This is a summary of a recorded webinar hosted by Hi Rasmus, featuring distinguished guest speakers Jonathan Tarbox, BCBA-D, and Courtney Tarbox, BCBA. Explore the concept of compassionate care and delve into the realms of kind extinction. The Webinar took place on January 9th, 2024.
At Hi Rasmus, we believe ABA professionals deserve the tools, insights, and support to deliver the most compassionate and effective care possible. That’s why we kicked off the new year with a powerful webinar led by Courtney Tarbox, BCBA, and Dr. Jonathan Tarbox, BCBA-D, two leaders known for advancing meaningful, data-driven, and humane ABA practices.
The topic? Kind Extinction—a concept that challenges conventional extinction procedures by integrating warmth, empathy, and learner-centered responsiveness without sacrificing results. This aligns with a growing movement in applied behavior analysis to prioritize socially valid, trauma-informed care—an approach increasingly recognized in peer-reviewed literature.
Here’s what we learned.
What Is Kind Extinction?
Kind Extinction is a procedural modification to traditional Extinction. Rather than removing all reinforcement, this method withholds the functional reinforcer while offering functionally arbitrary but genuinely comforting responses, like emotional validation, gentle touch, or empathetic statements.
The key? These comforting responses aren’t random. They’re:
- Offered in response to interfering behavior,
- Individualized to each learner’s preferences,
- Discontinued immediately if they escalate distress.
Courtney put it best: “We can follow the science while still bringing our hearts with us.”
Why It Matters: Ethics, Effectiveness & Empathy
Kind Extinction aligns with the values in the BACB Ethics Code (such as using the least restrictive procedures and treating others with dignity) while demonstrating measurable clinical benefits. Read the full peer-reviewed study published in Behavior Analysis in Practice for additional context and outcome data.
This evidence-based approach has significant implications for clinical directors and program supervisors seeking to enhance fidelity, generalization, and stakeholder satisfaction.
Ethical Foundations of Kind Extinction
This approach is grounded in the BACB’s core ethical principles:
- Benefit others – Prioritize meaningful outcomes that truly improve a learner’s life
- Treat others with compassion, dignity, and respect – Recognize and honor the human experience behind every behavior
- Behave with integrity – Make decisions that align with both data and values
- Ensure your competence – Use strategies you are trained in and are confident in executing
The study results were compelling:
- Significant reductions in problem behavior across all four participants
- Increases in manding, even without direct teaching
- No extinction bursts for three out of four learners
- Higher social validity from both caregivers and clinicians
As Dr. Tarbox noted: “If we can’t implement an ABA procedure compassionately, maybe we shouldn’t be doing it at all.”
Implementation Highlights
What does “kindness” look like in practice? It depends on the learner, but examples include:
- Getting down to eye level and saying, “I know it’s hard. I’m here.”
- Offering a brief hug or hand-hold if comforting
- Labeling emotions: “You look frustrated that the toy is gone.”
- Offering non-contingent support that doesn’t reinforce the behavior function
Crucially, this isn’t about “ignoring the behavior but not the child.” It’s about not ignoring either and respecting their lived experience in the moment.
For clinical leaders and BCBAs designing treatment plans, these practices reflect a practical, scalable shift toward integrating assent-based practices without sacrificing outcomes. The study highlights that these strategies can be implemented with treatment integrity, and still achieve function-based behavior change.
A Step Toward More Human ABA
Kind Extinction is just one piece of a larger shift toward Compassionate Care in ABA. It reflects a broader movement:
- Toward assent-based practices,
- Away from the default reliance on Extinction,
- And toward truly centering the learner’s emotional well-being and autonomy.
The presenters emphasized that compassionate care doesn’t dilute the science—it elevates it. These values are becoming increasingly essential in quality assurance models and ethical decision-making frameworks in ABA organizations.
Final Takeaways
- Kind Extinction works: It reduces behavior without compromising compassion.
- Burnout may decrease: Clinicians felt more aligned with their values and experienced less emotional drain.
- Parents were on board: Offering comfort didn’t feel like “breaking the plan”—it felt like parenting.
- It’s scalable: First Steps for Kids has now adopted it as standard practice for new hires.
As Dr. Tarbox concluded, “Let’s just agree—whatever we do, let’s not be jerks.”
