Extinction Bursts

Written by: Bernardo Loiacono, PhD

The Extinction Burst

It’s important to note that using new behavioral strategies requires setting clearer boundaries consistently - boundaries that the child is not yet familiar with. This change in the caregiver response will likely lead to an extinction burst, as should be expected.2

An extinction burst is when a behavior gets worse before it gets better due to the behavior no longer being reinforced/entertained. Take a look at an example below.

How does an extinction burst look in real life?

Six-year-old Johnny has gotten into the habit of whining and screaming to get a sweet treat before dinner. Sometimes he uses this strategy for getting out of unwanted activities (i.e., picking up his toys, brushing his teeth, etc.). His caregivers have often given in “just this once” to avoid a meltdown and drawn out tantrum. After consulting a behavioral specialist, Johnny’s caregivers decide to implement a new boundary: no more candy before dinner—no exceptions. To support this new boundary, Johnny’s caregivers are instructed to sit Johnny down at a neutral time when he is calm and explain that sweet treats are for after dinner only if Johnny is calm. They are also told to use strategic attention and to ignore whinny, non destructive behavior, and give praise toward specific behaviors that they want to see more of (i.e., ignore the screaming, say “thank you for calming down” after Johnny is regulated).1 They are told they will likely switch between ignore-praise often in the beginning and to be consistent to unlearn the old dynamics.

Let’s see how things go:

Day 1: New Boundary/Skill Introduced
Johnny walks into the kitchen and asks, “Can I have some gummy bears before dinner?”
Caregiver calmly replies, “No, sweetie. We’re not having candy before dinner anymore. You can have some fruit, or wait until after.”
Johnny immediately frowns and shouts, “But I want it now!”
Caregiver stays calm and repeats the boundary. Johnny storms off, slamming the door. Caregiver ignores and praises Johnny when he emerges stating, “I’m glad you came back.”

Day 2: The Extinction Burst
Johnny comes home after school and demands candy. Caregiver says no in a calm and neutral tone.
Johnny escalates—He screams, cries, throws himself on the floor, and kicks a chair. “You’re mean! You don’t even love me! You never let me have anything!”
Caregiver, heart pounding, takes a deep breath and sticks to the plan. They behaviorally ignore to communicate that Johnny’s behavior is inappropriate and they wait for him to calm down.

Day 3–4: Peak/Decline
Johnny tries new tactics—pleading, bargaining (“Just one, please?”), pulling on heart strings (“I’m sorry I love you!), threatening to not eat dinner. He even says she’ll never talk to his caregivers again.
Although tempted, Johnny’s caregiver remains calm and consistent. They ignore Johnny and when he is calm notes, “I see you were upset, but the rule stays the same. Thank you for calming down.”

Day 5: Behavior Begins to Change
Johnny sulks but no longer cries and whines. He doesn’t ask for candy before dinner. Instead, he quietly eats some apple slices his caregiver offered. Johnny’s caregiver provides him with detailed praises: “I love having family dinner with you,” “Great work eating so many apples,” “I’m proud about how calm we are.”

Later during dinner, Johnny asks, “Can I have a few gummy bears after dinner?” His caregiver smiles, “Thank you for asking politely. Yes, after dinner is fine.”

How to Get Lasting Effects

As we saw with Johnny, he was used to getting candy every time he asked/whined for it. When the caregiver suddenly stops giving candy, Johnny asked for it even more loudly, aggressively, and for a longer time, hoping to get what he wanted. This is the “burst” - the misbehavior and dysregulation gets stronger or bigger for a little while because the child is trying harder to get the reward now that their original attention seeking behavior is no longer resulting in getting the candy. Over time, however, when the candy still isn’t provided, the child begins to learn that nothing I do will move this boundary. This is the “extinction” part - where the misbehavior and dysregulation slowly fades away. Simply, an extinction burst is a brief time when behavior worsens and the strategy seems as though it is not working, but it’s actually a step toward the misbehavior disappearing.

It’s very important to hold strong and stay consistent with parent management skills in order for them to have lasting effects. Remember that the child is having to unlearn the previous dynamic where their misbehavior would result in getting what they wanted/attention. Once you outlast the extinction burst, and the child learns that this behavior won’t result in a reward/in them getting out of a non-desired task, both child and caregiver can move forward with consistent and predictable boundaries. 

*always consult your provider at any time you feel something with the skills is not feeling right. Destructive/physically aggressive behavior should not be ignored*

References:

1. Hester, P. P., Hendrickson, J. M., & Gable, R. A. (2009). Forty years later—The value of praise, ignoring, and rules for preschoolers at risk for behavior disorders. Education and Treatment of Children, 32 (4), 513-535.

2. Shahan, T. A. (2022). A theory of the extinction burst. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 45(3), 495-519.