Assessment and treatment of escape from attention in the form of conversation
A two-minute wait to escape made conversation bearable and wiped out escape-maintained problem behavior for an autistic child.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Cengher et al. (2021) worked with one autistic child who hit and ran away whenever adults tried to chat. The team first proved the talk itself was the problem—the child acted out to end the conversation. Then they tested a simple change: if the child asked for a break, the adult would keep talking for two more minutes before allowing escape. They ran this plan across several reversals to be sure any change came from the delay.
What they found
The two-minute wait flipped the child’s choice. When escape was immediate, the child took the break every time and problem behavior stayed high. With the delay in place, the child usually stayed in the talk and aggression dropped to near zero. Conversation itself became more acceptable than waiting two extra minutes to get away.
How this fits with other research
Slocum et al. (2024) extends this idea. They also treated social avoidance in autistic kids, but added stimulus fading and social skills coaching on top of the delay. Four of five children improved, showing the delay tactic can be part of a larger package.
Repp et al. (1992) is the grandfather study here. Back in 1992 they showed that some children act out when adults give too much attention, not too little. Cengher’s delay trick targets exactly this “social avoidance” group that C et al. first identified.
Vasquez et al. (2017) used the same two-minute window, but for a different reason—warning before interrupting play. Both studies show that a short, predictable time cue can head off problem behavior without any extinction, giving clinicians two friendly tools that respect the child’s need for structure.
Why it matters
If you have a client who bolts or screams the moment you start a conversation, try adding a brief delay to any break they request. No need to withhold escape—just make it wait two minutes. The child learns that talking is brief and safe, and you avoid extinction bursts. Start with two minutes, measure, and adjust; the reversal design in the paper gives you a clear template to show your supervisor that the change is working.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractThe purpose of this study was to evaluate treatment procedures for problem behavior maintained by escape from attention in the form of conversation for a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. After conducting a functional analysis that confirmed this function, we implemented a preference assessment to identify some forms of attention that were not aversive. Treatment consisted of four conditions, implemented in a series of reversals. During each condition, the participant chose from some of the following concurrently available options: three forms of attention, escape from conversation, and escape from conversation with a 2‐min delay. We implemented the delay to reduce (devalue) the reinforcing value of escape from conversation. The participant preferred escape from conversation to social interaction when all four consequences were available immediately. When escape from conversation was possible with a delay, the participant's preference changed to social interaction. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.
Behavioral Interventions, 2021 · doi:10.1002/bin.1754