Extinction Burst and Beyond
Getting past the extinction burst can leave you feeling like our pal woody, defeated and hopeless. Consistency is key! Once you start a new behavior reduction procedure, your child's undesired behavior WILL increase, but this is short lived if you stay consistent.
What is an extinction burst?
An extinction burst occurs when the reinforcement that caused a behavior has been removed causing an initial increase in the observed behavior.
For example:
If your child screams every time they want the toy car and you give it to them, then you are reinforcing that behavior (screaming). They have learned that screaming gets them what they want (toy car).
You no longer want them to scream, so you ignore that behavior and teach them that they can ask for the car. Until they ask for it (verbal, pointing, PECS, etc) you do not give them the car. This process is called extinction. You are not providing reinforcement (car) for the behavior (screaming).
At first, their screaming will probably increase. It might become more frequent, last longer, or get louder. This is the extinction burst. This is the part when most people want to give up and just give the child the car.
DON”T DO IT!
If you stay consistent with what you are teaching, the screaming will decrease soon and hopefully go away altogether shortly after.
Why do extinction bursts happen?
When you change up something and implement new rules, the natural reaction is to fight back harder.
How long do they last?
This depends on you and your child
We say a week as an average. However, there are some that are a day or two.
If you remain consistent, it should be a short span.
No parent likes to see their child’s behavior increase. They don’t like it for the child, as they are obviously not happy. It is hard. Your patience is running low and your heart hurts for them. Surviving a short period of this though compared to years of the undesired behavior, is worth it in the end. You can do it!
