Treatment of multiply controlled problem behavior.

The team worked with one child who hit, kicked, and screamed. The behavior happened for two reasons: to get away from tasks and to get toys.

They first gave a quick break and a toy for following directions. Later they added brief, friendly chat during the break. No extinction was used.

Aggression stayed high when the break only gave toys. It dropped fast once the adult added social interaction.

The result showed that multiply-controlled behavior needs every reinforcer addressed.

Capio et al. (2013) also treated escape-from-social-contact behavior, but they added extinction. Festinger et al. (1996) got the same drop without extinction, so the social piece alone can be enough.

Slocum et al. (2024) later added stimulus fading to the same break-plus-chat idea. Their autistic learners needed the extra step, showing the tactic keeps growing.

Cengher et al. (2021) flipped the logic: instead of adding interaction, they delayed escape for two minutes. Both papers cut problem behavior, giving you two clear levers—add good stuff or make escape wait.

If your client’s aggression feeds on both escape and attention, giving a quiet break with toys may miss half the picture. Slip in thirty seconds of friendly talk, a pat on the back, or shared laughter while the break runs. You may dodge extinction bursts and still see the behavior fall.