Addressing attention-seeking behavior involves which of the following best practice?

• A. Praising immediately in front of peers
• B. Ignore the behavior completely
• C. Increase penalties for every misstep
• D. Do not reward behavior with undue attention

Answer: (D)

Attention-seeking behavior is often driven by the desire for social reinforcement. The most effective approach is to avoid rewarding the misbehavior with attention and instead provide attention for appropriate, functional behaviors. By not reinforcing the behavior with undue attention, you reduce the incentive to engage in it and help the student learn how to obtain your attention through acceptable actions. You may still acknowledge and reinforce positive behavior when the student requests attention in a proper way, which teaches a clear alternative path to engagement. It’s common to see an initial uptick in the behavior as old patterns extinguish, but with consistent response, the behavior typically decreases. Praising in front of peers or escalating penalties tends to reinforce the problem rather than reduce it, and completely ignoring the behavior can miss opportunities to teach and ensure safety.