Why Some Behaviors Are Harder to Change — And What ABA Says About It
Published March 26, 2026
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3 min read
Some behaviors are harder to change than others because of their reinforcement history, the function they serve, and how consistently extinction procedures are applied. The longer a behavior has been reinforced, the more resistant it becomes.
It's Not Stubbornness — It's Science
Every parent who's sat through a 45-minute meltdown in a grocery store knows the feeling: why isn't this getting better?
The answer isn't a lack of effort. It's rooted in behavioral science.
Some behaviors are harder to change because of how deeply they've been reinforced over time. Research shows that behavior change methods — including extinction and reinforcement of alternative behaviors — tend to inhibit the original behavior rather than erase it. This makes behavior change an inherently unstable and unsteady process.
The Reinforcement History Problem
The longer a behavior has been rewarded, the harder it is to undo.
Intermittent reinforcement — where a behavior is only sometimes rewarded — makes behaviors far more resistant to change. Think of it like a slot machine: unpredictable rewards keep the behavior going longer than consistent ones ever would.
When ABA teams try to reduce a behavior using extinction (removing the reward), something predictable happens first.
Why Behaviors Get Worse Before They Get Better
An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the frequency, intensity, or duration of a behavior after reinforcement is removed. It often appears when behavior interventions are first applied — and it is not a sign that the intervention isn't working.
This happens when a new intervention is introduced: the child increases the negative behavior rather than decrease it, since they are searching for that positive reinforcement.
The 3 Factors That Make Some Behaviors Harder to Change
1. Long reinforcement history
The longer a behavior has worked for a child, the harder it is to extinguish. There's no fixed timeline — duration depends on how long the behavior has been reinforced and how consistent the extinction procedure is across settings and people.
2. Inconsistent response from caregivers
If one person continues to reinforce the behavior while others do not, the procedure won't work and may prolong the extinction burst. One slip resets progress.
3. Unclear behavioral function
Extinction is often overused or applied without fully understanding the behavior's underlying function — which can escalate the problem instead of resolving it. A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is critical before any intervention begins.
The Data Behind Behavior Resistance
Research consistently shows that longer ABA therapy durations — generally 12 to 24 months or more — are linked to more substantial improvements, especially in children who receive early and intensive intervention.
Programs providing 25 to 40 hours a week of therapy for 1 to 3 years have shown gains in intellectual functioning, language development, daily living skills, and social functioning. Behavior change takes time — especially for deeply rooted patterns.
The Bottom Line
Some behaviors are harder to change — and that's documented, not a guess. Knowing why resistance happens is what separates a stalled plan from one that actually moves forward.
Ready to find an ABA provider who builds plans around your child's specific behavior profile? Explore ABA Navigator's provider directory — filter by specialty, approach, and location. The right team changes the trajectory.
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