By Teri Dolittle , PA, MHP Extinction is the withdrawal of all attention after a child engages in an undesirable behavior. Children live for attention and they love exaggerated emotional responses.
Attention is stimulation.
Whether that attention is good or bad, it is stimulating and they like it. In the case of tantrums, the idea is to literally go about your business as if nothing at all is going on. You might casually finger a toy or even talk about some activity that is fun and is coming up next. Do not offer any enticements or bribes. Do not try to talk them out of the tantrum.