Assessment and treatment of social avoidance.

Capio et al. (2013) worked with children who avoided all social contact. The team first checked why each child hit, ran, or hid. They then tried three common fixes: giving a break, giving attention, or giving toys. None worked well. Last, they paired DRA with extinction. The child got a tiny reward for any brief social response. Problem behavior no longer produced escape.

DRA plus extinction was the only plan that cut problem behavior and lifted social bids at the same time. Other tactics helped for a moment, but gains vanished once the adult came back. With DRA plus extinction, kids stayed near adults and talked or played more often.

Repp et al. (1992) first showed that extra attention can punish some kids. Capio et al. (2013) turned that idea into a full treatment.

Slocum et al. (2024) repeated the recipe with autistic children and added stimulus fading. Four of five kids improved, proving the package still works when you ease adults in slowly.

Cengher et al. (2021) swapped extinction for a two-minute delay. Problem behavior still dropped, showing you can soften the plan for kids who need a slower exit from escape.

If you see a child who hits or bolts the moment an adult speaks, test whether social contact itself is aversive. When the function is social avoidance, skip breaks and toys. Run DRA plus extinction instead. Reward any small social step—eye contact, a nod, one word—while you block the old escape route. Start today by picking one brief response, delivering a favorite item right after it, and keeping the interaction short and upbeat.