was noticed that SIB increased after six to seven minutes of working. The same process occurred as in phase one except the work interval was five minutes.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Dependent Variable __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">The dependent variable was SIB. It was defined as using either hand to hit any part of his face or head with a closed fist.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Independent Variable __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">The independent variable is positive attention and extinction.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Summary of Results __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">In phase 1, the average number of hits went from a baseline of 5.7 per minute to 3.7 per minute with positive attention and extinction. In phase two the average number of hits went from a baseline of 4.6 hits per minute to 3.5 hits per minutes, but it decreased to zero by the end of the intervention. The study concluded that extinction with positive attention may be a successful intervention for students with SIB. Additional studies are needed to determine if the intervention was generalized to other environments and maintained.