Attention Maintained Behavior

Attention-Maintained Behavior

Why ignoring sometimes makes things worse -- and what to do instead

For paraprofessionals and the teachers who supervise them

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| The frameWhen a student's behavior is maintained by attention, the instinctive response -- paying attention to the behavior -- is exactly what keeps it going. The counterintuitive response -- ignoring -- sounds simple but is often implemented incorrectly or abandoned too early. This brief explains the function of attention-maintained behavior, why planned ignoring alone is rarely enough, how to pair it with reinforcement of appropriate behavior, and what to expect when you first start. |

Review: what attention-maintained behavior looks like

Attention-maintained behavior increases when it produces social contact from adults or peers -- looks, reactions, redirection, reprimands, comfort, or any other form of engagement. The behavior does not have to produce positive attention; negative attention (a reprimand, a frustrated response, being told to stop) can be just as reinforcing if it is the student's primary way of accessing social connection.

Common attention-maintained behaviors include: calling out, making disruptive noises, engaging in low-level physical behavior toward peers, saying provocative things, making self-deprecating comments that draw concern, and repetitive questioning. The key diagnostic question is: does this behavior reliably produce some form of adult or peer response?

For more on identifying functions, see Brief 05.01 (Function-Based Thinking) and Brief 05.02 (Functional Behavior Assessment).

Why ignoring alone often fails

The extinction burst

When a behavior that has previously been reinforced by attention is no longer reinforced (i.e., when the para stops responding), the student's behavior will often increase in intensity, frequency, or duration before it decreases. This is called an extinction burst. The student is, in effect, trying harder to get the reinforcement that used to work.

Extinction bursts are predictable and temporary -- but they are also the most common reason planned ignoring gets abandoned. The para or teacher ignores a few instances, the behavior escalates, and the team concludes that ignoring does not work. In fact, what they experienced was the extinction burst, and stopping the ignoring at that point actually teaches the student that escalating the behavior is what produces attention.

Incomplete ignoring

Planned ignoring means no attention of any kind -- no eye contact, no sighing, no redirecting another student away from the behavior, no whispering to a colleague. Even subtle reactions can function as attention and maintain the behavior. Many well-intentioned adults discover that what they thought was ignoring was actually providing intermittent reinforcement -- the most powerful schedule for maintaining behavior.

Planned ignoring plus differential reinforcement

Planned ignoring is not a standalone strategy. It must always be paired with a plan to reinforce appropriate behavior -- specifically, to provide robust attention when the student is not engaging in the problem behavior and is engaging in a positive alternative.

Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO)

In DRO, attention (or another reinforcer) is provided after a period during which the problem behavior did not occur. Example: the para provides warm social attention every 5 minutes that the student has not called out. The interval is based on the student's current baseline -- it should start short enough that the student can succeed and be lengthened gradually.

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)

In DRA, attention is specifically provided when the student uses an alternative, appropriate behavior to get attention. Example: when the student raises their hand instead of calling out, the para responds immediately and warmly. When the student calls out, the para does not respond. DRA directly teaches the student that the appropriate behavior works and the problem behavior does not.

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)

DRI reinforces a behavior that is physically incompatible with the problem behavior. Example: reinforce on-task reading (incompatible with calling out) with brief, positive social attention delivered to the student at their seat.

What robust attention delivery looks like

If the student's behavior is maintained by attention because they are not getting enough of it through appropriate channels, the solution is not just to ignore the problem behavior but to dramatically increase the attention available for positive behavior. This means:

Scheduled brief check-ins during work periods: come by every few minutes, say something positive, and leave

Narrating appropriate behavior specifically: you raised your hand before speaking -- I noticed that

Building in opportunities for positive social interaction that are unrelated to academic demands

Greeting the student personally at the start of each period or transition

The goal is to make appropriate behavior the most efficient and reliable path to what the student wants: connection with the people around them.

What to do during an extinction burst

Before starting a planned ignoring procedure, the team should agree on how to handle escalation:

Agree in writing on what behaviors will be ignored and which behaviors cross a safety threshold requiring response

Brief all staff who interact with the student so there is no inconsistency

Have a plan for peers who are affected by the escalation

Set a data collection period before drawing conclusions -- extinction bursts can last hours to days depending on the history of the behavior

During an extinction burst, maintain composure. Move away from the student if proximity is reinforcing. Do not make eye contact. Do not whisper to a colleague about the behavior in the student's presence. Continue providing attention for appropriate behavior when it occurs, even if brief.

Scenarios

Scenario A: The call-out

A student calls out during independent work approximately 15 times per period. The team identifies the function as attention-maintained (the para reliably responds to each call-out with a prompt to raise their hand). The plan: ignore call-outs entirely; provide brief, warm attention every 5 minutes that the student has worked without calling out; respond immediately and enthusiastically when the student raises their hand. In the first two days, call-outs increase to 20-25 per period (extinction burst). By day five, call-outs have dropped to 4 per period. By the end of two weeks, they are occurring 1-2 times per period.

Scenario B: The provocation

A middle school student makes comments in class that prompt reactions from peers and adults. The team identifies the function as peer and adult attention. The plan: all adults use planned ignoring for the comments; peers are coached (separately) not to react; the student is given a structured leadership role during group activities and receives genuine praise for contributions. Within a month, provocative comments decrease significantly.

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| Try this | Watch out for |

| Pair planned ignoring with a robust plan to provide attention for appropriate behavior -- ignoring alone is not a complete strategy | Abandoning planned ignoring during an extinction burst -- this teaches the student that escalating works |

| Brief all staff who interact with the student so ignoring is consistent across people and settings | Providing subtle reactions (sighing, making eye contact, redirecting peers) while thinking you are ignoring |

| Expect an extinction burst and have a written plan for how to handle escalation before it happens | Using planned ignoring without a simultaneous plan to reinforce alternative behavior |

| Deliver reinforcing attention immediately and specifically when the student uses an appropriate behavior to access connection | Starting an ignoring procedure without briefing all adults who work with the student |

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| Bottom lineIgnoring a behavior is only half the plan. The other half is making appropriate behavior the fastest, most reliable route to what the student is actually seeking -- which, for attention-maintained behavior, is connection. Build that connection proactively, and the problem behavior has less work to do. |

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