Controversial treatments can also be evidence based. There is debate in the field of ABA surrounding treatments involving guided compliance and extinction, particularly attention extinctionand escape...

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Controversial Behavior Analytic Procedures
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Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Capella University
PSY 7710: Ethics for Behavior Analysts
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Controversial Treatment
    One of the most important treatments for difficult behaviors displayed by people with behavioral problems or developmental disabilities is escape extinction, a contentious approach in behavior analysis. This tactic is methodically and momentarily stopping someone from fleeing or refraining from a particular conduct. While some behavior analysts support its application and argue for its efficacy, others bring up moral issues and draw attention to possible drawbacks.
    A behavior analyst starts the process of escape extinction by determining a certain target habit that has to be reduced or eliminated (Tereshko et al., 2021). This might include a wide range of actions, such as self-harming incidents or failing to complete assigned responsibilities. Accurately identifying the behavior in issue is crucial for the effectiveness of escape extinction. Following the identification of the target behavior, the behavior analyst employs a methodical strategy to stop the subject from fleeing or avoiding the circumstances or demands connected to that behavior. Take into account a situation where a youngster often acts aggressively in order to avoid having to complete schoolwork. Under such circumstances, escape extinction would entail the behavior analyst methodically making the child do the schoolwork without offering them a way out or a way to avoid it. When the youngster is presented with the demand, the analyst makes sure that there are purposefully limited escape routes. This procedure is continuously carried out until the target behavior becomes less frequent.
    Advocates of escape extinction emphasize how quickly undesirable behaviors may be reduced with this strategy. The reasoning behind this strategy is based on the ideas of operant conditioning, in which eliminating the means of escape reinforces the concept that participating in the difficult activity will not result in the desirable result. This effectiveness is especially useful in healthcare settings, where quick fixes are frequently required to address pressing issues. Furthermore, a highly customized approach to behavior modification is made possible via escape extinction. Customizing the intervention to target certain behaviors displayed by a person guarantees that the underlying reasons of the behavior are directly addressed. In order to provide treatments that...